One could say Ryzom is a primary example of perhaps the biggest flaw in our economy; that marketing trumps product quality. It came out at the same time as WoW and WoW gobbled up all the players with it's far superior marketing.
And the thing with MMOs is that once they are small, it's nigh-on impossible to become big again. Small playerbase automatically means nobody pays any attention to it, so it's never mentioned anywhere, and the few players that do find it are scared off by the small playerbase as well.
This is why new MMOs tend to open with a huge hype & marketing campaign. They know their only chance is to have a player explosion on day 1; because if at any moment an MMO has a small playerbase, it's impossible to get out of the downward spiral anymore.
And the thing with MMOs is that once they are small, it's nigh-on impossible to become big again. Small playerbase automatically means nobody pays any attention to it, so it's never mentioned anywhere, and the few players that do find it are scared off by the small playerbase as well.
This is why new MMOs tend to open with a huge hype & marketing campaign. They know their only chance is to have a player explosion on day 1; because if at any moment an MMO has a small playerbase, it's impossible to get out of the downward spiral anymore.