If this were a list of the '5 Riskiest Game Investments', a subscription-based MMORPG would probably be right at the top. Drop in the fact that it's a brand spanking new IP without a AAA franchise to fall back on, and WildStar has the odds stacked heavily against it. Since the release of Blizzard's behemoth World of Warcraft, the MMO genre has been tumultuous at best. Stories of financial disasters, studio closures, and stories of 'the next big thing' turning free-to-play within six months crop up almost weekly. With upstarts Carbine Studios jumping on the steadily sinking MMO boat, it's easy to question WildStar's chances. So how can this cartoony sci-fi entry, created by a team comprised of ex-Blizzard employees, possibly hope to survive? By the sheer force of its unbridled brilliance, that's how.
5. Player Housing
Something that has been sorely lacking from almost every major MMORPG of the last ten years is proper player housing. Here's how I imagine the conversation going down at the Acme MMO offices: "Hi Mr. Publisher. So, uh, me and the other developers thought it'd be really cool if we could include player housing in Quest World Online." "Sounds good, how much work do we need to do to implement it?" "Well, of course we'd have to make changes to the engine, and add a huge amount of new item models, and..." "Yeah, how much will it cost?" "We'll need to hire some programmers to rewrite some code, and it'll mean releasing the game a few months later than planned, and..." "Did World of Warcraft have player housing?" "No, but..." "Get out." Player housing isn't an easy feature to develop. Apparently Carbine Studios have put the nine years of development time to good use though, because WildStar provides the best example of player housing that ever seen in an MMO. Every player gets their very own floating house in the sky at level 14, and from there it's entirely up to them what they want to do with it. The customisation options are insane, with thousands of different items available through rewards or purchased using in-game gold. Each individual item is also customisable in its own right, so whether you want a banana-sized tree in your house, or a tree-sized banana towering over your abode, it's your call. Of course, all of this effort would go to waste without the ability to show it off, so you can add any friend as a neighbour, or even move in together as roomies. For those who don't play MMOs to be modest about their achievements, WildStar's player housing is a perfect outlet for inflated in-game egos.
