ZAM's Early Roundup of Upcoming MMOs in 2010
As our 2009 ZAM Awards wrap up this week, we take an early glance at the most-promising MMOs scheduled for launch in 2010.
After five years and more than 12 million players, the biggest MMO in the world will be changed forever in the upcoming Cataclysm expansion, announced last year at BlizzCon 2009. Shortly after the announcement, during a DirecTV interview, Blizzard president and co-founder Mike Morhaime said Cataclysm will most likely be released in 2010. Although a 2010 release hasn't been officially confirmed, the majority of the WoW community and media are predicting it will launch in mid- to late-2010, following a few months of "downtime" after the Arthas battle is unlocked in Icecrown Citadel later this winter. Cataclysm may prove to be WoW's biggest expansion yet, introducing two new races (the Goblins and Worgen), a series of new zones, new gameplay and UI mechanics and a complete redesign of the existing Old World.
Another first place winner in our 2009 ZAM Awards, the upcoming Guild Wars 2 won the top spot in the "Most Anticipated Original IP" category. A sequel to the popular free-to-play original, GW2 has gained a lot of steam throughout 2009, leading many fans to believe it could be released sometime later this year. The announcement of new races, a fully-persistent world, upgraded graphics and gameplay enhancements have kept fans on the edge of their seats. If NCsoft and ArenaNet can launch GW2 within the coming year, it may prove to be one of the biggest competitors to other fantasy MMOs released in 2010.
MMO fans are growing hungry for original IPs that stray from the conventional sci-fi and fantasy genres, which is one of the reasons why All Points Bulletin is so attractive. Set within an Urban Warfare environment, APB is all about city-wide combat—it's been analogized to what a Grand Theft Auto MMO might be like, although there is no relation between the two. Developed by Realtime Worlds, Inc., APB pits law enforcement vs. gangs and organized crime for an all-out urban brawl that doesn’t look like anything we've ever seen in an MMO yet.
This promising free-to-play MMO by Russian developers Astrum Nival cost a small fortune to create ($12 million, making it the most-expensive video game ever developed in Russia), but early reports indicate it could be a huge success in 2010. Currently undergoing closed beta testing, Allods Online is scheduled for release early this year, probably within the next couple of months. To see what everyone is raving about, check out our recent preview, as well as the latest BFF Report for video coverage.