Have MMOs gone as far as they can go?

Do you ever feel like MMOs have gone as far as they can go? I don't mean to be a downer, especially on a Monday, but occasionally I'll play a single-player title that knocks my socks off and -- as an incurable MMO fan -- the first thing I think of is could/should this be made into an MMO? And usually the answer to that question is no, it can't be done because of technical limitations, latency, or lack of gamer interest.

Over the weekend I played Mirror's Edge, a first-person platforming thing that I missed way back in 2009. I fell in love with the free-running, the expansive environments, and the vertigo-inducing perspectives and I realized, sadly, that all of those things and many more simply aren't in the cards for MMOs. I know that not everything has to be an MMO, but I'd love to experience Mirror's Edge with a persistent world behind it, as well as share it with my MMO-playing buddies.

What about you, Massively readers? Do you think MMOs have gone as far as they can go, or do you think we're in store for anything new and exciting beyond continual refinements to the existing formula?

TH

Absolutely not, on the contrary I think it's just the beginning. Technology and features grow, and who's to say those excellent single player elements can't be incorporated into MMOs?

TH

I think there is much much more that can be done if developers and companies pool their strengths instead of making stupid mobile games...