Star Trek Online previews a set of new support carriers for all of the game's factions
Players will have some new options for carrying support ships into battle in Star Trek Online on August 20th. The game is releasing four new carriers as Tier 6 Support Carriers in both fleet versions and in the game's cash shop, with two of them serving as upgrades of existing vessels and two new ones […]
Phantasy Star Online 2 drops a new urgent quest to cap off your August
Phantasy Star Online 2 has a wee bit of new content in store for players of the western version in the form of its latest urgent quest. No really, that's what these content drops are literally called. In all caps, to boot. "An ARKS Operative is never quite off duty, as there always exists the […]
Sea of Thieves delays bigger patch features and fights toxicity
Sea of Thieves' August update is going to be a mite bit skimpier than players were previously led to believe. This is because Rare said that it made the decision to hold back some of the patch's bigger features until September in order to make sure these systems are on the up-and-up. "Since we started […]
Fractured outlines its plans for meaningful city selection in its next alpha test
In the most recent Fractured test, your goal for selecting a player-run city spot was just picking out a place you liked. That was it. But the next alpha test wants to make your location matter, and the key to that is placing resources there. Yes, that's the big change coming with the next major […]
Massively OP Podcast Episode 284: Mommy, don't let them take my Fortnite away
Justin and Bree discuss Final Fantasy XIV 5.3, City of Heroes Homecoming, Daybreak buying Cold Iron, WoW Shadowlands' prepatch, EVE Echoes' launch, Epic's lawsuit, and the passing of Meridian 59's Brian Grene, with adventures in Valiance Online, LOTRO, and The Sims 4, plus a mailbag topic on industry stress for devs.
Neverwinter kicks off a special new sort of campaign with the Redeemed Citadel today
The latest patch for Neverwinter is delivering a different sort of content for players to take part in. It's a campaign, of sorts, but it isn't approached via the usual campaign interface or with the usual personal progress. Instead, this campaign is all about the entire server coming together in order to work on the […]
Guild Wars 2 has a bunch of sweet anniversary gifts in store for MMO players next week
It's hard to believe Guild Wars 2 is going on eight years old, but we'll roll with it if it means a pile of anniversary and birthday presents for super old toons, and it most certainly does! ArenaNet posted a full list of the gifts we can expect this year; for accounts, we're looking at… […]
Blade & Soul shows off a plethora of summer events starting August 19
There are swimsuits. There will always be swimsuits. Did you think that Blade & Soul, a game with lady characters who are 60% leg by volume and wherein everyone appears to have a layer of oil helpfully applied at all times, would run out of swimsuits? Of course there are swimsuits with the new Summer […]
Torchlight III confirms fall launch window – and Nintendo Switch release
We've been wondering when exactly Torchlight III would launch, especially given its de-MMO-ification and multiple delays throughout development. And technically, we still don't have a hard date, even now that the game's last big test patch and early access wipe are behind us. But today, PWE and Echtra Games have re-confirmed a fall launch, on […]
MMO Business Roundup: Gamers have launched a new class action gambling lawsuit against EA
Welcome back to another roundup of MMO and online games industry news. There's a new class action in town, and EA is the target. Plaintiff Kevin Ramirez's suit claims that the Ultima Team Packs in the FIFA and Madden franchise titles are "predatory and designed to entice gamers to gamble" and "nothing more than a […]
Path of Exile's newest patch finally turns down the bloom (and lets you turn it down further)
Depending on your personal experiences with Path of Exile, the newest patch either adds a largely irrelevant bit of graphical change or will finally provide some sweet, sweet relief from that eye-bleeding syndrome that seems to be everywhere there's bright colors and flashes of random light. Yes, the game's designers have pushed a patch that […]
Global Chat: Getting an early look at Crowfall's beta
Now that Crowfall's beta is on the scene, plenty of curious gamers are streaming in to see what ArtCraft's ambitious PvP title has to offer. Among those looky-loos is Stargrace at Nomadic Gamers, who found herself "pleasantly surprised" at what the initially encountered. "It has been MANY years since I delved into a new-to-me traditional […]
Elite Dangerous previews Odyssey's atmospheric planets in new dev video
