Currently seeking votes on Steam Greenlight and aiming for a possible mid-2017 release, MMORPG Tycoon is an interesting concept indeed. It may in fact turn out to be a neat little sandbox for actual MMO creators to test out features, rules, tweaks and monetization models in a simulated environment, before they actually unleash them on their own unsuspecting, real-life player-base.
Via Massively: "The TIGSource Procedural Generation Competition is nearing it's finish, and one of the more polished entries takes a fascinating look at MMOs. Titled MMORPG Tycoon, it gives you an MMORPG and demands that you fix it to please the player base. And that's easier said than done."