RuneScape introduces the Alchemical Hydrix gem, OSRS seeks feedback for its Trailblazer League
The staff at MOP were very kind to leave me the duty of handling the Jagex bundle of news updates as a welcome back from my week-long internet outage, it seems. Thaaaaanks, guuuuys. The week gone in RuneScape saw the introduction of the Alchemical Hydrix, a powerful gem that is used for two pieces of […]
One Shots: Today's forecast is foggy with a light chance of dragons
The other day I was at the zoo watching a Siberian Tiger stalk around its exhibit, and I was thinking, "If I encountered that thing in the wild, I would nope out of Russia so fast that it would leave skid marks." Now, just imagine what it's like to live in countries where seeing dragons […]
The Daily Grind: Are there any languishing MMOs you're still hopeful will recover?
You know, I was pretty down with the long wait for Final Fantasy XIV's most recent patch, but I have nothing on Secret World Legends fans. I had to wait two months longer than planned. They have been waiting for what feels like it has been four hundred years, and there's no sign of hope […]
Battle Bards Episode 175: Prehistoric jams
Having perfected their musical time machine, the Battle Bards leap back to the past to enjoy the soundscapes of dinosaurs and other prehistoric denizens. What does the MMO soundtrack for savage wildlands and dinotopias sound like? Tune into today's episode and find out! Battle Bards is a the world's first, best, and only MMO music podcast. […]
Star Citizen Live discusses future updates, weapons, and features for FPS gameplay
What's next for shooting people with your handheld weaponry in Star Citizen? That was the subject of the latest weekly developer roundtable which brought on Jonny Jacevicius and Chris Parry to talk about upcoming features that are in the works for the game's FPS combat. With the addition of less-lethal damage like melee stuns and […]
Epic-Apple lawsuit filings reveal Epic's pre-suit efforts at securing competing payment options
The upcoming legal clash between Apple and Epic Games has mostly featured a competition by Epic to secure mind share, painting the company in general and Fortnite in specific as victims of Apple's overbearing policies through parody ads and a petty competition. Some recently released information as part of a court filing from Apple might […]
WoW Classic de-layers servers, causing queues to return
World of Warcraft Classic is one big happy family again — but maybe not quite that happy. Following a decision to re-implement layering tech this past April to handle overpopulation issues, Blizzard announced on Friday that it was removing these layers for all of the realms. "Over the weeks since several high-population realms were configured […]
The Game Archaeologist: Flagship's Mythos
Whenever the topic of Flagship Studios comes up, usually it's in conjunction with Hellgate: London. And while Hellgate certainly was a huge and ultimately not-too-successful effort by the studio, there was another MMO that was greatly affected by the company going belly-up in 2008 called Mythos. I felt that Mythos absolutely should be discussed in […]
Ashes of Creation will now self-publish in EU/CIS regions, says its split with My.Games was amicable
Yesterday, Intrepid Studios announced that it would be breaking from its partnership with My.Games and will take over publishing duties for in-development MMORPG Ashes of Creation in both the EU and in the CIS region, an announcement that made the press release rounds initially. Now, a more player-facing statement of the decision has been posted […]
WRUP: Things Huey Lewis has lied to me about and the ways he did so edition
Lie: "Don't take money, don't take fame, don't need no credit card to ride this train." Format: Song (The Power of Love) Truth: It in fact can take quite a bit of money to make a romantic relationship work, and credit cards are helpful. Fame is generally superfluous. Lie: "I want a new drug." Format: […]
The Daily Grind: Which MMO has benefited the most from cross-promotion?
