In 1996, Bill Gates published an essay titled ‘Content is King’ on the Microsoft website. He predicted that the big bucks would be made with content, by using the internet as a medium for mass distribution.
“Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting.
The television revolution that began half a century ago spawned a number of industries, including the manufacturing of TV sets, but the long-term winners were those who used the medium to deliver information and entertainment.”
And he was right. We’ve seen an explosion of digital content over the past 2 decades — social media, blogs, podcasts, videos, live streaming, movies, music, apps, gaming, and now even virtual reality. Alongside this proliferation of content, value is also being accrued to the ‘picks and shovels’ that comprise the ecosystem (after all, a king needs good support!).
In parallel, the demand for digital content has been accelerating — spurred by the pandemic, global online content consumption doubled in 20201, as consumers spent an average of ~7 hours per day on digital content. When you think about it, that’s almost 30% of the entire day spent on digital content! As content keeps evolving, I believe we are going to see demand shift towards more engaging forms of content over time.
Across the entire gamut of digital content, I would argue that gaming has the most potential because of how immersive it can be. However, just like any other form of content, the bar for quality has increased significantly since the early days of the internet. As a result, game developers today must be more thoughtful and data-driven in order to create content that aligns with the audiences they want to reach.
In the last post we touched on the importance of designing content that caters to a game’s target market. For example, a casual puzzle game that aims to reach a broad audience should center its content around intuitive gameplay and simple progression. For a fast-paced action RPG, depth of combat and gear progression are important elements to prioritize.
In today’s post, I want to take a deeper look at content design in gaming, and more specifically the MMORPG genre (massive multiplayer online role playing game). The goal is to answer the following question:
“What content drives success for a modern MMORPG?”
Is it an engrossing story? Riveting gameplay? Stunning graphics? Some magical blend of everything? If you ask 100 people, you’ll likely get 100 different responses.
While there is no universal formula, we can analyze some of the most successful (and unsuccessful) games today to see if there are any patterns we can infer. In order to allow for an apples-to-apples comparison, this post will focus only on MMORPGs.
I will hone in on 5 basic content elements for two of the most popular MMORPGs today — Final Fantasy XIV and Black Desert Online.
Story
Gameplay mechanics
Audiovisuals
Scope
Progression
Final Fantasy XIV (FF14)
Background: Developed by Square Enix, FF14 is arguably the most active MMORPG today, featuring a persistent fantasy-themed world called Eorzea.
Before we dive into the modern iteration of FF14, let’s first rewind back to 2010. For those unaware, FF14’s initial launch (i.e. version 1.0) in 2010 was actually an unmitigated disaster. While the game had some bright spots, it was overshadowed by a plethora of core content design flaws. This review from GameSpot aptly sums up the general sentiment of the gaming community at the time, brutally labeling the game “a step backward for the genre.” His scathing remarks don’t end there.
Final Fantasy XIV is a notable entry to the genre but only for what it lacks. It lacks character; bare-bones quests and audiovisual repetition fail to instill a sense of fantasy wonder. It lacks cohesion; communication failures, economic oddities, and stringent limitations leave you constantly directionless. And it lacks joy; the abysmal interface and boring monsters make it a struggle to stay invested.
And it wasn’t just one review. The game garnered unfavorable reception across the board, including a 49/100 rating on Metacritic, an aggregate review site. The situation eventually became so dire that the game’s lead producer (Hiromichi Tanaka) and lead director (Nobuaki Komoto) were replaced only 3 months after the initial launch of the game.
So you may be wondering… how did we even get to this point? The game’s new lead producer and director, Naoki Yoshida, presented an informative post mortem at GDC 2014. He attributed the failure of v1.0 to the following factors:
The management team in charge of the project mostly came from the team that developed Final Fantasy XI, the previous MMO title of the storied Final Fantasy franchise. Initially released in 2002, FFXI was a big success (the game is still up and running today); however, this success led to complacency and the team failed to adapt to changes in the MMORPG market since then.
General lack of MMORPG knowledge within the development team.
Questionable content design choices that didn’t align with modern user needs, including a stubborn fixation on graphic quality.