Back at the top of June, Frontier announced that the massive Elite Dangerous expansion it's been working on for ages is called Odyssey, coming in early 2021. The expansion's headline feature is a form of "space legs" that allows players to touch down on the surfaces of the planets they've already been touring with their […]
Steam's new TOS cracks down on devs using it to promote other platforms
Point your eyeballs at what Valve is up to with Steam: It's apparently trying to bar developers from using Steam to advertise, for example, their entry on the Epic Games Store, but the new policy actually seems to include much more than that. "In the game you ship via Steam, and in communications on Steam, […]
New World is already gearing up for its 'preview event' next week
As August marches onward, New World fans are eagerly anticipating the promised preview event launching on August 25th, which will let in all the folks who've signed up for the beta, participated in past alphas, or pre-ordered the game. August 25th, of course, was meant to be the game's launch date this summer, but Amazon […]
Apple's retaliatory measures against Epic Games threaten Unreal Engine, not just Fortnite
As we've been covering, Epic Games is suing Apple and Google for "unfair and anti-competitive actions" as to their payment markets, over which Apple and Google banned Fortnite when Epic tried to implement its own payment system. Epic sought injunctive relief from the courts, not monetary damages, in an apparent attempt to force movement on […]
EVE Online's weeks-long player war has cost players over $112,000 so far
For over six weeks now, one of EVE Online's largest and bloodiest battles has been waging across the game's galaxy. World War Bee is shaping up to be one for the record books, with "upwards of 130,000 players" participating and $112,000 of virtual assets reduced to space dust. One reason for the high price tag […]
Closers Online's developer is taking over operation following En Masse's collapse
Following the shocking announcement yesterday that MMO developer and publisher En Masse Entertainment is closing its doors, it's only natural to wonder what will become of its games. This morning, we have word that one title — Closers Online — is going to be just fine. On Closers' site, the team announced that the game's […]
The Daily Grind: What's the most annoying travel system in an MMO?
A while back, I finally talked my husband into buying his Elf Warden a basic Hobbit house in Lord of the Rings Online. He did not actually want a house, and so far as I know, he hasn't actually ventured inside or put down a single piece of deco. No, what helped me convince him […]
The Dawngate revival project Kickstarter has funded
We realize this one might be a slightly controversial statement, but we're going to say it anyhow: 2020 has been a weird year. It's been so weird that the fact that a revival Kickstarter for a shuttered MOBA funding successfully may not even break the top 10 for weirdness in this particular year. All of […]
RuneScape takes its community award show online
Considering that RuneFest isn't going to happen this year, Jagex has been looking at other ways to celebrate RuneScape's community. To wit, the studio is taking its community award show completely online this year — and is looking for nominations for the best content creators. "Obviously in this era of COVID-19, things will be a […]
Mad World says it's still on track for a 2020 release
As we noticed back in May, promotion and public updates for Jandisoft's Mad World has all but slowed down to a standstill. This is especially curious considering that the studio had previously said that the grimdark MMO was going to release in 2020, already a delay from its initial 2018 planned launch. So what's the […]
Starbase previews fleet PvP tourney video, works on player progression and exploration design
It's been months since we checked in on Starbase directly rather in our weekly roundup, so we're going to do just that today and bump it back up to the attention of our readers. First announced last year by Finnish studio Frozenbyte, Starbase is the upcoming "massively multiplayer online game with gameplay focused on building […]
Dark Age of Camelot prepares to repossess a lot of abandoned houses
If you've got some property in Dark Age of Camelot that you haven't visited in a while, you might want to make a trip back home to keep it from being taken away from you. Broadsword is preparing a massive repossession of abandoned houses in DAoC come Patch 1.127, which is currently in testing. This […]
TERA and Closers studio En Masse Entertainment is closing its doors (but the games will survive)
I kinda can't believe I'm typing this, but it appears that En Masse Entertainment, which has run TERA here in North America for the last eight years and has been a going concern for the last 11, just announced that it's closing its studio doors. "Today, it is with a heavy heart that we begin […]