One of the great advantages of making an MMO in an established IP is that there are all sorts of opportunities to draw in players via cross-promotional marketing. Star Trek Online has done a whole ton of this over its decade of life, as did Marvel Heroes (RIP). Remember when Marvel Heroes was tossing in […]
Betawatch: New World has a new client for a new beta
There's a beta event going down next week in New World, don't you know, and it's coming with a new shiny client. Can you smell that new beta scent? Probably not. It's a bunch of computer data and it would probably smell like electricity. You shouldn't even be trying to smell it. Why are you […]
MMORTS Starborne's first beta dev blog enters the Dead Zone
Starborne may well be a rising star in the MMORTS genre, causing at least one of our number here at Massively OP to become "totally and completely addicted" to its gameplay. But it definitely needs to up its promotion if it wants to become anything other than an extremely niche title, which is why it's […]
Shadow Arena plans rival system for ranked matches, plus several new modes
When we covered Pearl Abyss' second quarter financial report a few weeks ago, one of the things that stood out to me is that the company does not appear to be giving up on Shadow Arena, its battle royale effort that hit early access back in May. Here in the west, the game started off […]
Take on the evil plant queen Alice in Grand Fantasia's August update
Gamigo has a slew of MMOs that don't get a lot of attention, especially since the Trion takeover, and one of those is the cutesy free-to-play anime MMO Grand Fantasia, which this week dropped a late summer update that teams players up with sprites to take on a terrifying plant queen in a new city […]
MapleStory previews its Astral Blessings event, winds down Burning World
MapleStory fans must be relieved to know that even after the closure of MapleStory 2, the franchise is still making money for Nexon hand over fist and is no danger whatsoever. In fact, it's about to get a large update in the form of Astral Blessings, which Nexon has been teasing all week. It's loaded […]
David Brevik discusses how Diablo 2's development was marked with a year of crunch
It's easy to think of "crunch" in game development being something of a more recent phenomenon as we've heard more about it. It's also easy to assume that your favorite games didn't involve any, or at least involved less. But a recent talk at Devcom Digital by the director of Diablo 2, David Brevik, shines […]
Ex-Riot developers found Odyssey Interactive, raise $6M in seed funding
While Riot Games seems to be shedding developers left and right these days, one good thing that's come out of this is the formation of several new game studios with ambitious and motivated teams. One such studio that just appeared on the scene is Odyssey Interactive, a new company that's aiming to build competitive games […]
The Stream Team: Vanquishing the Voidrakar assaulting AQ3D's DragonWatch Village
So much has happened in AQ3D in the short time Massively OP's MJ has been away from her computer. And while she's not about to grind any class to 100 anytime soon, she can go help save the village of DragonWatch, which is currently under siege by the Voidrakar. She's searching for he newly discovered […]
Champions Online invites you to kill bugs with fire (or frost, lightning, or plasma)
Bugs! Spiders! Creepy crawlies! If these pests invade your home, you have our full permission to exterminate with extreme prejudice. And if giant-sized versions of these insects crawl into Champions Online, you have an obligation to save the world by smooshing them with every power at your disposal. Champions Online is in such need of […]
Star Citizen video and AMA discuss environmental art, rocks, and throwing all the things
Star Citizen's been back in the headlines this week for all the wrong reasons – weird Squadron 42 communication mishaps, pixelships, and huge piles of money being the main ones. But while one part of CIG was busy with that, the rest of the studio was actually off making the damn game, as demonstrated by […]
WoW Factor: All I want from Shadowlands is the pre-patch
Folks, I am tired. It is a deep sort of tired, the one that seeps down to the bone. And it's the kind of tired that has you looking at the World of Warcraft launcher and thinking about the fun that's coming next… followed not all that long thereafter by a new wave of existing […]
Fall Guys sparks a $325,000 charity bidding war between brands
This may just be the most adorable and wholesome thing you'll read all week. The insanely popular (and insanely bonkers) battle royale Fall Guys triggered a massive bidding war between other companies that has now rocketed to $325,000 with over a week to go. The studio that promises to donate the most money to Special […]
Past Fate's Kickstarter is 80% funded as its end looms tomorrow
