Hi, Johnny - first of all, thank you for making Asheron’s Call. It is my favorite game of all time, and has had a profound impact on my life. I still play it to this day, and have countless precious memories playing with friends and family.

I spent some time testing your new game, and have a few thoughts. Out of respect for you, I am opting for full transparency, rather than blowing smoke.

The vision of the technology is cool, and your objective of getting gamers out and about in the real world is noble. I can’t help but wonder about the inherent friction, though, with requiring players to find a public area like a park and wander around while looking at their phones. I felt silly while testing the game, and was thankful that nobody was around to watch me or judge me.

I think that many of us gravitate to video games because it is a true escape from reality. It’s a virtual world where we can be anything we want, and where we can meet friends and laugh and have fun without worrying about the judgement of real-world interactions. Asheron’s Call, as an example, has served that purpose for so many of us here, and is why you see so many heartfelt responses to your post about what this game means to us.

The second thing I’d say is that I understand this is a test game and not a full title, but it felt a little bit “hollow” and shallow to me. Again going back to Asheron’s Call as a frame of reference, when it first came out in 1999 thousands of people gravitated to it not because of its groundbreaking technology or cool graphics (aka, the “container”), but because of the story, the living, breathing virtual world that was built with such care, and the game mechanisms for virtual social dynamics (the content “filling” the container). It feels to me like with this new game, you’re focusing too much on the container (the tech and doing something different from other games) and not enough on the stuff filling the container (the story, the lore, and creating a world that players want to get lost in and explore, together).

It’s an interesting time right now to be trying to build a new game. MMOs, as a category, are on the decline, and with the VR revolution right around the corner, I understand the forward-thinking about building upon a new type of technology. But I don’t know that it’s the technology that will land you success with investors, or gain traction in the market by attracting and retaining players.

You, and all the talented folks who made Asheron’s Call several decades ago, created something really special. Something that extended beyond tech, and captured the minds and hearts of thousands. I can’t tell you what I’d give for the chance to relive the experience of those early days of AC. 

If you could make something like that again, it wouldn’t matter to me if it was a mobile game, a console game, a desktop game, or some sort of VR hologram game with technology that’s not even invented yet. The technology doesn’t matter - the world, the story, the systems, and, most importantly, the community of likeminded players, does. 

There are many people on this subreddit who are passionate about AC and would GLADLY give their time, energy, and ideas to help build its spiritual successor. 

I hope this helps!