Virtually every MMO I’ve reviewed, the question invariably comes up, “Is this the WoW killer? Will this be the one?” and everytime I tell those people that they are idiots, because you just can’t kill an MMO with another MMO. It might draw some of their numbers away, but to kill it? No way. Not with their numbers and experience in the field. However, I have to retract that statement. I have found the WoW killer, and the numbers don’t lie. Pokémon Go, yes, the mobile game where you catch Pokémon and capture gyms, is the WoW killer. For years, Pokémon has captured our hearts, and the idea of getting into the world and really being a Pokémon Master has been all but a fantasy. Now it’s reality. Let’s look at this with a logical lens:
- Over 20 million people playing it. Right now. Every corner of the world is catching Pokémon!
- It’s mobile: Come on, you play it on the go. And we’re a society where we’re always out and about. No matter where you are in the world, Pokémon is there for you.
- In less than a week I believe it’s grossed 14 million bucks? For a “free” game.
World of Warcraft’s numbers have gone down over the years with a variety of poor decisions, like the entire Pandaren expansion. Pokémon Go has at most the first 151 available and there are still a pile of generations to go. New gyms to add, features that aren’t in the game yet. If people are willing to spend money on a game that only has a trifle of features, let’s be honest with ourselves: Pokémon Go within a few months is going to bury every MMO on the market. And they’re just getting started. Can WoW get people exercising, socializing outside and in general, make the world a better place? Not on your life. It creates bitter, angry people that bitch about not standing in fire. Even Pokémon battles so far have been peaceful affairs. Crimes are being solved faster, people are happier! Weight loss, adventures, new friendships; how can another company compete with that?
This is [mostly] a work of satire.
