I was playing the 2016 version of Master of Orion, and it’s a perfectly fine game, something akin to Civilization in space, it’s just not nearly as complex or interesting as Stellaris. Stellaris has created the ultimate space strategy game, and keeps adding new mechanics and features. I don’t really see why anyone would need to make a space strategy game again.
WOW was also a different era and it’s timing was impeccable. It came out before social media and smartphones, but during the rise of pc gaming and the internet. It was a novel way to connect and socialize with people all over the world on the ever expanding internet. It was just as much a social platform as it was a game.
WOW could never be recreated or toppled because it was the industry leader during those pivotal years…and those years are long gone. The younger generations have so many ways to connect with people nowadays that MMOs past novelty just doesn’t matter much anymore.
Back then there was a sense of exploration of this never before seen interconnected world. There is no way to recreate that since it’s already past.
There will never be another WOW.