Ran Online is an older MMORPG that mixes traditional fantasy gameplay and mechanics with a modern, urban setting. Players take the role of students at one of three schools, and complete quests to clean up the area, and compete with the other schools through PvP.
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Developer: Min Communications Type: MMORPG Release Date: April 20, 2004 Shut Down: June 30, 2021 PvP: World PvP Pros: +Unique modern setting. +Multiple skill trees for each class. +Good class variety. +Fun PvP. Cons: -Poor English translations. -Dated graphics. -Grind heavy gameplay.
Anyone ever wonder what the top 10 most profitable MMOs are? How do free to play games stack up against pay to play subscription games? You might be surprised. The games below are ranked by total revenue generated world wide. Here are some other fun numbers though in case you're curious. "Pay-to-play" subscription based games generated $2.7 billion in revenue in 2014 while "Free-to-play" games made $7.8 billion. The free to play market is over 3x larger than the pay to play one. Revenue numbers are sourced from SuperdataResearch, a gaming analytics firm.
Note: This list includes all free to play and subscription based online games. MMORPGs, MMOs, MOBAs, FPS games, etc. In fact spots #1-9 are the not only the highest grossing MMOs and MMORPGs, but they're also the highest grossing PC games in the world.
Despite only launching in early 2014, Hearthstone is one of the most successful online games of all time. The game has already shattered Blizzard's most optimistic assumptions and continues to perform extremely well. With continuous updates, a growing e-sports scene, and mobile compatibility, Hearthstone continues to grow rapidly.
MapleStory was one of the first mega successful free to play games in North America and despite its success in the West, it's a much more profitable game for Nexon in Asia. The game has an enormous Chinese playerbase and remains popular in South Korea as well.
CS:GO regularly sits at the #2 spot on Steam's most played list after Dota2 and even giving it a run for its money from time to time. The game has consistantly rocked the Steam charts and although gets less users than DotA 2, it monetizes better on a per user basis.
#7 - Lineage
2016 Revenue: $327M
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It's amazing how a game released back in 1998 can still be so successful even today. Despite the game's closure in Western markets, Lineage continues to be a moneymaker for NCSoft in Asia. Lineage 2 doesn't come close to the original game's success. Revenue data sourced directly from NCSoft's earnings reports.
With Dota 2 rolling out in China and having hit over 1 million concurrent users, it's no surprise that Valve's hit MOBA is gaining share. The game's integration with Steam Workshop allows content creators to design their own cosmetics and sell them to players, which creates a constant stream of unique cosmetics available to players. Dota 2's cosmetics are also available in a much more detailed fashion than other MOBAs, as players can purchase individual weapons, hairstyles, hoods, armor, etc for their heroes rather than one skin.
#5 - World of Tanks
2017 Revenue ~$471M
2015 Revenue: ~$446M
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Wargaming's World of Tanks took the world by storm after first launching in Russia in August, 2010. The game has been remarkably successful in every country it's launched in being a smashing hit in Europe, North America, and Asia.
#4 - World of Warcraft
2015 Revenue: ~$814M
Activision Blizzard does not break down their revenue from World of Warcraft anymore. Lifetime WoW Revenues are estimated at over $10B
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I don't think anyone should be surprised to see World of Warcraft make this list, but it may be surprising to some to see it in the #4 slot. World of Warcraft has been hugely successful in both Western and Eastern markets. It's actually the most successful pay to play subscription MMORPG in the world, but has been edged out on this list by free to play titles. World of Warcraft has been one of Blizzard's most profitable games ever, if not the most profitable game. Despite its original launch in late 2004, World of Warcraft continues to remain a dominant force in the MMORPG space.
Dungeon Fighter Online, called Dungeon & Fighter in Asia, makes the #3 spot. This one may be surprising to some, as Nexon shut the game down in the West due to a lack of a playerbase. Fortunately for Nexon, there's no lack of players in Asia, as the game is immensely popular in China. Dungeon Fighter Online reaches over 2 million concurrent players in China alone, making it one of the most popular free to play MMORPGs ever. Dungeon Fighter Online has earned over $20 billion in lifetime earnings since its launch in 2005.
