Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street was the head of the LoL MMORPG for years. However, in 2023 he left Riot Games and founded his own company, which is now working on a new game. Even if there are hardly any details, it sounds really good.
“We don’t want to radically change the genre, but we want to do it right,” Ghostcrawler wrote in his latest tweet. And that’s exactly what I want to hear from an indie studio. As stupid as it sounds, for really big innovations you need a company with a lot of money. That shouldn’t be the case with a newly founded studio.
In any case, innovations in MMORPGs are always difficult. Many are more longing for their old title in a modern guise, with modern game systems and a new world and stories. Because nothing is as fun as exploring a new world for the first time.
But even apart from this tweet, Street keeps writing things that sound really good to me. And sometimes they give me more hope than Riot’s big LoL MMORPG itself.
Who is speaking here? Alex is the MMORPG expert on MeinMMO. He actively plays Guild Wars 2, ESO, Black Desert and New
World. In addition, every new game is tried out immediately.
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“I’m not the best developer, but I’m good at listening to players”
The new game is aimed at fans of MMOs. In essence, players who like titles like WoW or Final Fantasy XIV are addressed. Ghostcrawler also wants to reach players who think they don’t like MMORPGs but at least appreciate parts of them.
He emphasizes that they are not a game for them “young generation“ create, but it won’t stay young forever.
Another important aspect is the openness of development. Players should be involved all the time. So he promises that you can get your hands on the title very early on, much earlier than with other companies:
I often use restaurant analogies, so let’s try that as well. We will have an open kitchen where you can watch the food being prepared and taste it along the way.
We know that not every player will like this approach. But no worry. We’ll make sure you know when the game is finished so you can try it too.
In several tweets, Greg Street emphasizes that although he is not the best developer, he sees his strengths in the love of the genre and in the exchange with the community. The new MMORPG is to be developed on this basis.
Dungeons, raids and lots of action to start with
What is known about the content of the game? Well, not much, not even a name. But the start of the game will probably be very action-packed, because there shouldn’t be a start with many running and speech quests. In general, the world building should only take place over time and not hit the player too quickly.
At least that’s what one tweet suggests:
A word of advice: World Designers, including Dungeon Masters, don’t send their party to some town with 20+ NPCs that they have to converse with just a few hours into the game. That destroys all momentum.
My Opinion: Almost every RPG leads to civilization too quickly while players are still learning and enjoying the combat.
Have the characters go into battle within 15 minutes or less. Don’t drown new players with world building until they even care about the world.
And I fully share this opinion. Guild Wars 2 solved this quite elegantly for me by being thrown into a mission with other players right at the start and even fighting a big boss at the end.
I have a direct feeling that my little piece of the world is under threat and I need to look for the cause. This creates a connection, for example as a charr to the region of Ascalon and the spirits there.
But again, I would have wished that the action would have continued a little after that. You end up in typical quests and in the first city too quickly. Ghostcrawler also has an opinion on this:
Do I want to buy a bunch of gear from the vendors? I don’t know it! I just started your game 30 minutes ago. Is this how this world works? Do I need good equipment? Do I want to spend money at the inn or just go camping? I don’t fucking know yet.
Our role in the Guild Wars 2 story has also long been that of a senior soldier, but not that of the great leader. Even at the end of the main story, while we were an important part, the sylvari Traherne was the leader of the Pact. That could probably also be the case in the new MMORPG.
I like it when you just be a persistent person, not the chosen one, not the champion of the world, for as long as possible. personal taste.
Ghostcrawler has not yet commented on other game content. But we still know some of his views from the time at Riot Games:
A modern MMORPG with old virtues?
The picture Ghostcrawler is currently drawing of its new MMORPG just sounds great. A kind of modern WoW Classic with dungeons, raids and tab targeting as a combat system, but a completely different and action-packed beginning.
It doesn’t bring any crazy innovations and is not intended to appeal specifically to young players, but to the older MMORPG generation. In addition, Street repeatedly emphasizes the close exchange with the players and the early tests that are planned.
The last two points do involve a certain risk and Crowfall has shown that this can also be a nail in the coffin. However, Ashes of Creation manages to keep up a little hype over the years. And if what’s shown is good, then I’d rather have a small world to test out than just write about theories and blog posts for years without seeing gameplay.
And after the latest statement about the LoL MMORPG, I’m sure that we will see gameplay from the Ghostcrawler MMO first than from Riot Games itself. Its development studio doesn’t even have a name yet.
What do you think of the MMORPG? Are you as hyped as I am or are you waiting for more information?
A MMORPG that also doesn’t belong to the mainstream managed to captivate me with its trailer:
A new MMORPG makes my dreams come true – Shows the best combat system ever in the trailer