It’s hard to think about the Massively Multiplayer Online gaming genre without instantly turning your mind to World of Warcraft. The expansion Wrath of the Lich King was just recently hailed as the biggest selling PC game in GameStop history (at least in terms of a launch) and even though the game is four years old, it is still as relevant as the day it was released, if not more so. Millions of people around the world are huddled around their PCs day in and day out grinding and scouring a digital landscape for epic loot.

In the gaming world, though, nostalgia is king and bringing back treasured franchises can sometimes be the slingshot that takes down Goliath. So when EA announces not only are they going to be a part of a franchise revival for the long forgotten Dungeon Keeper series, but they are going to be turning it into an MMO, you’d think that it would be part of EA’s larger plan to take on WoW alongside their recent release of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Then you hear that alongside this strange and unexpected news that the game is being developed for and released exclusively in China and other Asian markets. It’s certainly a head turner.

But is it really? For those in North America, it may be an odd thing to consider, but there exists a world outside of WoW that not only lives, but flourishes in markets that have access to Blizzard’s hollowed grounds. Free MMOs, or those supported by micro transactions, continue to have a strong place within the Asian markets and are some of the most popular games played. Yes, Blizzard still have a strong presence in China, but considering the seemingly impenetrable foothold that they’ve created in North America, the Asian markets may just be the place where EA feels then can compete on a less risky level. And, if done correctly, they’d probably be right.

The social aspect of the MMO genre dominates all else. You are likely to play whatever your friends are playing, and World of Warcraft did a lot right over a long period of time to not only keep who they had at the beginning, but give their friends a good reason to see what all the fuss was about. Warhammer Online, Tabula Rasa and Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures all came in headlong and with a lot of build up to dethrone the powerhouse. At least one is offline forever, and while WAR seems to be doing alright so far, AoC is showing signs of weakness in many markets. At least that’s the perception.

As much as it has its following, Dungeon Keeper isn’t a storied epic loved by all. It has its following, as many solid games of that era do, but why bring such a game into a market that may not know or appreciate the style of play as much? Perhaps because it is a new experience, far away from the influences of Blizzard, and releasing it in a market that plays well with micro transactions (another alley that EA is pursuing heavily) could be a good litmus test for an eventual shift we could see in North America. As I said before, a slow build up means a strong foothold later on, and we are starting to see remnants of the micro payment style move into the landscape in North America more so than people think. DLC dominates headlines, and the more we accept it as a culture of gaming, the more we should see it appear. Dead Space is littered with it, Battlefield: Heroes is built off it, so perhaps a old franchise that EA has in their back catalog could do well in a market that is willing to try something for a small fee.

If you build it, they will come. And if the market here grows fond, perhaps it is something we will see in a few years time. Evolved and ready for a new challenge.