(screenshot of Mabinogi for the Xbox 360, Source: Ruliweb.com)

The video game market continues to bring in record amounts of revenue, yet according to a January 2009 article found in PC Magazine, sales of PC titles in 2008 plummeted, with $701.4 million in sales, where home console game sales were approximately $8.9 billion.  With gamers spending so much on their Xbox, PS3, and/or Wii, it becomes much more difficult for developers to create a profitable PC game.  One genre that has so far remained grounded in its PC roots has been the MMO.

It’s certainly not for lack of trying, however.  There have been numerous announcements made in recent years of MMO’s being ported over or developed exclusively for consoles.   So what’s happened to them?  Why are they all announced and then never heard from again?

Developers face a number of issues associated with the MMO business and the console business.  For example, the average MMO takes approximately 4-5 years to develop.  Meanwhile, all consoles to date have had a lifespan of approximately five years.  The console manufacturers all say their system will have a much longer lifespan, but when you consider that the Xbox 360 is already four years old, it’s a risk for the developers, because releasing an MMO which hopefully has a lifespan of at least 3 years or longer, at the end of a console lifespan, would cut their game prematurely.

Another part of the problem comes in the payment model of MMO’s, both P2P and F2P.  A lot of console players may not want to pay an additional monthly fee to play, especially Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers, as they already pay $50 a year.  However, the free to play model doesn’t sit well with console makers because then they don’t get a slice of the pie.

However, there are other considerations that make console MMO’s a nightmare for developers.  Many MMO’s have numerous hotkeys for various actions, plus multiple toolbars of 10-12 skills/items apiece.  Communications also use text entered via keyboard.  These are controls that are very difficult to transfer to two analogue sticks and 10 buttons on a console controller, but not impossible.

Still, even with these and other issues, developers are still trying to get their MMO onto the Xbox and Playstation.  I’ve gathered a list of recent MMO’s that have been announced for consoles for your reference.  Let’s hope that some of these actually make it into your disc tray before the next next-gen systems hit your entertainment center.

Dust 514 – This MMOFPS by CCP, set in the same universe as their other MMO, EVE Online, brings the battles planetside, with events in this game affecting the overall EVE Online universe.

Age of Conan – This Hyborian game was announced for both PC and Xbox platforms, but a few months before the PC release, developer Funcom said the console version would be available around 12 months later than the PC, which was released Summer of 2008

Champions Online – According to Cryptic Studios, the Xbox 360 version of this game is ready to go, but is facing  an “indefinite delay” until Microsoft determines how to implement MMO’s across Xbox Live.

Free Realms – The Casual MMO Darling of 2009 currently has no release date for the PS3 version.

DC Universe – This MMO is currently slated for release some time in 2010 for PC and PS3.

The Agency – This MMO espionage game is also slated for release in 2010 for PC and PS3

Mabinogi – It was hard to find reliable information, but from what I have been able to learn, this game was ported completely by DevKat to the Xbox 360, however, due to the business matters with Microsoft, would not be releasing it.

Huxley – The Xbox 360 port of this MMOFPS was said to be on hold so the developers could focus on the PC version.

Marvel MMO – This joint effort between Cryptic and Microsoft, was ultimately what became Champions Online, although Gazillion Entertainment is said to be handling development of a new Marvel MMO.

Lord of the Rings – File this under rumour, but according to a Destructoid post earlier this year, Turbine is currently eyeing the Xbox platform for it’s title, and even wants to use the free-to-play model rather than a subscription based game.

Final Fantasy XIV - Somehow I overlooked Final Fantasy XIV in my final article.  The expected release date is currently sometime 2010, for the PC and PS3, no further details have been set in stone.  An Xbox 360 version is a possibility, depending on whether Microsoft get's their act together and decides how to handle MMO's over LIVE.