I think pay to play MMO should make a return.

I've been playing MMOs since around 2004 when I first played City of Heroes. I stayed sn active subscription for that all the way until it died.

I've played Guild Wars 1 and 2, SWTOR, Blade and Soul, BDO along with many free to play games.

While going through countless free to play MMOs I realized something. MMO are not a traditional game. They are a world and they are an investment.

Free to play MMO typically focus on the gameplay but have no world building or exploration. They also create limitations on players such as locked content and many feature a fatigue system.

When I look at the most successful MMO, they are pay to play. WoW, Final Fantasy, Guild Wars previously, BDO.

Not only so these games offer more because they have a regular source of income, but you as am individual may be more prone to continue playing them simply because it's where you put your money.

I played Marvel Heroes from launch until death. By the time it died, I pretty much had nothing to do because no new content was released. But I loved the game so much the first year it came out that I put $100s into it. That money investment kept me playing, especially because I wanted the game to succeed.

I feel humans by nature are more likely to stick with a specific game if they have invested more than just am hour into it.

I would rather play a handful of pay to play MMO with good player base and continuing content than play 30 free mmos off and on that are popular for 2 months before they become a cash grab.

Tldr; monetary investments =more likely to stay with a game and allows game money to improve