InsaneJournal

Nirvana for the video-game industry looks a lot like World of Warcraft, except without the arcane rules that mystify the average player. That vision is the driving force behind "Lego Universe," a new online game based on the building bricks franchise scheduled for release in 2010. Developed by a San Mateo, Calif., company called Gazillion Entertainment, the game is designed so even a 5-year-old and his grandfather can play together. Gazillion, which has been operating in stealth since 2005, is also working on an online superhero game based on its license with Marvel Entertainment. The goal is to make virtual-world games that anyone can play. It's a financially hazardous terrain, explored by many companies before Gazillion, including NC Soft, whose "Tabula Rasa" game, designed by Ultima Online creator Richard Garriott, shut down March 1. These types of games are difficult and expensive to build. They're even more arduous to maintain once tens of thousands of players pile in.
The potential payoff is a pot of wow gold. Consider "World of Warcraft," developed by Blizzard Entertainment in Irvine, Calif. It has 11.5 million subscribers, each paying about $15 a month to play. That's $172.5 million a month in fees alone. The disc, which appears regularly on the weekly list of 10 best-selling PC games even though it's 4 years old, brings in another $20 a copy. It's no surprise that the game genre, known as massively multiplayer online games, or MMOs, is a hotbed of development. MMORPG.com lists 253 such games, many of which are in development. With such a crowded field, one way to cut through the noise is a well-known license. Lego and Marvel fit that bill, said Ted Pollak, senior analyst with Jon Peddie Research in San Francisco. "I think there is a big opportunity for mass-market MMOs, especially when they are connected to recognized brands," Pollak said. But, he warned, "the quality of the game must be top-notch, which is not an easy undertaking."

Gazillion Chief Executive Rob Hutter said his company had recruited 300 developers, many of whom have worked for Sony Online Entertainment, Blizzard, NC Soft, Walt Disney and other seasoned MMO studios.

Among the changes Gazillion made: shorter game sessions so players can jump in and out in 5 or 10 minutes, easier ways to move around the virtual world, more intuitive menus and fun ways to interact.