FAQ: What Sci Fi IP Should Be An MMO Next? .

From the big screen to books, science fiction is a beloved genre across all forms of media. With them come well thought out worlds that often have the potential to translate into amazing MMOs. Despite this there are few sci fi based MMOs, even fewer based on already existing IPs. So this week we asked our writers the question, What Sci Fi IP should be an MMO next?

 

 

Nick Shively – Wing Commander

Sandbox space MMOs seem to be all the rage with new IPs like Star Citizen and Elite Dangerous earning millions of dollars through crowdfunding. Until lately, the space MMO genre has largely been dominated by EVE Online, with a few others attempting to sneak in and usually failing.

This is why I believe that a Wing Commander is an IP that would make a great MMO. It would be one of the first to actually have pre-defined factions that pits players against each other from the beginning. With all the sandbox venues, it would be nice to have a more theme park style game that adds direction to the massive entity that is space. There’s already a massive amount of content and background information for Wing Commander through previous games, novels, cartoons and even a less than stellar movie. All that leaves is mainstreaming the story and developing solid gameplay, albeit easier said than done. Best case scenario is that we get a compelling Sci-Fi MMO with high-definition graphics and thrilling combat. Worst case… well it can’t do much more damage to the franchise than Freddie Prinze Jr.

 

Karl de Mare – Alien

 

I would suggest one that at first glance might not seem like an MMO, but could work as a great Sci fi MMO, Alien. There have only been two games which have managed to succeed in creating a good Alien atmosphere, Alien vs Predator and Alien: Isolation, while both are mainly single player games and have their flaws, they both succeed in laying the ground work for the different aspects of how the Alien MMO will be built up. We have both a great way of incorporating PvP if the game chooses that road, where Aliens can be pitted against both Marines and Predators. We have the huge world and lore behind the Alien universe to dwell in, where playing only human is a possibility, and maybe the one road that we should take with this game. Imagine building your ship, creating your crew (guild) exploring the universe of the alien films, fighting for or against the Wayland cooperation, raiding the hive and killing the queen.

There is a lot to gain from using the Alien universe, and it is one we all know very well. One that can be much more horrifying than The Secret World and build upon their investigation missions, but in a much larger scale where you move around the universe in a spaceship. Imagine tracking a lost ship across the universe, gathering other players to search the ship and find out what happened.

 

 

Ryan Ocello: Firefly

 

It is not so much a question of which IP should be next, it is that we must recognize the IP that already going to be next is already the most deserving.
A lot of discussion and deliberation went on with the MMOGames staff: a science fiction MMO needs several elements to work. You need to start with a conflicted setting, like a dystopian world.  But it can’t have a confined space; you need distant places to travel to.

For character growth, it has to be a world where any particular person can rise up to great power without having to be a specific chosen protagonist that already exists. The story must have at least two distinct factions, which have to play out as equal on the small scale (so no playing from the velociraptor’s point-of-view).

If the game is coming from established IP, then it should have a strong following. But it can’t have an upcoming reboot. It also certainly can’t be a property where the central conflict is already resolved, it must have ongoing longevity. And a unique theme, like combining two distinct genres, is a huge plus.

For all these reasons the Firefly Online game, which should be releasing in the next quarter, is a choice superior to all others.

 

 

Jonathan Doyle: Odyssey 5

There’s so many options available when you consider turning a Sci Fi property into an MMO. I could wax lyrical on my ideas for how Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis would go. I could make a case for small scale survival focused Stargate Universe if I needed to, with plenty of room to scale it up in the lore.

I could turn my eye to book properties. David Weber gives us the options of fighting against the evil Mesan Alignment in the Honor Harrington series. Daniel Abraham brought us to the bridge between stars with The Expanse series, itself making the jump to television. John Scalzi has the universe of Old Mans’ War which would let us engage in nigh constant battle. Failing that if we wanted the sort of genitals-of-choice to the wall comedy that Wildstar hoped for, look no further than Willful Child by Steven Erikson.

No. None of those. Not franchise darlings. Not literary wonders. Not even the big screen options inherent in Interstellar or Battle: Los Angeles.

You’ll have to do your homework on this one. Odyssey 5.

Us vs them. Martian intelligences against potentially human created ones. Five time travellers with a vested interest in sending us on missions, shadowy conspiracies. A modern day setting with sci fi options, potentially nail biting pvp and threaded through it all the need to remain invisible to normal people.

In the balance? The world.

 

As you can see opinions vary, everyone has their own favorite. Did one of our writers list your favorite science fiction IP? Is there one that’s really deserving of an MMO? Let us know in the comments below.