Ask Massively: Further answers to the same questions edition
Apparently, people like talking about Star Wars: The Old Republic. Or perhaps more accurately, people enjoy arguing about it. According to comments, the game is a huge hit and failure that is in no way an accomplishment but is still unparalleled, and you can tell it will succeed and fail using a variety of metrics. Me, I've just been playing the heck out of it. Also drinking cranberry juice, but you didn't really need to know that part.
As you may have guessed, this week's installment is all about the persistent question of Star Wars: The Old Republic's getting a devoted Joystiq-flavored site. I suspect most of our regular readers are playing the game and not really thinking about asking questions. If you've got a question for next week, you can leave it in the comments below or send it along to ask@massively.com. Questions may be edited slightly for brevity or clarity.
RogueJedi86 asked: So while we're on the subject, what does it take to get a dedicated site for a game here? How did WoW Insider's birth and split from Joystiq happen? How long after World of Warcraft's release did it take?
Well, WoW Insider launched back in 2005. Since I don't have extensive historical documentation from that era (although I'm tempted to believe current theories that dinosaurs roamed the internet then), I had to go on one of the least-satisfying archive trawls of my life to determine that it was probably right around December. So that makes a little over a year before the site launched.
Is that how long it takes? Heck no. Massively didn't exist for another two years after that, and we cover a lot more than just one game.
The simple fact of the matter is that there needs to be an audience, a staff willing to work on the site, and generally an editor willing to argue that a new blog is going to pull its own weight in terms of making money. "TOR Insider" could probably have a staff, sure, but right now it's not a proven thing that the game will be successful beyond the launch rush. It's done very well thus far, and all signs point to its continuing to do well, but that's not a given.
So the simple answer is that there is no amount of time that it takes for a game to get a dedicated site. There are reasons why it might happen, but there's no formula we're using, which probably makes a lot of sense when you consider that only one MMO doesn't fall under the Massively aegis. We'll see where we are a year from now.
Looking for some advice on which class is best for soloing in Aion? Not sure who this Raph Koster fellow is? Curious about the release date of NCsoft's newest MMO? You've come to the right place! No one knows MMOs like we do. If there's anything you'd like to know about the MMO genre or the site itself, Ask Massively is here to help every Thursday afternoon. Just ask!
