Above: Who needs science and exploration when you have phasers?
Star Trek Online
Release date: Feb. 2, 2010
The game: Another MMO from Cryptic, Star Trek Online featured spaceship battles and on-foot missions based on the popular sci-fi franchise.
Why it couldn’t beat Warcraft: While the spaceship stuff was cool, the on-foot gameplay felt like a lesser version of a traditional MMO. Also, compared to the relative player-friendliness of World of Warcraft, Star Trek Online was a pretty complicated game.
What it is up to today: Star Trek Online added a free-to-play model in January 2012. It’s still active, and its newest expansion, Delta Rising, came out in October.
Above: “Which one of those buttons calls your mom to come pick you up?”
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Release date: Dec. 20, 2011
The game: The Old Republic is set thousands of years before the events of the popular movies. It was from the same developer, BioWare, that created the popular Knights of the Old Republic games.
Perhaps no other MMO on this list had more hype as a potential WoW-killer. BioWare is a well-liked studio, and many people consider Knights of the Old Republic as the greatest Star Wars game ever made.
Why it couldn’t beat Warcraft: Despite all the hype, The Old Republic is (and this is beginning to become a theme here) too similar to World of Warcarft. Despite the galactic setting, bounty hunters, Jedi Knights, and smugglers seemed identical to hunters, knights, and rogues.
Also, BioWare’s desire to create a satisfying single-player experience on par with Mass Effect and Dragon Age also felt at odds with the social needs of an MMO.
What it is up to today: It’s still active, with a free-to-play option for the game going live on November 2012. It has a new expansion, Shadow of Revan, coming out on Dec. 9.
Above: Guild Wars 2 can get a bit crazy.
Guild Wars 2
Release date: Aug. 28, 2012
The game: 2005’s Guild Wars isn’t so much an MMO as it is an action role-playing game with a heavy emphasis on multiplayer. The sequel, however, is a full-on World of Warcraft competitor. However, it doesn’t feature a subscription model or a free-to-play one. Instead, players buy the game and then have unlimited access to it.
Why it couldn’t beat Warcraft: Guild Wars 2 has some great ideas, and its payment model is certainly appealing, but it’s ultimately another fantasy MMO. Some people were sick of World of Warcraft at this point, and Guild Wars 2 was definitely an attractive alternative for a bit, but even it began to feel like a familiar experience.
What it is up to today: Guild Wars 2 is still live. As of 2013, it has about 460,000 active players.
Above: Do you think the little guy who only showed up with a book is a little embarrassed?
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
Release date: Aug. 27, 2013
The game: The original Final Fantasy XIV came out in 2010. It was such a disaster that Square Enix decided to remake the whole game. Thankfully, 2013’s A Realm Reborn is a much better MMO that featured familiar gameplay, a beautiful world, and tons of flexibility.
Why it couldn’t beat Warcraft: Well, at this point, Warcraft is Warcraft. It doesn’t seem like anything can beat it. A Realm Reborn is actually performing well for Square Enix, and it even named it as one of the reasons the company made a profit back in 2013.
What it is up to today: It’s first expansion, Heavensward, comes out next spring.
Above: Does having other players run around really make this more fun?
The Elder Scrolls Online
Release date: April 4, 2014
The game: The Elder Scrolls has been one of the biggest single-player role-playing game series in the industry. The Elder Scrolls Online was finally going to let players share the experience.
Why it couldn’t beat Warcraft: Despite a very vocal group begging for an Elder Scrolls MMO for years, many series fan enjoy the likes of Oblivion and Skyrim because they get to explore a vast world on their own. MMO conventions like killing 10 skeletons don’t really mix well with Elder Scroll’s usual formula, where players can take on dragons and demons even in the earliest parts of the game.
What it is up to today: It’s still relatively new, but it certainly seems like people have already stopped talking about The Elder Scrolls Online.