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

Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) has faced the same criticism as many other MMOGs to come before it with accusations of being a World of Warcraft clone from an industry analyst, but SWTOR Lead Writer Daniel Erickson doesn’t see it that way. Speaking with Video Gamer, Erickson explained his view on what makes games different.

RPGs are more similar to each other than they are to FPS games. FPS games are more similar to each other than to racing games. If you're not playing something or a fan of the genre, the games inside that genre look fairly similar. If you're looking from 30,000 feet up and making comparisons then you could see the argument that Diablo and Baldur's Gate were the same game, as were Quake and Half Life but I can't imagine many player ever saw it that way.

When it comes to MMO gaming, Erickson believes that they will remain dominate on the PC for the time being as opposed to cross-platform expanding to consoles and mobile devices. The conflict that could arise within the community over different devices is something Erickson notes could be an issue with communities that can have major outcries over a single point of DPS. But on the topic of MMOG subscriptions, Erickson believes that subscription games will continue to be made, but only a few games will be fighting for subscription dollars while others adopt the free-to-play or hybrid models.

Erickson also elaborated on a statement made by BioWare’s James Ohlen at Comic-Con, who stated that he expected the game to last for decades. Erickson called it a joke that got misquoted and a good example of why you should be careful what you say at a con. In the meantime, Erickson is waiting for the release of SWTOR to alleviate his fear and anticipation about the success of a game that so many have worked so hard on.

You can read the full interview at Video Gamer.

Thanks to Emily for the tip.