The gaming landscape is no stranger to cycles of success and downfall, with countless developers scrambling to create their own versions of the latest major hit. The results? Often, a whole lot of failures. The biggest—and most infamous—instance might just be the mad rush to create the so-called "WoW killer," a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) designed to dethrone Blizzard’s colossal global phenomenon, World of Warcraft, and secure endless riches through monthly subscriptions.
This collective industry misstep became a legendary flop, and I witnessed it unfold firsthand. My journey in games journalism began in 2004, right before WoW launched. My penchant for the game nearly jeopardized my budding career, but instead, it propelled me into a specialization in MMOs—a niche too complex for many writers and editors. I ventured to numerous preview events for hopeful MMOs that PR reps eagerly described as “World of Warcraft, but for soccer,” or “World of Warcraft, but with cars.” In 2008, I joined Eurogamer as the editor of an MMO section—an endeavor driven by the same misguided gold-rush mentality—and it quickly became apparent why these attempts were doomed from the start.
The primary hurdle was that WoW, particularly during its peak from 2004 to 2010, was simply too formidable to overthrow. Moreover, chasing hits is a flawed approach, even under ideal circumstances, and essentially impractical in the social, online game world. Successful games garner fiercely loyal audiences who immerse themselves month after month, rarely seeking an alternative.
These dedicated communities are essentially self-contained, barely swayed by flashy graphics or technical marvels, while constantly updated games have ample opportunities to innovate from within. The strategy of "let’s slap a big name, like Star Wars, on it," also loses its charm here, as more often than not, players prioritize their community ties over blockbuster personas or plots.
Yet, unbelievably, the industry keeps falling into the same trap with online games. Take the spectacular failure of Concord earlier this year, just another in a long line of attempts to topple Overwatch’s supremacy in the hero-shooter domain. So, with a blend of reflection and a touch of schadenfreude, let’s revisit some of the games that tried, and mostly failed, to challenge World of Warcraft, and highlight a few that came close.
The Lord of the Rings Online (2007): This game’s inclusion might be slightly unfair, as the ambition to create a Middle-earth MMO predates Blizzard’s WoW concept. The initial developer, Turbine, envisioned making another niche online project. However, publisher WB Games became overly enthusiastic. The game performed reasonably well but lagged behind WoW’s advancements. Nonetheless, it’s still played today!
Age of Conan (2008): Here comes a cautionary tale of post-WoW arrogance. Developer Funcom ambitiously attempted to inject cutting-edge graphics, violence, sex, and real-time swordplay into an MMO set in Robert E. Howard’s fantasy realm. Publisher Eidos went all in; I recall an absurd press event in Oslo, organized within a 1952 Winter Olympic park transformed into a medieval spectacle with barbarians and feasts. The launch was disastrous, and the game flopped.
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (2008): EA’s ambitious venture appeared sensible, given that the Warhammer license closely mirrors Warcraft. Mythic, its developer, was praised by MMO aficionados for Dark Age of Camelot. The elaborate game, however, was limited, fixated on large-scale player-versus-player combat while WoW excelled in offering a plethora of play styles. Warhammer Online shut down in 2013.
APB: All Points Bulletin (2010): Envisioned as a Grand Theft Auto-like MMO with immense customization capabilities, spearheaded by GTA’s architect David Jones, what could possibly go wrong? Everything! APB boasted plenty of features but forgot the crucial element—gameplay. Realtime Worlds, Jones’ studio, went bankrupt soon after, leading to APB’s closure, and subsequent unsuccessful relaunch.
Rift (2011): The MMO boom wasn’t exclusive to games; companies sprang up, grabbing significant investments with promises of revolutionary tech. Trion Worlds boasted advanced server tech destined to bring MMOs closer to cloud-gaming dreams. Sadly, its flagship fantasy game Rift was lackluster.
Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011): Still smarting from Warhammer Online’s failure, EA embarked once again on a WoW-challenging mission with Star Wars, developed by BioWare, and deep pockets. Despite the overhyped launch, BioWare’s strength lay in solo experiences. Players finished the story and left, not quite the intended outcome. Nevertheless, BioWare rebuilt the game, capitalizing on a successful free-to-play model, maintaining a player base.
Guild Wars 2 (2012): Though deservedly recognized as a superior MMO and perhaps unfairly on this list, Guild Wars 2 introduced refined combat and genre-defining ideas that WoW and others later adopted. Yet, the title couldn’t fulfill publisher NCSoft’s aspirations or catch the ever-adapting WoW.
WildStar (2014): NCSoft attempted to make a Western mark with WildStar, a game resembling World of Warcraft in its vibrant art style, developed by ex-Blizzard folks. While novel, it exemplified trend-focused designs without purpose beyond ousting WoW. Eventually, it closed in 2018.
Now, let’s spotlight the game that nearly dethroned WoW.
Final Fantasy 14 (2013): Steadfast perseverance paid for Square Enix, whose mission transcended challenging Blizzard. Final Fantasy 11 was a pre-WoW success in 2002. Dealing with FF14’s initial failure in 2010, Square Enix, driven by its sense of pride, enlisted producer Naoki Yoshida for a revamp. Yoshida delivered a stellar reboot. Square Enix didn’t waver even when they didn’t match WoW’s numbers, continuing to invest. As Blizzard faced controversies and uninspiring expansions, WoW fans began migrating to FF14, which finally became the worthy contender WoW always needed.
