A racing mini-game in the popular Clone Wars Adventures MMO.

SEPT. 25, 2010 • Sony Online Entertainment’s Clone Wars Adventures F2P Star Wars MMO has attracted 1 million players in one week in release. The title features update content tied with the popular animated television series.

Impact: As we have noted before, browser-based titles are getting much more gameplay depth, and the quality of the experience delivered is rising fast. Clone Wars Adventures is an excellent example of this trend. A strong IP, the TV connection, free to play, no annoying client download, and excellent game design suggest a winner. At least in the U.S. market, where not-so-fast broadband connections make large client downloads unpopular, Only the level of sustained growth in active users and virtual item sales during the months ahead will tell for sure. The challenge these games face is not so much attracting users but getting them to pay.