Despite being only moderately successful in the U.S, Crossfire remains a juggernaut of a game in China and South Korea. It's the most popular FPS game in Asia and has quite a large e-Sports scene.
#1 League of Legends
2017 Revenue: ~$2,100M
2016 Revenue: ~$1,800M 2020 Revenue: 1,750M
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This one shouldn't be too surprising, as Riot Games' League of Legends took the world by storm since its original launch in late 2009. League of Legends is one of the few free to play games on this list, along with World of Tanks, that's extremely successful in both the East and West. Despite its age now, League is still growing its playerbase. As of September 2016 the game boasted over 100 million monthly active users.
I understand that revenue is not the same thing as profit, but since it's impossible to obtain profit numbers, revenue is the best proxy. Revenue data cited from SuperDataResearch.com and is updated yearly. This list of most profitable games will be kept up to date as new data becomes available. We all use data from investor presentations, which are reports produced directly by some of these game companies.
Forge of Empires is a 2D browser-based strategy game from InnoGames, the creators of the classic Tribal Wars game. Players build their cities from a small village in the Stone Age to a mighty Empire in the Modern Times. Forge of Empires is available on a web-based browser, iOS, and Android.
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Publisher: InnoGames Playerbase: Medium Type: Browser Strategy MMO Release Date: Apr 17, 2012 (International) Pros: +In-depth single-player campaign. +Bronze age to industrial age progression. +Tons of upgrades/depth. Cons: -Limited PvP components. -Slow-paced progression.
Ever wonder what happens to all those MMOs and MMORPGs that shut down? Well, usually one of three things happen. It either gets re-licensed by another company, becomes available in another region, or shuts down for good. You'd be surprised though how often games get relaunched or become available in some other form.
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Re-Licensed
Sometimes when a game shuts down it's due to a dispute between the game developer and the publisher. The developer is is the company that actually made the game (usually a Korean company when it comes to free to play titles) and the publisher is the company that services the game in a particular region. Legend of Edda for example launched in the U.S. through GamesCampus back in February, 2013. After a short while, they shut it down due to a lack of popularity. They then re-launched the same game as “Legend of Edda: Vengeance” a year or so later. Once again, they shut it down. Despite being shut down twice already, Legend of Edda is still accessible to U.S. players through JC Planet. Eysoft, the game's developer, likely found another company interested in licensing the game even after GamesCampus failed with it.
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Sometimes games shut down not because of a lack of playerbase, but because of an actual dispute between the publisher and developer. Red Stone for example, an older 2D Diablo-esque MMORPG, was available through OGPlanet for a while, but once their license expired (which was set for a fixed amount of years), the Korean developer L&K Logic decided not to renew. Instead, they launched the game themselves globally. Once in a while a game that originally shut down due to a lack of players will just relaunch on its own too. Dungeon Fighter Online from Nexon shut down in the U.S. after years of service but re-launched through Neople (A subsidiary of Nexon). Many games get shut down and later re-launched, so check around before giving up on a game!
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Available in Another Region
When a game you really like shuts down, sometimes there's still hope. When ijji shut down/merged with Aeria Games, Gunbound was no longer available for U.S. and European players. Softnyx, Gunbound's developer, launched a global version of their game. Dekaron, which was available through Acclaim games in the U.S. as “2Moons” shut down once Acclaim shut down. This didn't mean the end of Dekaron though. Nexon was the European publisher for the game and eventually just transitioned to becoming the global publisher for the game. Often times when a game shuts down in North America, another version of it is still available somewhere else. Southeast Asian servers are typically in English too, making it accessible to U.S. and European users. Obviously playing a game in a different region means higher pings, but it's oftentimes better than nothing.