We're down to the wire for MMORPG Past Fate, whose second Kickstarter is set to expire tomorrow morning. A week or two ago, I didn't think they'd make it; only $4000 had been raised by August 21st. But as of today, the game is hovering around $20,000 of its $25,000 goal, meaning it definitely has […]
Epic's new #FreeFortnite Cup promo is another cynical dig on Apple
If you thought Epic Games was being childish or cynical in its attempts to rile up the video game faithful over its otherwise perfectly reasonable anti-monopoly lawsuits against Apple (and Google, though it's been more of an afterthought), well, then you're not going to change your mind as a result of this story. Apparently, a […]
World of Warcraft is adding diminishing returns for secondary stats in Shadowlands
So secondary stats on gear in World of Warcraft have the potential to get out of control. Fortunately, the developers have a solution for Shadowlands by… wait, I heard someone shout, "by ensuring the endgame isn't an ever-escalating series of rewards for overstuffed raid tiers." That's wrong. Be quiet. It's by… no, wait, someone else shouted, […]
Check out this funky bass line for Final Fantasy XIV's patch 5.3 boss music
It need not be said that Final Fantasy XIV has both devoted fans and developers, but that is still the fact of the matter. Composer and YouTuber Alex Moukala is one such fan, and in dissecting the music of the game's patch 5.3, he posted a short video demonstrating just how funky the boss track […]
Torchlight III scrambles to balance and bug fix the game prior to launch
With its final wipe behind it and a fall launch ahead, Torchlight III is picking up momentum as it barrels through August. This week's State of the Game post reported that all of this hype has translated into "a bunch of new activity, players, and feedback" for the online ARPG. Echtra Games addressed many questions […]
Players petition for better servers as LOTRO's second wave of instability continues
A second period of server instability in the past month is plaguing Lord of the Rings Online, even as Standing Stone Games said that it is trying to resolve the issues. Frustrated players have taken to Twitter, Reddit, the forums, and even Change.org to make their voices heard. One player started a petition to "Ask […]
The Daily Grind: What malingering Kickstarter MMO do you most want to see launch?
With Crowfall hitting beta and carving out a clear path to launch, it's only natural that we start taking a hard look once again at our regular Make My MMO lists to remind ourselves of all the crowdfunded MMORPGs that are still lingering out there in one state of testing or another without a convincing […]
The Stream Team: Daring to explore Dungeon and Dragons Online's Death House
Massively OP's MJ is celebrating her first stream in her new house by exploring DDO's Death House, purely by coincidence! She certainly didn't move anywhere called Ravenloft… at least, she's pretty sure that wasn't the name of the new town. But she can never pass up the chance to check out a cool/creepy old home […]
Massively Overthinking: Mixing and matching the best crafting systems in the MMO 'verse
Longtime MOP reader Ken from Chicago recently asked us to talk about crafting – but he didn't want us to just list off the best crafting systems. Instead, he wanted us to talk about the best parts of different crafting systems across MMOs and how we might combine them together for the perfect cocktail. "I […]
Mortal Online 2 lights a torch and jumps into a dungeon
As it hacks and slashes its way through its combat alpha, Mortal Online 2 is slowly but surely taking shape. This successor to the upgraded to Patch 0.0.0.23 (the extra zeroes are just Cheerios), bringing in two new features for players to enjoy: torches and a new dungeon. Torches always are nice to have to […]
Remnant From the Ashes drops its biggest and last DLC, Subject 2923, today
Today's a bittersweet day for Perfect World and Gunfire Games, as their co-op shooter Remnant From the Ashes is dropping its biggest DLC ever – but also its last. The update, dubbed Subject 2923, is live today on PC and console with a $9.99 pricepoint (there's a mega edition for $49.99 that bundles everything together, […]
Existence arrives on the scene to recapture 'the heart of MMO gaming'
Inspired by their time in Anarchy Online, two brothers decided that it wanted to make their own sci-fi MMORPG. The result of this ambition — and a lot of work — is Existence, a new title that just emerged on the scene after four months of initial development. "We want to make this MMO about […]
Meat Week returns to Fallout 76 ahead of wood week
Literally every time Meat Week comes around in Fallout 76, I start snickering like a child, and I'm not even sorry. Yep, it's back as of this morning, according to Bethsoft's latest dev missive. "Everybody's favorite Super Mutant, Grahm, and his faithful Brahmin, Chally the Moo-Moo, are back for another celebration of all things meat! […]
The Division 2 previews cosmetic gear customization for Update 11
