I don't think there will ever be another MMO like it. Here's why:
Gaming companies make game for one reason, to make money. Sure they are passionate about what they do, but ultimately, the people who all the shots, are in it for the money. Pure and simple. At the time EQ was being developed, it was unprecedented. There was nothing like it around. There was no business model for this type of game. No one knew if it was going to be a huge success or if it was going to crash and burn. When it released, it was a huge success. Again because there was nothing like it around. World of Warcraft saw how hugely successful EQ was, and they knew they could capitalize on those ideas, because the ground was so fertile. They made their game much more forgiving, and rewarded your every effort. These days, MMO's are a dime a dozen. The industry knows what can make the company the most money, and which games do not. The unforgiving style of MMO that EQ pioneered, has been overrun by hand holding and pay to win business models, and the sad part is, no one's looking back. I don't think businesses want to take a risk on something that isn't a sure thing, and creating a community-based MMO that rewards effort and teamwork is something that game companies big enough to make a new MMO anywhere near as risky as EQ was just isn't something they're willing to do.
All I can do is wait and see what happens. Until then, we have p99.
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