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Shut Down for Good
Sometimes a game is just not meant to be and will shut down for good, at least officially. This could happen due to the developer going bankrupt or the game itself just failing. When this happens the game is gone for good. Luckily, a lot of defunct games still exist through private servers. GunZ: The Duel for example, which was available through Aeria Games, shut down once GunZ 2: The Second Duel launched. The first game is no longer officially available, but there are several active private servers out there. Not every game has private servers though. Outspark, which was acquired by Gamigo, had a game called Secret of the Solstice, which sort of resembled Ragnarok Online. Once Secret of the Solstice shut down, it was gone for good. There are no private servers for it either. When a game shuts down for good servers are shut down and characters are lost forever. It's always sad to see a game die, especially since that entire world will just cease to exist. All those towns, dungeons, NPCs, everything. Gone for good.
Metal Reaper Online is a 3D MMORPG shooter with an isometric camera angle set in an apocalyptic war-torn future with a modern setting. Players fight alongside a volunteer military against the aggressive Nyx federation. It's a Diablo-like game with guns in a more modern environment.
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Publisher: JCPlanet Playerbase: Low Type: MMORPG Release Date: April 29, 2015 (NA/EU) Shut Down Date: November 7, 2016 PvP: Arenas Pros: +Diablo style random item stats. +Fast-paced and fun gameplay. +Class System Cons: -Poor translations. -Dated visuals and interface. -Few classes. -Feels way too easy.
Berserk: The Cataclysm was a free-to-play, browser-based collectible card MMO set in a fantasy world with some strategy elements. As the owner of a sky-island, players collect cards and use them in battle to protect, dominate, and capture other sky-islands to expand their territory.
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Publisher: IDC Games Type: Browser MMO Release Date: August 12, 2013 Shut Down: October 01, 2015 Pros: +Unique mix of card battling and strategy. +Free-to-play. +Browser-based. Cons: -Cash shop sells cards. -Card battles are automatic. -Many campaigns must be purchased with cash.
Ghost in the Shell Online is expected to begin accepting closed beta signups starting in 2Q 2015 in North America. Ghost in the Shell Online is Nexon's next generation free to play shooter and is expected to launch in the U.S. before it even launches in South Korea. Most games licensed from Asia typically launch in their home markets before launching abroad, but it looks like it's the other way around this time. Perhaps its because Nexon's Combat Arms FPS has been so successful in the U.S. and Europe. There's no word on when closed beta testing itself will begin, but closed beta signups are scheduled to start in the second quarter of this year, meaning sometime between April and June.
The game will be developed by Neople, Nexon's wholly owned studio that's responsible for the development of Dungeon Fighter Online and various other Nexon games. The 2Q 2015 CBT sign up date was disclosed by a Nexon employee.
Infinite Crisis is a 3D fantasy themed MOBA set in the fictional DC comics universe and loosely based on the comic series with the same name. Play as DC heroes like Batman and Superman or well known villains like the Joker and Harley Quinn.
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Publisher: Turbine Playerbase: High Type:MOBA Release Date: Mar 25, 2015 (NA/EU) Shut Down Date: Aug 14, 2015 Pros: +Unique stolen power system. +Objective focused gameplay. +Easily recognizable iconic characters. Cons: -Mandatory tutorial. -Less champion variety that other MOBAs.
Heroes of Newerth is a 3D fantasy MOBA set in the Newerth universe. The game was inspired by Dota: All Stars and features several heroes from the game, along with dozens of original heroes.
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Publisher: S2 Games Type:MOBA Release Date: May 12, 2010 Shut Down Date: June 22, 2022 Pros: +Over 123 playable heroes. +Lots of skins/voice packs. +Great record/stats keeping. +Good matchmaking system. +Great voice commands. Cons: -Steep learning curve. -Community can be toxic.
Continent of the Ninth Seal, or just C9 for short, is an action-oriented, 3D fantasy MMORPG with FPS-style controls. The game features hands-on, skill-oriented combat with a neat combo system. Much of the gameplay takes place in instance dungeons where players must hack and slash their way through hordes of enemies.
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Publisher: Webzen Playerbase: Medium Type: MMORPG Release Date: September 13, 2012 (NA) PvP: Arena / Intrusion System Pros: +Fun action-oriented combat. +Solid character customization. +Varied PvP options. +Excellent soundtrack. Cons: -Gender-locked classes.