Mindset that initial problems could just be patched in future updates.
If we really boil it down, the game struggled because the team failed to deliver an immersive experience for players. Along with serious performance issues, the initial release of the game was a haphazard collection of content that often felt unengaging, tedious, and lacking. Let’s briefly go through some of the specific content design choices in FF14 v1.0 that doomed the game from the outset.
The main story showed potential, but was stretched too thin and felt rushed. For a franchise that prides itself on delivering breathtaking stories, it was perplexing that you could go as long as 10 levels before unlocking the next chapter of the main story. This problem was aggravated by the fact that there were no proper side quests on release, which created a lull in terms of world-building and ended up breaking immersion for players.
Gameplay mechanics were unintuitive and lacked depth. The combat was slow and clunky, relying heavily on reused animations. Class balance and diversity was non-existent, as certain classes could play the role of both damage dealer (DPS) and healer. Crafting / gathering systems were overly complex and cumbersome, requiring way too much effort to see results. The questing system (levequests) was bland and generally some variation of “go here, kill X / fetch Y.” Instead of a proper market board / auction house, trading consisted of going to specific market wards and spending hours perusing the wares of retainer NPCs that players could employ — an outdated system only a handful of games still have. Traversing the world through teleportation required a special currency called Anima, which regenerated at a mind-boggling slow rate. To make matters worse, basic features such as mounts were not implemented, so you were forced to travel by foot once you ran out of Anima (imagine how painful those fetch quests must have been!).
The underlying graphic quality was great, but the presentation was lamentable. The UI was convoluted and painful to navigate (for example, you couldn’t pull up the inventory window without going to a main menu first). The majority of map designs were highly repetitive and not conducive to open world exploration. Assets were lazily re-used or “copy-pasted” across regions with only slight variations (see an example map comparison below). Many regions were devoid of activity and events so the game didn’t feel alive. There was also an unnecessary focus on the graphical fidelity of items that didn’t contribute to immersion (e.g. flower pots that had 1k polygons and 150 lines of shader code, which was equivalent to a single playable character!).
The soundtrack was well composed, which was one of the few highlights of the game. The audio harmoniously matched the mood of the environment or main story cutscenes. The voice acting was superb when present.
Content scope was relatively limited when comparing to other MMOs at launch. There was limited group PVE content aside from leveling parties, and no PVP content. While most MMOs are understandably light on end game content at launch, FF14 launched with practically none. To put it bluntly, there was simply not much to do in the game aside from grinding levequests and random open world mobs.
Progression was unnaturally gated by a fatigue system which penalized you the more you played. Here’s how it works — experience points (by class) would be earned at a lower rate after certain thresholds, eventually reaching 0 the more experience that was gained. The reduced rate will gradually recover while players are engaged in activities that do not yield experience points. In theory, this system was supposed to prevent hardcore players from gaining an overwhelming advantage vs. casual players who didn’t have as much time to play. In practice, the system limited player flexibility, and prevented newer players from catching up.
Despite the poorly conceived fatigue system, the game did implement some innovative mechanics around progression, such as the ability to level all jobs and classes in one character. We’ll come back to this in the next section.
Most importantly, progression did not feel rewarding as there was no real end game content to look forward to. Even when instanced dungeons and raids were introduced later on, it felt grindy and repetitive. This severely limited the initial replayability of the game.
Phew. That was a lot to digest. There’s actually a lot more I didn’t cover, but this should provide a good sense of the core content issues in the game. Below are my key takeaways from this whole fiasco:
Building a new MMORPG today is a difficult and costly endeavor. Players have been spoiled by older titles on the market, which have had more time to refine their content. As a result, the bar continues to move higher (also seen in Figure 2 below). If FFXIV v1.0 was based on brand new IP and not a mainline entry in the Final Fantasy franchise, it would’ve likely struggled even more. To put things in perspective, 4 out of the 5 most populated MMORPGs today were released prior to 2015. The latest entry into that list, Lost Ark (2019), cost ~$85M and ~7 years to develop.
