"The Days of the WoW-Style MMO are Over," H1Z1 Boss Says

The days of MMOs in the vein of World of Warcraft "are over." That's according to John Smedley, the president of Daybreak Games, previously known as Sony Online Entertainment before it split off from the PlayStation company back in February. He tells GamesIndustry International in a wide-ranging interview that the way people play games has changed--and games like WoW aren't long for this world.

"I firmly believe the days of the WoW-style MMO are over," Smedley said. "And that means we have to change with the times. Luckily, we were kind of early on that bus as opposed to late. But we're changing what we're making."

Smedley said Daybreak's new zombie game H1Z1 is, by definition, an MMO. But he explained that a better description for it would be a "session-based online game with a lot of people."

"And I say that because the average life expectancy in H1Z1 might be 45 minutes, and that's what today's gamers want. How many people do you still know that are still raiding in WoW every night, or EverQuest and EverQuest II? It's just the time commitment necessary has changed so much," Smedley explained. "That means we need to change with the times, and we are. So we're getting interested in a broader array of games and gaming styles."

H1Z1 released on PC through Steam Early Access back in January. Though the game experienced some server woes at launch, it has since gone on to sell more than 1 million copies in its unfinished state.

WoW is a huge success story in the PC MMO space. The game, which was released more than a decade ago, had 10 million subscribers at the end of 2014--and it's not likely to go anywhere soon. But Smedley sees changes afoot, and he makes a compelling case.

What do you make of Smedley's thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.

And be sure to read the full GamesIndustry International interview for lots more on why SOE/Daybreak split off from Sony, the opportunity the company now has to develop games for Xbox, and lots more.

Daybreak has also launched a new website, which includes a fresh mission statement, career listings, and basically anything else you might want to know.