A few days ago Keen wrote an article asserting that new MMOs should focus on polishing and perfecting their core systems before even thinking of innovating. Although the initial draft of the story was less than clear (and led to some fairly confused comments), Keen has since updated the piece to more thoroughly explain his reasoning.

Keen's core argument is summed up succinctly as:

Games releasing over the next year (many I’m testing and surely many I’m not) do not ensure they have the fundamentals. They’re more concerned with having what it takes to slap on the “MMO” or “FPS” label. They don’t perfect a part of their game that should be perfected; instead they move on with a mediocre foundation. They ignore what worked in the past because they’re afraid of being called the same. They try and change things that are not broken or don’t need to be changed. On top of all of those monumental mistakes they try to innovate and push industry boundaries to boldly go where no game has gone before. The result will be complete failure where it could have been avoided.

While I could quibble with the strange notion that game developers have a fear of being "called the same", I believe that the this entire chain of logic presented by Keen is as seductive as it is negative to the MMO sector.

Now, let me be clear: I believe that it is important to produce a quality game that, as much as possible, perfects it's mechanics and has no glaring flaws. Producing a top notch product is vital, but is utterly independent of whether or not a game introduces any innovation.

If avoiding failure is your only goal, then Keen's reasoning is not so far-fetched. It's hard to argue that taking the safe road and implementing only proven core game mechanics to perfection is a recipe for disaster. Certainly if a game follows the patterns laid out by World of Warcraft, Everquest, and the like then it will find a sustainable number of players and will probably survive (or at least will not be an abject failure)1.

But how many game developers set out to create a mediocre or average offering? And how many players truly want to be force-fed more of the same style of game that most of us have already seen implemented well in World of Warcraft?

Innovation is the lifeblood of the high tech industry, of which game development shops are only a small part. Building unique and interesting systems by drawing upon lessons of the past, new technologies, and creative insights is what drives technology forward. In a world where innovation is discouraged, progress is slowed.

None of this is to say that innovation is without risk - in fact quite the opposite. Every innovative hit that takes the market by storm walks a dangerous path filled with the shattered dreams of failed attempts and ideas that the populace rejected. But without innovation we will never progress.

To be fair, Keen doesn't completely reject the notion of innovating within the MMO industry, he just prioritizes it far below everything else. From his article, here is Keen's MMO development flow chart:

1) Make sure you have the fundamental elements of your game in order. The ABC’s should all be there.
2) Perfect the fundamentals.
3) Use what worked if it will make a difference. Do not toss away the past if it means success today!
4) Don’t fix what isn’t broken. Don’t remake what already works.
5) THEN innovate

Placing innovation dead last and favoring proven systems over novel developments almost entirely precludes meaningful changes to our MMOs. Instead of experimenting with unique core systems, server architectures, or game mechanics the innovations supported by Keen's model take the form of frilly addons. While these can be quite interesting - for example the Public Quest system in WAR - they do not modify the fundamental nature of an MMO, and leave the existing Diku-style game in place.

Game-changing innovations - like EVE's impressive server architecture - could never be attempted by a company too paranoid by the idea of failure to stray from market-tested ideas. Likewise, games like Wizard101, Guild Wars, SW:ToR, or Free Realms would never come to market and serve as test beds for future MMOs. It is important to remember that even if a title does not live up to the high expectations laid out for it by the community and/or publisher that the technology and ideas within it can lay the ground work for a subsequent game, and thus better the genre as a whole.

The next huge success will not be a World of Warcraft clone; Blizzard captured lightning in a bottle in a way that is probably not repeatable and we have to stop using it as a template for the type of game that will be popular with the masses. The next home run MMO will be something that is innovative on a very fundamental level, and opens everyone's eyes to something far more immersive than anything we have today. Count on it.


1 - And before someone points at WoW's incredible market success as the very reason that innovation should be avoided, consider that the reasons behind Blizzard's hit doing so bloody well are not well understood; likely they were in the right place at the right time with the right game.... that's not a feat that's formulaic or repeatable.