Check out Sims 4 builds for living in Dalaran or Darnassus… or in a world of Overwatch
You probably do not want to live in Darnassus in World of Warcraft. For one thing, it's on fire. For another, even when it isn't on fire it's a world perpetually being invaded by demons or satyrs or undead or demonic undead satyrs or some damn thing or another. But what if you had a […]
Wurm Online tops concurrency records and will add yet another new server
Wurm Online has been fully on Steam for just over three weeks now. The surge of new players prompted Code Club to to roll out a new PvE server, Melody, on launch weekend. And now, it's adding another. "After the massive influx of players with the launch on Steam, the lands of Harmony and Melody […]
Warhammer Online's Return of Reckoning linked over 2200 accounts in Twitch
We were pretty amazed last month when we heard that Warhammer Online's rogue server, Return of Reckoning, was getting Twitch drops. It turns out that this was a pretty good move for the popular server, as 2,277 accounts were linked up during this promotional time. Even better, more than 2.5 million minutes of the game […]
So Epic Games is taking on Apple and Google – but can it win?
Last week, Epic Games kicked off both an internet drama and a lawsuit when it instigated legal action against both Apple and Google over barring Fortnite (and more specifically, barring Epic's proprietary payment system that subverted the platforms' cut) from their respective stores, which Epic deemed "unfair and anti-competitive actions" – essentially, monopolies in the […]
Meridian 59 honored the late MMO developer Brian Green in yesterday's memorial
Last week, we covered the tragic news that Brian Green, better known as Psychochild around here, had passed away, far too young at the age of 46. He was one of the founding fathers of the MMORPG genre, given his work on and later stewardship of Meridian 59. And Meridian 59 came out to pay […]
Wisdom of Nym: Impressions of Final Fantasy XIV's Reflections in Crystal content
All right, this format worked well last time; let's go for it again and talk about Final Fantasy XIV's latest patch. But to start off, we're going to talk about it solely from the side of content, leaving story entirely to one side and without even spoiling the big mystery trial. While I would honestly […]
Ghost of Tsushima is getting a co-op mode added with a free expansion
Enjoying traipsing about Japan in Ghost of Tsushima but wish you could do so with your buddy, Ninja Rick? The bad news is that you will not be able to do so in the main game, which remains relentlessly single-player. The good news is that the upcoming free expansion, Legends, will allow you to team […]
First impressions and hands-on with Razer's left-handed Naga MMO mouse
A little-known fact: I am one of the less than 10% of the world's population who are left-handed. It's not always convenient (those chairs with the desk that folds down on the right side were pretty annoying for me to use in school, and writing on chalk/marker boards is a pain because I either erase […]
Final Fantasy XIV is planning more housing plots for patch 5.4 in addition to new housing servers
It's not exactly a surprise to Final Fantasy XIV fans that more housing plots are in the plan, considering that Ishgard restoration is pretty clearly setting up a new housing district. Yet more housing is planned as soon as patch 5.4 according to a new letter from producer and director Naoki Yoshida. As the player […]
Valiance Online has extended its open beta event another two weeks
PlayNYC, the newly digital games con in New York, ended yesterday, which means Valiance Online's brief open beta whereby anyone could play should have ended also. It didn't, though, and that's because the team decided to extend that beta another two weeks. "The sad news? We were so focused on finding fixes for some major […]
Jagex is publishing a new game, this one a 'multi-format living' UE4 multiplayer action RPG
I dunno about you, but I always get a little nervous whenever Jagex announces a new game, given how so many of them have petered out before even being finished. But today's announcement that Jagex is working on a new game actually refers to more of a publishing arrangement, this one with Polish studio Flying […]
The $420K ArcheAge class action lawsuit settlement is finally paying out
I'm quite sure our readers will remember the class action lawsuit a group of gamers lodged against Trion Worlds way back in 2015 – that one was the one where they accused the ArcheAge publisher of violating consumer laws, falsely advertising a 10% founder perk discount for its cash shop, and breaking California's illegal-lottery law. […]
The Daily Grind: What borky system in your favorite MMO needs some love?
