The shortfalls of the MMO-lite genre

tl;dr: The MMO-lite genre is rife with controversy and player stigma. While these games can ultimately improve, become great, and win back the hearts of their more dedicated fanbase, games releasing in this genre are often criticized for being: unpolished, having mediocre story campaigns, having a lack of content, employing greedy MTX schemes, and create too much uncertainty to justify their initial purchase (or continued content).

With Anthem being roughly a month away from release (sooner for early access), people are deciding whether or not the game is worth the time and money. Due to the games association with EA, and BioWare to a lesser extent, it has ultimately pushed people into taking a precautionary stance on their position to purchase (or try) Anthem. Outside of this group are people who either generally lack interest in the game, or are receptive to what's been shown so far. However, another aspect that makes a sizable portion of the player population hesitant about Anthem is the genre in which it inhabits. It goes by many names, such as: Shared-World, Persistent-only experience, MMO-lite. Generally, it's a gaming genre that seeks to incorporate various elements of the standard MMO genre (such as large player parties, dungeons, raids, and factions) into another existing genre; like Third-person or First-person shooters. Additional design elements can also be added into the genre as well, such as hack-and-slash (ex. Warframe), or Looter-shooter (ex. Borderlands).

The MMO-lite genre has been growing in size, in terms of the number of games within it, but has also brought along numerous controversies with it. One of the biggest games to release in the genre was Destiny, a game that's been marred by numerous controversies; including:

- The lack of a cohesive story and interesting characters
- A lack of communication on behalf of the developers with their playerbase; regarding gameplay mechanics and systems
- Too much attention placed on the Microtransaction (MTX) store for the obtainment of cosmetic items
- A lack of content
- The necessity to pay hundreds of dollars in order to stay relevant with the games content updates
- Too much of a grind, or too much repetitive gameplay

Though Bungie and the Destiny franchise have improved their image recently, these same criticisms have been indicative of other games in the genre as well. The Division experienced similar complaints over the lack of a compelling narrative and characters. In addition, people complained that the game lacked endgame content, and that many of the games elite AI enemies were too bullet-spongy (i.e. Took too long to kill). Warframe, upon release, was criticized as having a lack of early-game direction, requiring an exorbitant grind (including real-world time), and a lack of a story to drive player initiative. Both The Division and Warframe have gone through numerous updates and fixes in order to address these problems, making them more respectable games.

Despite improvements to how players perceive each of the aforementioned titles, the genre has become negatively associated with the word, "unfinished," by many who look at them. The term, Live-Service or Games as a Service, have been used repeatedly in describing the content delivery process for these games. This terminology, and the lack of polish in the release state of these games, has garnered a stigma among the player populace. There's a fear that, by buying these games, you're pretty much purchasing the "beta-version" of it; which wont be fleshed and polished until months later. In terms of Anthem, this is a common statement muttered by those commenting on various videos and forums associated with it:

"I'm gonna wait a month or two to see how the game develops"
"I'll wait till the game goes on sale and they've actually put more content into the game"
"Why would I waste my money on something that's probably unpolished and wont have any content?"

Admittedly, some of these statements are also due in part to recent practices by AAA publishers, who have released MTX's after the review stage of their published title releasing; avoiding any negative attention the game would receive for having said MTX's.

It is important to point out that, unlike most other MMO's, MMO-lite games are largely console-based. In addition, these games also don't charge a subscription fee for their product; instead relying on paid DLC and MTX's for persistent revenue. Considering that console players already have to pay ~$60 for their console platforms online service, as well as many MMO-lite games being online-only, these players are unlikely to want to pay a subscription fee. At the same time, players want these games to have a breath of content (akin to a standard MMO), with updates to the game on a short cadence; roughly 3-6 months. In many respects, developers are unable to handle this type of workload, as Bungie had to employ the services of Activisions two supporting studios (Vicarious Visions and High Moon Studios) in order to create all the DLC content a year after Destiny 2 released.

None of this is to say that a game released in this genre can't be well made; or end up that way. Many of the developers in this genre have showcased that they're capable of improving the titles they've worked on, such as Digital Extremes with Warframe and Massive Entertainment with The Division. Bungie recently split from Activision, and many see this as a cause for positive speculation as to the well being of the Destiny franchise. BioWare is hoping that Anthem is able to address many of the concerns I listed previously, and they've been fairly transparent as to how they've fleshed out the game. In addition, they plan on releasing a full-fledged demo towards the end of January, and early February. This actions afford players the opportunity to make up their own mind about the title, and decide if it's for them or not.

My question to you all is this:

Do you guys think that this genre is able to produce worthwhile products, or do you believe games under its flag (including Anthem) are always doomed to sizable criticism and flaws upon release?

Should we expect more from games within the genre?

When a game in this genre releases, and is lackluster, who's more to blame: The developer/publisher, the player population (unrealistic expectations), or the genre itself? Or is it a combination?

Will the genre ultimately become a short-term fad, or do you foresee it becoming even more popular as the years go on?

Do you see Anthem doing anything that looks to break the mold in the MMO-lite genre?