Development of an MMORPG

Generally speaking, the cost to develop a competitive commercial MMORPG title would roughly exceed U.S. 10 million dollars. 3D modeling, 2D art, animation, user interface, client / server engineering, database architecture and network infrastructure must be considered whenever developing an MMORPG.

Most modern commercial MMORPGs feature 3D graphics. Front end expertise is heavily needed with implementing the 3D engines, real time shader techniques and physics simulation. The visual content, eg. character, items, maps, is developed by artists who will first begin by conceptually designing 2D art and then later convert them into 3D scenes, models and maps.

Developing a commercial MMORPG also requires expertise with client/server architecture, network protocols, security and relational database designs. The server must also be able to handle and verify large amounts of connections, prevent cheating, and apply changes to the game.

Maintenance requires sufficient amounts of servers and bandwidth with without them will tend to lead to lag and frustration for the players and damage the reputation of the game.

references:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mmorpg