Matt Firor and I gave interviews to IndustryGamers for the run-up to GDCAustin, and the interviews are up now. Interesting to compare and contrast our answers, given that they are presented side by side (we did the interviews by email). Here’s one, follow the link for more!

IG: The MMO space is still largely controlled by fantasy games. Is this all gamers want, or are developers just unsure of what kinds of new genres to bring to the MMO sector?

Koster: This is just a symptom of the constrained market that AAA MMOs have been operating in. If you look at the MMO-like social games, we see a far broader array of genres being used quite successfully, and I would expect that trend to continue. Fantasy as a genre is a lot more mainstream than it used to be a decade or two ago, but I don’t think it is an accident that we see Mafia, farming, and restaurants as top genres in social games.

Firor: Fantasy games have one unique feature that has not yet been duplicated in other genres: they are approachable and easily understood by the player base. If you say a game is “fantasy,” then you know it’s going to be roughly based on medieval technology, with some magic, probably some elves, and monsters to slay. This is because fantasy games are based on legends and fables that we’ve been telling/reading to our children for hundreds of years. Fantasy stories are part of our culture, and just about everyone has been exposed to them. Because of this, fantasy games are easily understood by the player base.

— An evolving world – Feature: The State of the MMO Business – IndustryGamers.