Design content that drives player immersion, not player retention. It’s a subtle but critical difference. For example, the fatigue system was designed to improve player retention by slowing down the progression curve (effectively extending users’ subscriptions). The problem? An ardent fisher that didn’t care about leveling other classes would essentially be forced to stop playing once they hit the fishing fatigue cap. As you can imagine, this frustrated players because it prevented them from engaging with their preferred content.
Innovation is important, but don’t ignore the fundamentals. A clean UI and hassle-free trading system are just as important as that innovative combat system you are working on. Embrace tried and tested MMO features when possible.
A game does not need to be fully fleshed out at launch, but the roadmap should be communicated clearly to the player base. While FF14 did not launch with real end-game content, it probably wouldn’t have been as big of a deal if the developers had communicated future update plans to the player base (or even better, make a simple teaser!). That being said, end-game content is what underpins long term sustainability in an MMORPG (i.e. there needs to be a ‘goal’ that makes progression meaningful), and should be prioritized early on in the dev cycle.
Once Naoki Yoshida took over as lead director and producer, he soon came to the conclusion that it was better to completely remake the game from the ground up because it was so fundamentally flawed. This would lead to the birth of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (“ARR”) in August 2013, ~3 years following the release of v1.0. ARR carried over the original game's setting, lore and story, but featured a new client, server infrastructure, graphics engine, UI, and content. The rest, as we know, is history. The remade FF14 would be followed by 4 major expansions (Heavensward, Stormblood, Shadowbringers, Endwalker) and go on to dethrone World of Warcraft as the most active MMORPG in the world.
What drove the game’s impressive revival and ascent? It’s hard to attribute the success to any one aspect, but two content elements particularly stood out to me.
1.) The story is an epic masterpiece.
FF14 arguably delivers the best story the entire MMORPG genre has ever seen. It’s not just the sheer volume of content (48 hours of cutscenes excluding the latest Endwalker expansion), but also the natural pacing, the excellent voice acting, the depth of writing, the poignant plot twists, and the compelling character development. The writers adeptly connect the plots across each additional expansion, further enthralling players in the game. It’s clear that the team spent a lot of resources developing and polishing the story. As an example, most MMOs use basic translators when porting their game to other languages. FF14? There is an entire localization team focused on ensuring the experience is consistent across all languages.
An interview with the FF14 localization team showcased their attention to detail in this regard:
…the fundamental localization philosophy of FFXIV — as established by Yoshida-san — is that all languages should offer an equivalent experience to the players. If something makes the Japanese audience go “Cool!” it should not make the English audience go “Okay, I guess.”
A great example of this can be seen in the Shadowbringers expansion trailer, during this scene between Urianger and Y’shtola.
Japanese version:
Urianger: さて、マトーヤ。いかにしますか。運命に抗うか、それとも受け入れるか。いずれにせよ、退路はありません。
Y’shtola: 逃げる?そんな必要ないは。
Literal translation:
Urianger: Well, Matoya. What should we do? Resist destiny, or accept it? In any case, there is no retreat.
Y’shtola: Retreat? There is no need.
English version:
Urianger: What sayeth thou, Master Matoya. We may accept this fate, or defy it, but we cannot deny it.
Y’shtola: Deny? I am not wont to run from my troubles.
As seen in this dialogue, the English version actually deviates from the literal translation, but does a much better job capturing Y’shtola’s resolve in this context. Furthermore, the lips of the characters are also synced with the language they are speaking. These may all sound like “little details,” but they do meaningfully add to the immersion of the player, helping the player become more emotionally invested in the story.
IGN’s review of the game’s first expansion - Heavensward - also illustrates why FF14’s story is best-in-class.
For those of us looking for great storytelling in a role-playing game, massively multiplayer RPGs have usually been the black sheep of the genre's family. Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward, the first major expansion for 2013’s FFXIV: A Realm Reborn, breaks that trend, and does so admirably. While the main story of A Realm Reborn is nothing to frown on, Heavensward takes that foundation and pushes it toward the heavens to emerge as the finest Final Fantasy tale that developer Square Enix has told in a decade.
