Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

by Garrett Fuller, Industry Relations Specialist

Many MMO players think of free-to-play games as casual places for players. Acclaim is here to break that model. In speaking with Howard Marks and Dave Perry at GDC we were happy to hear some of the ideas that Acclaim is trying to bring to the MMO marketplace. The best part about Acclaim is that they are not afraid. They are looking to communicate with players about what they want and try to directly implement that into their games. Acclaim is thinking along the lines of future MMOs right now.

2Moons is now running in 65 countries.

2Moons has been a popular hit for Acclaim and continues to do well. The game follows a free to play model which has now been successful in up to sixty-five countries. Acclaim took 2Moons into a global marketplace and it has continued to do well. The game is looking at a major update in the next few months to bring several more elements to gamers. The advancements in the game over in Korea have been moving at rapid pace and Acclaim is looking to being their global game into check. So for 2Moons players there will be a lot coming up in the next few months. They plan pets, mounts, and new ideas for PvP that players will be able to enjoy.

While Acclaim continues to work on bringing over Asian games to the western market they are now in a position to start designing and developing their own games. What they have done is put together an advisory committee of players who they keep in contact with about what they might want to see in Acclaim’s games. The great thing is that Howard and Dave are taking the interaction with players very seriously. Players are being given voice in the types of decisions that are going into design. With the Top Secret project still in the works you are looking at a company who takes their players seriously. Not only are they giving them a platform to design their own game, but they are taking player choices into account while developing their own games.

While not everyone may agree with the free-to-play model, Acclaim is embracing the model to offer the best options for players. Acclaim is making the micro-transaction payments available through cell phones and cash cards. The cards are available at retail outlets like Target and give players access to Acclaim coins if needed. However if you do not want to spend any money and simple play these games for free you can download them and play through as much as you like. Acclaim continues to try and work on making ways for players to have easy access for micro-transactions.

Acclaim cards are available at retail outlets nationwide.

Players can join the advisory board to have a say in what elements work and don’t work in the game. It is great to see a company be so honest and up front with their players. As Howard and Dave both explained, some ideas that come from the fan base are things that have worked really well. They look at all the ideas and choose the best ones to implement into the design of their games which not only helps development, it helps the players too.

Overall it was great to talk with Howard and Dave to see where the future of online gaming is going, games that follow a model which on the surface may look very casual but actually have the depth that players enjoy. As players continue to get used to the free-to-play plan Acclaim continues to see success in the downloading of their games. They really are not afraid to give fans a voice in the design and construction of their upcoming MMOs. Howard wanted to make sure that players who had a short time to play would still get a great experience and the model works to give players that fun. Acclaim really is looking to design games and a community that differs greatly from the normal MMO design. We certainly look forward to the differences they will bring to the future of the market and the video game industry down the line.

---