Released in 2012 and fizzling out not a mere few months later while languishing in beta, Family Guy Online still shines in a distant past time as important a part of gaming history as it is a milestone for the franchise. It may not be any Pokémon Yellow or Ocarina of Time, but it does still offer a vague purview into the whereabouts of this IP in terms of gaming.
Ever wondered what a Family Guy MMO might look like? 20th Century Fox sure did, billing this adaptation as an MMLOL, or massively-multiplayer laugh out loud role-playing game.
It’s just as bad as it sounds - though in all the right ways.
A Leisurely Walk Back Through Time
To understand the swift and unceremonious downfall of Family Guy Online, one must first have a good long flashback on the MMO genre itself and the history of this valiant video game construct. It all started with online-based experiences that brought the world together in one cyberspace that acted as both a digital chatroom and hangout of sorts, like that of Worlds Chat in 1995 and 1996’s Meridian 59. These types of MMOs, some of which are still very much alive to this day, laid the groundwork for what would eventually become the lackluster yet still hilarious browser-based Family Guy game.
Family Guy Online took to the stage in 2012 as an MMORPG, drawing in Family Guy fans from around the world into a digital Quahog. It may not have been any World of Warcraft, but it certainly provided an outlet for fans to meet new friends and engage with the Family Guy community in interesting ways. But, matching that same level of hilarious ingenuity and spunk so awarded the animated TV show wasn’t exactly as simple as slapping the word online to the end of the hallmark franchise title.
Create Your Own Family Guy Adventure
What did make the game stand out, however, was this very connection to the show without the necessity of playable main characters. Instead of taking control of Stewie, Peter, Brian, or even Meg, players were allowed to create their own Family Guy character, which did give the game a more personalized feel. These aforementioned characters were, of course, still in Family Guy Online, only as NPCs that gave the player specific tasks and missions to complete throughout the digital space. After all, it wouldn’t be a Family Guy game without one of the show’s most beloved icons, Greased-Up Deaf Guy.
The gameplay structure worked in a similar fashion to how most MMOs operate, only in Family Guy Online class types were divvied out via an associated main character. For instance, Peter acted as a type of tank class, Stewie more so intelligence-based, Lois a skill-based fighter, and both Chris and Meg character classes were literally labeled as “pretty average at most things.” After choosing a class and customizing your character, the player is let off into a world filled with a multitude of tasks on hand, in addition to a bevy of other players coalescing within this online space.
Well, if only for a very, very short while.
Lost Pieces of Hilarious Internet History
At the same time of releasing Family Guy Online, 20th Century Fox also had yet another cash grab on the books under the same IP, called Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse. The PS3, Xbox 360, and PC experience came and went, much like many of the various Family Guy video game iterations before and after it. While Back to the Multiverse may still have its plethora of devotees and adapts an interesting perspective from one of the show’s best episodes, it quickly fell flat within the industry. A current Metacritic score of 39 proves this was a mere wrong turn for the franchise and highlights the fact that not every TV show is worthy enough for its own video game.
Built on the very same engine of Back to the Multiverse, Family Guy Online had a much stronger promise that likewise did not save it from the wrath of 20th Century Fox, which no sooner pulled the plug before the MMLOL even made it past beta. A PCGamer article from December of 2012 insinuates the reason for its departure as being mostly due to limited monetary gain, which only makes sense. Going up against such heavy-hitters as Far Cry 3, Dishonored, Black Ops II, Diablo III, Halo 4, and even Borderlands 2 is a pretty tough gamble.
While the show itself has already exceedingly outlasted its stay, totaling at a whopping 18 seasons - with its 19th airing this September - Family Guy still somehow stands strong as an animated comedy classic. Though it may pale in comparison to the highly beloved The Simpsons, Family Guy remains an enigmatic entity in television, but not in the video game industry. Maybe that’s for good reason. As proven by the likes of numerous trials and errors, a Family Guy game will only end up much like the show’s own character of Meg: humiliated and long-forgotten.
Still, as far as MMLOLs go, Family Guy Online proves to be the only one of its kind, and that’s gotta stand for something - especially in an era rampant with video game sequels. Then again, as Peter Griffin himself would say:
“Now I may be an idiot, but there’s one thing I am not sir, and that sir, is an idiot.”
NEXT: Family Guy: 25 Wild Storylines They Want Fans To Forget
