The MMORPG genre is one that has not been throughly exploited on consoles, but that may be about to change. Turbine's project development vice president Craig Alexander says that the company has an MMO in the works for the Xbox 360 and PS3.
Speaking during GDC Austin [thanks MCV] the executive confirmed that the company has been working on the project, which has been in development for 18 months and has already cost $20 million. Alexander hinted that the title will be free-to-play (something the company recently enacted for Dungeons & Dragons Online) and will release in 2011.
Additionally he said that he believes that, like the FPS, sports sims and Western style RPGs, the primary market for MMOs will shift onto consoles soon because of their social nature and accessibility [thanks Eurogamer].
The MMORPG scene on consoles might get crowded very soon, with The Agency, Final Fantasy XIV and DC Universe Online set to release for the PS3. Champions Online and Final Fantasy XIV have planned Xbox 360 releases, assuming they pass through Microsoft's administrative process. We don't think there's any reason why there can't be a healthy market for MMORPGs on consoles, assuming they are handled the right way.
