Guilds are a dime a dozen in MMOs today, be they small
social guilds or hardcore groups that collect a few
hundred players together. Most guildmates you play
with will eventually leave the guild, making way for
new members giving the game a try. But what if your
guild could transcend the game it was formed in,
creating a community that stayed together and moved
from game to game? The Syndicate
is one such guild, boasting a membership of
1,200 players and a 95% retention rate. The
organisation celebrates its 16th anniversary this
week, having been born as an online community before
the release of Ultima
Online.
The Syndicate is currently active in Ultima
Online and World
of Warcraft, having previously been
active in EverQuest,
Shadowbane
and other games. All members agree to follow a
charter that forbids stealing, cheating,
non-consensual player-killing, and immature behaviour.
The Syndicate takes its identity so seriously that
it's even trademarked its name and has worked with MMO
companies to rename guilds using it. Developers have
in turn taken advantage of The Syndicate's huge
community size and code of conduct to beta test
upcoming games. With its 16th birthday behind it, the
guild predates most MMOs on the market today and is
still going strong.
