Imagine a world built from your favorite movie, brought to life as a massive, persistent online universe. If you could pick just one film franchise to be transformed into an MMORPG, with no creative or financial limits, which would it be and why?
This question popped into my head recently, partly inspired by games like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle making their way to more platforms. While certainly not an MMO, playing through it got me thinking about how well some movie plots could translate to interactive, multiplayer experiences – sometimes even better than the films themselves since the original source material!
We’ve seen various attempts to bring movie and TV IPs into the MMO space over the years. The upcoming Dune: Awakening is exploring a survival MMO angle on Arrakis. Game of Thrones has inspired multiple (mostly forgettable) attempts. But if I had complete freedom, if money and timing were no object, is there one movie universe I’d personally love to see adapted?
Absolutely. And no, before you ask, it’s not Avatar (that’s explicitly off the table for this thought experiment!) and it’s not The Matrix (we kind of already lived that one, didn’t we?).
My Pick: Ridley Scott’s Alien Franchise
My choice for the ultimate movie IP MMORPG is the Alien franchise. Yes, I know the recent films have been… divisive, much like my thoughts on post-Last Crusade Indy movies. However, the core universe, the potential factions, and the iconic threats are all right there, practically begging for an MMORPG treatment.
Adapting any popular existing IP into a game, especially an MMO, comes with challenges. Developers often feel constrained by sticking too rigidly to source material, fearing backlash from die-hard fans if they deviate. This can limit creativity. Conversely, building a completely new universe requires selling not only the game mechanics but the entire world to players from scratch.
The Alien universe, surprisingly, offers a fantastic balance here.
Why Alien Works as an MMORPG
1. A Flexible and Expansive Setting: It’s space! The setting is inherently vast and allows for incredible environmental diversity. While the core aesthetic of corporations like Weyland-Yutani might have a specific look, the planets players visit can be anything developers dream up – lush jungles (like LV-426 pre-terraforming), frozen wastes, volcanic worlds, or entirely alien biomes. Not every location needs to be a colony; derelict ships, abandoned outposts, and unexplored planets offer endless possibilities for content.
2. Races, Synthetics, and Character Diversity: Humans would logically be the predominant player race, given the source material. However, setting the game far enough in the franchise’s future could easily introduce other species encountered by humanity, opening up character creation options. More compellingly, the presence of advanced synthetic life-forms (androids) provides a perfect avenue for player characters that can be visually and conceptually diverse, free from the constraints of looking strictly “human.”
3. Built-in Faction Conflict: The core conflict is clear and compelling. You could have two main player factions: those loyal to corporations like Weyland-Yutani, focused on capturing and weaponizing the Xenomorphs for profit and research, and those who believe the Xenomorphs must be eradicated at all costs, perhaps independent contractors, rogue colonial marines, or survivors. Both factions could potentially share character classes (like Marine, Scientist, Engineer), but their overarching objectives and the choices they make within the world would differ significantly.
4. PvE Content Writes Itself: Dungeons, raids, and open-world events are practically pre-designed by the movies. Exploring derelict ships infested with Xenomorphs, clearing out a hive nest in a colony’s underbelly, undertaking escort missions with unpredictable outcomes, or facing off against a towering Alien Queen in a raid encounter – the possibilities for thrilling PvE are immense and directly pulled from the IP’s strengths.
5. Gameplay Style and Innovation: This wouldn’t need to be a pure first-person shooter MMO like Destiny or The Division 2. I envision something more akin to an action-RPG hybrid, perhaps similar to Defiance in its blend of shooting and character progression, but executed with much greater depth and polish. Combat would rely on firearms, futuristic tech (cryo-grenades, shock weapons, deployable sentry guns, healing drones), and tactical positioning rather than magic and spells.
6. Potential for Engaging PvP and Narrative Choice: Imagine a Monster Play system similar to Lord of the Rings Online, allowing players to occasionally inhabit and play as a Xenomorph in specific PvP scenarios! Furthermore, incorporating narrative choices, perhaps inspired by systems like Star Wars: The Old Republic‘s group dialogue rolls in dungeons, could allow player factions to subtly influence the outcome of instanced content – for example, deciding whether to destroy a Xenomorph specimen or attempt to capture it for Weyland-Yutani. Server-wide tracking of these choices could even trigger larger world events, adding a dynamic layer to the persistent universe.
The more I consider it, the more the Alien franchise feels like a perfect, albeit dark and gritty, fit for an MMORPG. Sadly, it seems like a long shot to ever see such a project materialize at this scale. (And yes, I’ll humorously point a finger at Prometheus for potentially dimming the prospects).
But enough about my pipe dream! What movie IP would you transform into an MMORPG, and how would its world, gameplay, and story function? Let me know your ideas!
