To make a game immersive, developers must take special care to ensure all aspects are in line with the general feeling of the game. Nothing should be out of place, because this makes the alternative reality weak. Nothing should have cracks, or plot holes, as this also does not convince players. Only by making a linear and continuous environment can companies expect to en-capture players' imaginations. To not employ tactics such as these can prove fatal for many large game developers. If players are not drawn into the game, then they will simply not play, which is not good from anyone's perspective. Some games of the past who have not taken immersion seriously have the many battle scars to show for it. Star Wars Galaxies for example implemented many changes which were not Starwarsy and Iconic (As covered in this article) and this hurt the game greatly.
Many new games have begun to rely more heavily on community to provide feedback, and advertise the game in general. In the recently released TOR, there are guilding tools available on the forums which allow players to form associations still months before the game goes live. This not only helps them organise their friends, but it gives them a feeling of responsibility. They feel loyalty to the guild, so when the time comes of release they will not hesitate to buy the game as quickly as possible. Also, players in guilds are undoubtedly going to tell their friends, so through this viral advertising the numbers of players interested in the game will increase as well.
If developers of the future want the MMORPG industry to keep going as strongly as it has over the previous decade, they will need to recognise these problems and ensure that their games draw in, entertain, and fulfill their players.