Have you ever watched a movie, read a book, or played a single-player game thinking about what kind of MMO would that material inspire? Or wished that a certain creation received the MMORPG treatment? We let our imagination run wild and envisioned several franchises as MMOs.
World of Darkness
The World of Darkness franchise encompasses the popular table-top Vampire: The Masquerade RPGs that spawned the eponymous video game series.
WoD was almost made into an MMORPG by CCP Games, the creators of EVE Online. The game was in development for eight long years during which no notable progress was achieved. It was eventually canceled.
Even though we have so many MMOs, the lack of a good vampire MMO set in a dark and gruesome universe is real.
As of 2015, Paradox Interactive owns the rights to the World of Darkness. The studio is known for strategy games, so the chances of them embarking on an MMO project are quite slim.
Magic: The Gathering
The short-lived Magic: Legends showed fans how an MtG MMO could look like. Magic: Legends was canceled before leaving open beta.
Ironically, the gameplay wasn’t the main issue. The developers addressed some of the players’ critiques. The community showed a positive attitude towards the efforts of bettering the game.
Unfortunately, the company turned a blind eye to the feedback regarding the microtransaction policy. Eventually, they called it quits.
We sincerely hope that MtG’s foray into this market won’t end here. There is so much potential in this universe. Fans would love to explore an MMO instance of the Multiverse.
Dragon Age
Hey, BioWare! Fancy making another MMORPG? Taking into account that Star Wars: The Old Republic is – more than 10 years after release – still a popular MMORPG, we have faith that the company can pull off a Dragon Age MMO.
Especially now that they have accumulated plenty of experience in regard to what the players want. With Electronic Arts as the publisher, the funding should raise no issues. We know that BioWare is currently building the fourth Dragon Age game.
Originally, Dreadwolf was supposed to have multiplayer but, after Anthem’s flop, the company decided to stick with the tried and tested single-player gameplay. And we are sort of ok with that. We’d take a good single-player Dragon Age game over a bad MMORPG any day.
Mistborn or Stormlight
Few writers have such a potent imagination as Brandon Sanderson, the author of The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn series.
The action-packed books already come with a well-defined class and magic practice. Character development is practically ripe for the picking.
In Mistborn, we have individuals that draw power from metals. In Stormlight, we have 11 races and intricate magic systems. Sanderson built his Cosmere sparing no details.
All we need are just some graphics and a bit of gameplay. Easier said than done, of course, but not impossible. Brandon Sanderson is working with a well-known but still undisclosed company on a game based on a new IP.
Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra
Long ago, we had a social life and varied hobbies. Everything changed when the Avatar MMORPG was released. Many MMO fans dream of bending it like Aang, Toph, Korra, or a master of the element of their choice.
If you are one of them, we have good news for you. An undisclosed game company is working with Paramount Avatar Studios on two Avatar-based games.
One of them is a console RPG set in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The other is an Avatar MMORPG. That’s all we know, but it’s enough to keep us going and hoping that the MMO will be just as well-received as the cartoons.
The Hobbit
No, not another Lord of the Rings MMO. Although LOTRO holds up fantastically for a 15-year-old MMO, we wouldn’t say no to a more graphically-appealing Middle Earth depiction. But that’s another story.
We want a player housing-oriented sandbox game set in The Shire with Hobbits as the only playable race. Eating six meals a day, building a house, tending to a garden, planning a party, stealing vegetables, arguing with neighbors, and other shenanigans would make lovely features in this feel-good MMO. We could also do without combat or minimal fighting for once.
Stargate
We would love a squad-based action MMO inspired by the military science fiction franchise that includes three movies and several TV series.
Players would bunch up in groups of four, just like the teams in Stargate SG-1, and work together to complete adventures based on the plots from the episodes. The main goal, or end-game content, is to deal with global threats such as Goa’ulds, Replicators, or Wraith. What’s great about Stargate is that it doesn’t lack villains.
We almost had a Stargate MMO back in the day. Stargate Worlds was announced in 2006. Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, the developing company, went bankrupt four years later. The game was never finished.
Diablo
While the chances of Blizzard making another fully-fledged MMORPG as marginal at best, one can still dream. Dream of adventuring in the unwelcoming world of Sanctuary, slashing and hacking left and right, mobs exploding, guts spilling, and arguing over loot.
Much of the groundwork for a Diablo MMO is already there. We have the classes, the lore, and the setting. The Great Evils would stand no chance against a team of 10 or more Nephalems armed to the teeth.
Played from an isometric perspective, a PC Diablo MMO would be a beautiful nightmare come true for the myriad of die-hard fans that still refuse to use their phones.
Game of Thrones
Scheming, plotting, treachery, infidelity, and gruesome battles. What GoT fan in their right mind can say no to that?
GRRM’s A Song of Ice and Fire – still unfinished! – series could translate into an intriguing MMO, we reckon. A faction vs faction political MMO with the gameplay focused on taking the Iron Throne.
Players align with a Great House and work to conquer the Throne by force, diplomacy, or whatever means at their disposal.
If you have a hungering desire for a GoT MMO, check out Game of Thrones Winter is Coming. It’s a free to play strategy MMO set in Westeros. However, the reviews are not the best.
Dune
Come to think of it, Dune is a lot like Game of Thrones. The first books at least. We have a planet that everyone wants to control, cult followers, charismatic characters, intrigues, and a healthy dose of action.
Translating Dune into an MMO is not easy, but the world-building potential is huge. The sand planet would make an awesome playground.
What role will the players have? Would our characters align with one of the Landsraad houses or would we gain their favors through a reputation system? Would we become battle-hardened Sardaukar or learn the Weirding Way of the Bene Gesserit?
Dune: Awakening is a Dune-based open-world survival MMO in development from Funcom. No release date has been announced yet.
Harry Potter
Your acceptance letter for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has arrived! Yer a newbie, <insert character name here>!
Obviously, a Harry Potter MMO is based on magic. We simply cannot have it any other way. But we can have wizards with different specializations. Some may learn to control weapons for melee combat or use healing spells for support.
It would be amazing to level up at Hogwarts – improving skills as you take classes – but the other schools of magic, such as Beauxbatons, Uagadou, or Durmstrang could be featured too as starting areas depending on the player’s specialization.
Incursions into the Muggle world and raids against magical beasts would be end game content. Sounds fun? Great! Now, gather your stuff and slam into a wall!
Sword Art Online
Would you try Sword Art Online if it were an exclusive VR MMO? Given the current state of VR MMOs, the answer would be most likely no. We have some upcoming promising titles, but we are still a long way off from the completeness of SAO as it was featured in the anime.
Instead, we would settle for a nice PC and/or console MMO set in Aincrad. A hundred floors housing a hundred bosses and many field monsters ensure that players have enough target practice to enhance their swordplay.
Swords are the name of the game, but the combat shouldn’t be restricted to close-quarters. Haven’t you ever heard of a spell-casting sword-wielder? Or a sword that transforms into a wand? It’s fantasy after all.
Picturesque and tranquil worlds, such as the 22nd floor, would be amazing as residential areas.
Warhammer 40K
It’s almost funny that the Games Workshop creation that inspired so many other developers doesn’t have an MMORPG of its own.
Sure, we can play Return of Reckoning (Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning private server), but many of us long for a new game with modern graphics and gameplay.
A few other Warhammer 40K MMO projects were in the works. However, none lived to see the release day.
The Warhammer universe has a wealth of content that includes numerous races, factions, characters, and stories.
It takes a skilled development team to tap into this world. We suspect copyright and license issues are among the reasons no experienced MMO studio undertakes this project.