The Division 2 has a specific look for its characters, and that look involves appearing as if you were shopping at whatever sporting goods stores or military surplus vendors were available to outfit your paramilitary mercenary group. But that doesn't mean you don't want all of your gear to match, and that's where the game's […]
New World's preview event next week won't have an NDA, will dispatch invites in waves
All week, Amazon has been offering up appetizers for the preview event it's launching in just a few days, but today, we're finally getting the main course. As expected, the event will throw open its doors on August 25th at noon EDT and run through September 4th at the same time. Maybe less expected is that […]
Astroneer's second big automation update is live – here's the new trailer
If you had asked me a year ago what game my whole family would be playing together this summer, I probably would not have guessed Astroneer, but it's happened, which means my kids are going to be thrilled about the game's latest update, which rolled out yesterday to Steam as of yesterday. This patch is […]
Dual Universe shows off its recruit-a-friend program heading into beta
The best way to get someone into an MMO is via word of mouth. We accept this fact. And the best way to generate word of mouth? Having it come directly from a friend, naturally. This would be the logic behind the recruit-a-friend program arriving for Dual Universe when it kicks off beta testing on […]
Don't look now, but LOTRO is having issues again
I know we joke that Massively OP is not an uptime monitor, but when it comes to Lord of the Rings Online, we have been keeping a closer eye on the game lately thanks to the extended technical issues earlier this summer that took the game more or less offline for more than a week. […]
Vague Patch Notes: How platform considerations impact MMOs
It wasn't until I had been working in this field for a while – and as a result playing a lot of different MMOs – that it really clicked for me how weird it was that Final Fantasy XI didn't have any sort of hotbars. I'd played that game for years, of course. Sorting my […]
Astellia Online opens up stronger equipment and dungeons with its next patch
Once you've reached the level cap in Astellia Online, there's only one option to keep getting stronger, and that's through ever more impressive outfits. Gear is a little weird when you think about it like that, but the important thing is not thinking about it that much but focusing instead on the game adding the […]
Star Wars: The Old Republic gives Shae Vizla away to subscribers and a Steam portrait ring to everyone
Mandalorians. Who doesn't love them? Certainly not designers; since they're half-defined by an iconic look, you can just put all sorts of people behind the helmet and still evoke fond memories. Shae Vizla hasn't done a whole heck of a lot in Star Wars: The Old Republic, but she's being offered as a free companion […]
Get a crash course in the history of MMOs
Despite what your game's general chat might argue, World of Warcraft wasn't the first MMO and online games didn't magically become a thing with Ultima Online. The real history goes back much further and is more complex than that. If you only have a few spare minutes to get a handle on the vast history […]
Classic EverQuest patches in Necro changes, quest tweaks, and bug fixes
So it became a bit of a running gag in the Massively OP office this week that we became obsessed with August's EverQuest patch. A few days ago, Daybreak put out a notice that the patch was coming, so we started waiting for it, and soon enough it became an internal meme to burst into […]
World of Warcraft has begun testing Shadowlands' endgame
While you tread water at Battle for Azeroth's current endgame, World of Warcraft is testing the endgame you'll be experiencing when you arrive there in 2021. Or 2022 – we won't judge your pokey leveling. Over on the public test realm, Blizzard opened up testing for Shadowlands' endgame. Primarily, this test is for the repeatable […]
Did Amazon just sign on to be Lost Ark's western publisher?
Last night, Amazon announced that it's signed on to an exclusive publishing agreement in North America and Europe with Smilegate, specifically to publish a game from the Korean MMO developer next year. The game isn't actually named; in fact, the only game specifically mentioned in the whole press release is Crossfire, which already has a […]
The Daily Grind: Have you ever dreamed about an MMO?
At least two or three times a year, I have the World of Warcraft expansion dream. It's usually really nice. There are new systems in this new expansion, which has a title I can't recall. It features a lot of the aesthetics I like. It's not about beating up the latest super-powerful maniac to threaten […]
Blade & Soul Midnight Reborn update is now live
The update for Blade & Soul is happening now, but the real fun starts at midnight. Specifically, it starts in the revamped version of the Midnight Skypetal Plains, which is being made more challenging while also providing players with improved reward options. That does not mean you're only eligible to go there with a raid […]
