I just read some comments on a news announcement elsewhere about the Buffy MMO. The reactions ranged from disbelief to hilarity. One of the comments was "September Fools Day!" :lmao:
The thing about it is, plainly, Buffy's got an enormous cult following. And not just enormous, but hardcore. It's enough of a hardcore fanbase that it propelled the comic into being one of Dark Horse's top sellers. It draws a huge following and pumps nice, green dollars into their bottom line. It puts the name Buffy back out into the public consciousness. And it draws old fans back into the fold. So an MMO, which can be a cash cow if it's done well, would just serve to hype the show a million times more. And who knows, maybe with more marketing and hype of the show like this, it could eventually lead Joss and co. to start thinking about a movie in the future, or put another spinoff in the realm of possibility.
The articles I've read about the MMO are pretty vague. It sounds browser-based and social-networking-oriented, from what I've read, though. I could be wrong. It'd be cooler if it was a fully-immersed, persistent game world.
And, judging by what I've seen in World of Warcraft... I'm not sure a lot of guys will object to playing a female character in order to be a Slayer.