The story of Heavensward itself explores themes of betrayal, redemption, and hidden truths in a reclusive realm with surprising dexterity, and it wraps it all in one of the finest tales about dragons in any medium. In Heavensward, one of A Realm Reborn's most one-dimensional characters becomes one of the saga's most complex as he wrestles with guilt over his former arrogance. Elsewhere, devious scheming leads to welcome romps in the zones from before the expansion.
FF14’s story is what keeps players coming back to the game and eagerly awaiting each new expansion. FF14 has shown us that a well-crafted story can be a key driver of immersion and therefore long term success in a MMORPG.
2.) Exceptional customizability, including the ability to level all classes in a single character.
Interestingly, the ability to level all classes in a single character was (and still is) an unpopular concept in MMOs because it doesn’t directly improve player retention and can reduce ancillary monetization opportunities. For example, many MMOs sell cosmetic items in the cash shop. Since these cosmetics are usually bound by character, you would have to purchase it again to deck out a new character. The ability to level all classes in one character eliminates the need to create multiple characters completely, thereby reducing in-game purchases.
The flip side of this design is that players can become more immersed because all progression is packed into a single character (i.e. you feel more attached to that character). Conceptually, it could also drive a higher willingness for players to spend in the cash shop because more value is derived out of each purchase (because you only need to purchase it once). The other key benefit is that it lowers the barrier to trying out new classes, which indirectly improves retention — all you need is to complete a short job quest and equip the weapon corresponding to that class.
It’s impossible to say definitively which model would’ve worked better, but I’d argue the benefits outweigh the cons for FF14, and played a big role in the game’s success.
Black Desert Online (BDO)
Background: Developed by Pearl Abyss and initially released in 2014, BDO is a medieval fantasy-themed action MMORPG. BDO is arguably the most active open world action MMORPG today.
If Final Fantasy XIV is the face of traditional tab-target MMORPGs today, BDO is the face of the action MMORPG genre. For those unfamiliar with action MMORPGs, it’s worthwhile checking out the below combat trailer for BDO’s newest class — Drakania.
The main distinction between traditional tab-target MMORPGs and action MMORPGs is the combat. In tab-target combat, players are required to select a target for each skill. Once the skill is cast, the client checks for basic range requirements, then registers the effect of the skill. The animation for the skill is just visual feedback that something happens, and plays no role in registering the effect. For example, let’s say you are a mage and want to cast a fireball skill. A tab-target system will require you to first select a specific target. Once you use the skill (and assuming you are in range), the damage is registered by the client immediately. The animation is played after the damage is applied. Resultingly, a target cannot dodge a skill through movement once the hit has been registered by the client.
In action combat, skills do not require a target, but instead rely on ‘hitboxes’ that determine whether or not a skill will connect. Damage is not calculated instantaneously after pressing a skill — damage will only be dealt if a skill hitbox in the active phase collides with the target’s hitbox. In other words, the damage is applied along with the animation, so players can now avoid damage in real-time through clever movement. Going back to the fireball example, a target can avoid being hit by moving out of the fireball hitbox range right before the animation connects.
Note: The above explanation is an oversimplification, but will be helpful context as we discuss the key differentiators that led to BDO’s success.
In my opinion, Black Desert’s meteoric rise stems largely from its impactful action combat system, set in a truly massive and gorgeous open world.
Fluid action combat mechanics that bring depth. By design, tab-target combat is more reactionary & strategic, while action combat rewards fast reflexes and players who are quick-witted. Tab-target combat generally has a lower skill ceiling, due to the fact that projectiles and abilities don’t need to be aimed. For a game that is so unabashedly grindy, Black Desert manages to drive immersion by keeping players on their toes during combat. BDO’s action combat is designed in a way that is highly impactful (with realistic stagger physics) and encourages experimentation with different skill rotations and combos. It expands gameplay diversity by allowing players to prosecute every boss or PVP encounter differently. The increased skill cap also acts as another layer of horizontal progression — mastering the optimal skill combos for each class can be extremely satisfying. Finally, BDO’s action combat is flashy and visually appealing, a bonus perk in terms of helping with game marketing (more streaming-friendly).
