This kind of highlights the current evolution of online games. Sometimes I feel current MMOs, using World of Warcraft as a great example has pushed traditional MMOs to evolve from virtual worlds into interactive chat rooms. The term "MMO" itself now represents games that barely resemble the first games that coined such a term. The added "RPG" has been dropped from MMO(RPG) to highlight this change.
Games like Star Citizen, Shroud of the Avatar and Elite: Dangerous are all incorporating different elements of MMOs, virtual worlds, online games, etc. and is giving your more flexibility.
It's as if you can play an entirely single-player game and yet have the world change to reflect the apparent presence of other players. It creates persistence and suddenly your single-player games have a little real-world meaning.