Warhammer Online – Target Audience

Some of the most talked about features on the upcoming MMO Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning are its expansive and direct approach to PvP (Player Vs. Player) or RvR (Realm Vs. Realm) however is this strategy viable in competing with or even outdoing World of Warcraft?

It would seem as if it could with the World of Warcraft forums filled daily with talk of how the PvP in WoW has died and that Warhammer Online will be the answer to their cries. No doubt people who PvP constantly on WoW but dislike it immensely will immediately move over to Warhammer Online. However the selling point of WoW has always been both its ease of use for new and casual players. No other way could an MMO reach ten million subscribers without somewhat appealing to mainstream gamers as a whole.

Games like Lineage 2 and Everquest were never known for their ease of play for new players to the MMO genre. When World of Warcraft came along it had everything no one else did. It was fun, accessible, and addicting to a wide range of people. Warhammer Online has just the same chance but in the long run will the average WoW player really care about the release of Warhammer Online?

In reality most of those who enjoy a game are never very vocal because they would rather be playing said game. On the contrary those who do dislike a game become quite vocal. So the size of the audience who would flock to PvP centered gameplay may be in fact be quite small but also quite loud.

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning by no means needs millions of players to attain success. Mythic may be able to survive as a niche in MMO’s. A powerful fan base no matter how small can be very important in the lifecyle of a game.

I look forward to the release of Warhammer Online and I hope it has success in its own way that allows it to compete with WoW. These days getting into the MMO market is an even more daunting task then ever before so when a game with potential comes along we owe it to the developers to give it a try.

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning will be released Quarter 4 of 2008