BDO’s stunningly beautiful open world was ahead of its time. Breathtaking sunsets, creepy underground dungeons, lush green forests, grandiose castles, snowy mountains — the world was filled with incredibly alluring vistas. Words don’t do it justice, so I’ve included an image below for reference. It wasn’t just the environment, as the character models were also very attractive, and many praised the game’s detailed character customization features.
As with every game, Black Desert is not without its flaws, and falls short in many key content aspects as well.
The story is passable, but doesn’t engross the player in the game. The writing and voice acting leaves much to be desired.
UI is fairly overwhelming (albeit much improved compared to initial launch). The game doesn’t do a great job explaining all the different systems present in the game, and the learning curve can be intimidating for players unfamiliar with the genre.
There is no real PVE-oriented endgame, even to this day. A deliberate choice by the devs to keep the game fully “open-world,” but results in lost potential re: progression — there’s a certain charm to experiencing challenging raid boss mechanics inside instanced dungeons together with a party of friends.
Progression used to be gated by a rage-inducing enhancement system. RNG-based progression is actually not uncommon in the genre, but BDO made failing equipment enhancements overly penalizing (seeing hours of progress disappear can be very disheartening and break immersion / create a negative feedback loop).
Even though BDO suffers from some core design issues, Pearl Abyss’ achievement with BDO should be celebrated. Black Desert gave us a glimpse of the exciting future potential for action-based open world MMORPGs.
Conclusions
To recap (in typical gamer fashion), I created radar charts summarizing the analysis on FF14 and Black Desert.
Now going back to the original question: “What content drives success for a modern MMORPG?”
Neither FF14 nor BDO were perfect, but both had content that differentiated them from the rest of the crowded market. For FF14, it was the epic story that players couldn’t experience anywhere else; for BDO, it was the unique combination of fluid action combat with a massive open world.
Let me conclude with 3 key observations:
The best MMORPGs tend to focus on 1 or 2 core competencies, and center their content around that. FF14 and BDO took their respective core competencies and perfected it for their target audience. “FF14 has the best story in the genre” and “BDO has the best action combat in an MMO” are testaments to their focus on these core competencies.
MMORPGs can find success innovating around content gaps in the market.
Prior to FF14, very few MMORPGs employed a deeply captivating storyline because developers thought that gamers didn’t care about stories in a MMO (even though there was no real data to corroborate this claim). FF14 saw the opportunity to combine the community elements of an MMO with JRPG-style story telling, to deliver an immersive fantasy-themed open world experience for fans of both genres.
Prior to BDO, there was only 1 other action-based open world MMORPG (Tera) on the market. Action-oriented combat had been present in MMOs for a while (e.g. Vindictus, Continent of the Ninth, Dragon Nest), but no one had really combined action combat with a persistent open world. Pearl Abyss saw an opportunity to bring together fans of open world exploration and thrilling action combat inside the form factor of an MMORPG.
Like any other genre, MMORPGs need to adapt to changing market needs to remain successful in the long term. FF14 and BDO have both evolved significantly since initial release. For example, FF14 moved away from the slower stamina-based combat system in v1.0 in favor of a faster and simpler global cooldown (GCD) concept. While BDO’s endgame is still PVP-driven, it introduced its first co-op dungeon, Atoraxxion Vahmalkea, in mid 2021 as players asked for more challenging group PVE content.
Final thoughts
MMORPGs have certainly come a long way. While the genre has been relatively stagnant over the past few years, I believe it still has the potential to be the most immersive form of gaming. As consumer demand shifts toward more engaging content, MMORPGs have a tremendous opportunity ahead, and I’m excited to see what the future has in store for us.
Finally, remember that content is indeed still king, just as Bill Gates predicted in 1996.
Thanks again for reading! Please feel free to leave a comment below as I’d love to hear your thoughts or feedback, including any specific topics you’d like me to cover next.
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According to research from DoubleVerify. https://doubleverify.com/newsroom/global-online-content-consumption-doubles-in-2020-research-shows/