In my first TV to MMO article I took a look at whether or not this niche could actually excel in the MMO game world. After some careful deliberation I came to the conclusion that it does hold the potential for a successful MMORPG niche, but it needs the right IP and franchise support before it truly gets noticed.
The norm for my articles ideas; they either come during the dreaded morning school run or as I lay my head to rest (kudos if you got this one), but for once I struck an idea while actually sitting at my PC. Imagine that. One successful TV series that I would love to see transfer to the MMO world is Supernatural. For those unfamiliar with the series I’ll refrain from commenting on your questionable media tastes, instead opting to highlight some of the titles more defining features.
The TV series follows the lives of two brothers, Sam and Dead Winchester, as they follow the family business of hunting. This isn’t your regular deer-centered excursion into dense woodlands, although they do sometimes use tools of that trade. In the fictional world of Supernatural the earth is infested with mythological monsters of a huge variety; including everything from Sirens and Witches to Vampires and Werewolves, each of which has a wealth of background information and lore.
I would use a lobby-based mission system where each player (representing hunters) would be given a location and objective. Each mission would be unique thanks to randomly generated towns, cities and dungeons, and each would feature a different creature from the series. Akin to the TV approach, every enemy creature would have to be killed in a different way.
The depth of this title could be shallow or full-on, totally depending on the desired audience. Removing most forms of tutorial and hand-holding, players would have to learn the different aspects of each creature and be sure to bring and use the correct equipment to send it back to hell. On a more casual note it could easily be a Facebook MMO where players click the mouse a few times before dispatching of their foes.
Either way, a TV series with as much depth as Supernatural could enter the MMO game world in a huge variety of innovative ways. I doubt it’s something we’ll ever see come to fruition but as with most of my ideas, I live in hope.