The Unexpected Return of the MMORPG

October 5, 2026 - 12:39

Good morning.

Did you catch the SNL sketch this week? I did not watch the episode live, but I saw the GTA versus Zelda bit floating around. Setting aside the tired joke about gamers being virgins, it was pretty funny. Maybe it worked because they framed the two games as the industry's Barbenheimer moment. Perhaps the SNL writers read TGB.

Still, was it just me, or did the audience seem more drawn to wandering Hyrule and solving puzzles than driving around Vice City and robbing banks?

We have a busy week ahead. Tomorrow features a big interview with a former Xbox studio. On Thursday, we will be joined by both Meta and Pearl Abyss, the Crimson Desert people. We also have data to share on who came out on top during a crowded September for game releases.

But today, I want to talk about something I did not expect to discuss: the return of the MMORPG.

I love this industry sometimes. Just when you think the script is written, when you think you know what the business will do next, something unexpected happens. After months of GTA 6 and Zelda talk, plus debates about consoles and a congested September release window, something ancient and powerful emerges, seeking to reclaim its place as one of gaming's leading genres.

Hyperbole aside, it has been a good few weeks for the MMORPG. When I joined the video game media in the mid-2000s, it felt like everyone was making one. World of Warcraft had become a mega hit, and as often happens in entertainment, everyone tried to replicate it. Most of those attempts did not work out.