When we reported EA's unveiling of its Need For Speed World racing-sim MMO in London earlier this week, the news received little fanfare from our readers, and they weren't alone. Most MMO fans weren't exactly frothing at the mouth in anticipation of a new "massively-multiplayer online racing game," with the exception of Need For Speed's established community and the usual racing-sim fans. We're not specifically picking on Need For Speed World here; it's just another sign of the times. The unrelenting emergence of online multiplayer games branded as MMOs has watered-down the market. Today's new MMO announcements (which surface weekly) just don't carry the weight they once did, even those with relatively-unique gameplay based outside the usual RPG fantasy and sci-fi genres.

One problem is that today's market is bursting at the seams with games that tried to ride the coattails of the MMO craze. As the success of games like EverQuest and World of Warcraft rose, video game publishers ran wild with the "MMO" tag, often branding it on multiplayer games that don't even feature a persistent world. Today, the line that actually defines an MMO has become blurrier than ever. However, a lot of video games that teeter on that line have benefited from the influence of "traditional" MMOs. The first-person shooter and real-time strategy genres, for example, are taking cues from the progression-based gameplay and social/co-op aspects of MMOs that made them famous.

In 2008, market research company NPD Group released its first-ever report of online gaming subscriptions, gleaned from its 2007 to 2008 survey of MMO players. The report offered a rare insight into the closely-guarded proprietary statistics that most MMO publishers will never release, as Gamasutra reported in May 2008. Back then, NPD Group estimated that the top five PC MMO subscriptions ranked as follows, in order of market share: World of Warcraft, RuneScape, Lord of the Rings Online, Final Fantasy XI and City of Heroes.

Last week NPD Group released its latest report of online gaming subscriptions, based on its January 2010 survey of 19,000 gamers of all ages, according to an analysis at Massively.com. It should come as no surprise to MMO fans that World of Warcraft is still the most-popular title in terms of both subscribership and play time, and Jagex's RuneScape is still holding onto second place. What's interesting, though, is that Turbine's Dungeons & Dragons Online knocked out the ever-popular Guild Wars for third place this year, making it the third-most popular MMO in the United States, according to NPD Group's survey results. The survey also asked participants a variety of questions about their playing habits, indicating that a substantial amount of former WoW players left the MMO for the free-to-play DDO (and that the industry's free-to-play revenue model is gaining popularity over subscription-based MMOs). Check out the full analysis at Massively; it's an interesting read for any MMO fan.

In a press release on April 20, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced its acquisition of MMO publisher Turbine, "the largest privately-held online gaming studio in North America, further strengthening Warner Bros.’ position as one of the industry’s fastest growing, full-scale games publishers," according to the release. Turbine publishes two of the MMO industry's leading games; Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online. Warner Bros. president Kevin Tsujihara explained:

"Turbine is a leader in online entertainment and a strong strategic fit for Warner Bros. as we continue to broaden our games portfolio and development capabilities,” said Kevin Tsujihara, president, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. “Turbine’s renowned online game development and publishing expertise will help us develop additional online product offerings, while also providing us with new and innovative ways to market and communicate with our consumers."

Turbine CEO Jim Crowley chimes in, describing the mutual benefit of the acquisition. "We have been looking to expand access to our online worlds to more players and more markets," Crowley said in the release. "This acquisition is very exciting because it allows us to expand globally while continuing to focus on creating spectacular online games that our loyal fans and players have come to expect." Read more about the fate of Turbine's MMOs after the jump.

As we recently reported, the Prisoners of Prophecy update is bringing Hirelings into the fold of the DDO universe. Basically, they're hired help for solo players. For anyone who's ever played any incarnation of the D&D pen-and-paper RPG, sometimes it's hard to get a group of friends together to play. Well, you won't ever have that problem again, at least in the MMORPG!

On Nov. 12, the DDO team will be hosting a hireling preview on all live game servers so players can provide feedback. All the information can be found here.

At 6:00 PM EST (-5 GMT) Hireling vendors will appear in the game worlds on all servers. From 6:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST you will be able to purchase and quest with Hirelings! Need to know more about how to purchase and play with a Hireling? Read more in our handy guide to Hirelings by clicking here ! You can also view the Hirelings now in the DDO Compendium by clicking here !

Turbine announced today the launch of Prisoners of Prophecy, the eighth update for Dungeons and Dragons Online. The major update includes a wealth of changes, from an ehanced experience for new players to the addition of Hirelings to help with solo play.

To help ease new players into the game who may not be familiar with the 3.5 Edition rules, characters can now be created based on play style rather than the assignment of stat or skill points. Of course, this is optional and can be skipped by players on subsequent characters once they have a better understanding of the rules system.

The Hirelings system will allow players to hire henchmen at their level or lower to help them out in their adventures. These NPCs are controlled by the player and can be hired for a few hours at a time or until the current adventure is complete. The system will be implemented in a series of live in-game events.

Keep reading below for more Prisoners of Prophecy updates.

The folks over at Dungeons and Dragons Online have announced a brand new update, The Way of the Monk.

TURBINE REVEALS THE Way of the Monk FOR DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE®

New Playable Class, Landscapes, Raids and More!

WESTWOOD, MA – June 3, 2008 – Turbine, Inc. today announced the launch of the latest update for players of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE®: Stormreach® (DDO), The Way of the Monk. This major update to DDO introduces the first new playable class since launch, revamped adventure areas, more monsters, spells, magic items, and traditional dungeons to challenge.  DDO is a unique online roleplaying experience where players must use their combat skills and wits to survive dangerous dungeons, fiendish traps, and foes that punish the foolish.

“This latest module offers players an incredible amount of fun and excitement and we are proud to introduce the long-awaited new class – the Monk,” said Jim Crowley, president and CEO of Turbine, Inc.  “We are really very excited with how far DDO has come and we have a tremendous amount planned for the game which we look forward to sharing as the year progresses.”