Expanding MMORPGs over several platforms

A year ago I posted an idea how playing WoW on your cell phone could look. One of this weeks recurring headlines in the MMO blogosphere is some venture capital analyst claiming that 2008 will be the year where MMORPGs reach the cell phone. And I found an interesting post on Sierra Kilo with a basic design for a new MMORPG which contains the features:

• Easily access parts of the game without the main client
  
  
  
  • The game API allows players to create their own external interface to the game
  • Create a web-based interface for access from any browser
  • Create a mobile interface for phones or PDAs
  • Create your own mini-client software or widget
  
  
  • Once a partnership is created through the main client using a special key, external sources can manipulate different aspects of the game through the API
  • Chat with other players (requires an in-game communicator device)
  • Adjust or display the rate of various automated in-game equipment (requires compatible in-game equipment)
  • Access the “Help Wanted” or auction system
  • Receive SMS text messages about the progress of long-running automated in-game tasks
  • Subscribe to public RSS feeds relating to story arcs, weather forecasts, and other in-game news
  • Search a wiki for information about the world and contribute your own information

Lots of good ideas here. I'm sure we could all come up with even more ideas of what features of for example World of Warcraft we would like to be able to access from a browser during lunch break at work, or from our PDA or cell phone. WoWBerry, anyone?

The underlying principle behind all this is that a MMORPG is a mix between 3D and 2D information. Our characters, combat, zones, spell effects etc. take place in a 3D world. The chat window, our inventories and paper dolls, the auction house etc. take place in 2D. So if you want to access only some 2D part, for example involving only your inventory and the auction house, you don't strictly need the huge 3D client with its 12 GB footprint on your hard drive. A browser-based auction house access, or guild chat on your cell phone is technically totally possible.

But still I don't believe that 2008 will be the year where this takes off. For example World of Warcraft is still way behind in offering even web-based tools, Everquest 2 is far more advanced there. And "technically possible" isn't the same as "easily implemented", there are foreseeable complications of authenticitation and server load. And no one know whether there is money in it. How much would people pay for being able to use their PDA to do an Auctioneer scan? If every line of guild chat comes at the price of one SMS, would you still want to have it? I'd think it will still take a couple more years before you see WoW on your cell phone.
- posted by Tobold @ 1:36 PM Permanent Link