A few weeks back, a new SWG Legends chef was chatting me up on Discord, asking what were frankly very reasonable questions about some of the nonsense in the game's crafting system. I found myself basically counseling this player to ignore whole schematics and experimentation lines and enhancement tissues that seem like they'd be really […]
MMO Week in Review: EVE Echoes, Epic Games, and Reflections in Crystal
Well, at least this week wasn't boring! While gaming headlines were dominated by the emerging Epic Games lawsuits against Apple and Google over Fortnite and money, the MMO industry brought its A-game, with EVE Echoes going fully live, FFXIV launching Reflections in Crystal, Guild Wars 2 rolling out the Festival of the Four Winds, and […]
Electronic Arts is rebranding all its EA Access and Origin stuff as EA Play
Less than a week ago, we covered EA's new plan to port EA Access, which was originally part of the EA Origin hodgepodge, over to its new best friend Steam, with a subscription plan of $4.99 monthly ($29.99 annually). At the time, we didn't have a hard date, just late summer, but on Friday, EA […]
The MOP Up: Old School RuneScape's trailblazer league
A brand-new game mode is coming to Old School RuneScape with special challenges and special rewards. It's called the Trailblazer League, and you are invited to be a part of it. "In this approximately two-month League, you will start off as a fresh account on a separate game mode locked in Misthalin, where it all […]
This is the weirdest Fortnite lawsuit you're going to read about all week
While Epic Games busies itself taking on some of the biggest digital platforms in the world, it's being sued by a Samson of its own. According to the lawsuit, the problem is the Coral Castle launched as part of Fortnite's recent underwater-centered season. As Polygon notes, it's basically just a cute Atlantis. But "Coral Castle" […]
Star Citizen promotes its latest buyable ship, stays mum on Squadron 42 progress
Star Citizen is having a busy August, what with the release of alpha 3.10 and breaking last year's sales records and all. This week, Cloud Imperium released the Esperia Talon, the previously leaked light fighter, asking as much as $100 for the ship that won't be flyable until December. If that doesn't put you off […]
Vendetta Online pretty much just went free-to-play last night
One of the first cross-platform MMORPGs ever just got even more friendly to the free-to-play PC crowd. Sci-fi MMO Vendetta Online announced last night a business model shift that makes the subscription truly optional: Before, PC players had to jump from a trial to a $1 subscription, whereas now they default to freemium as on […]
One Shots: Showing up to play hard
It's always a great feeling when you know you're not alone when facing great challenges in your life — or in your video games. That world boss might look intimidating, but it doesn't stand a chance when you show up in Blade and Soul with your four best friends and their elite battle skills. "You […]
The Daily Grind: How aggressive do you like to be in MMO group content?
It will probably not surprise anyone reading this that I do a fair bit of group content in Final Fantasy XIV, and veterans of the game will probably recognize that there are two distinct sorts of groups you get in anything larger than a dungeon. The first is where you have tanks both hanging back, […]
Make My MMO: Crowfall extends its beta as the superhero MMOs vie for testers
This week in MMO crowdfunding, Crowfall blasted into beta, becoming the latest crowdfunded MMORPG to break through that barrier. In fact, it's even extended that playtest for non-backers based on community feedback. "Registered players, who are not Backers, can now playtest for 30-days from the date of the beta invite. This extended period will give […]
Albion Online's massive spider mount is coming in Season 10
Today's Albion Online post is brought to you by your friendly nightmare spider, Gary. Gary is excited to tell you that Albion is preparing its 10th guild season, which is scheduled to kick off on August 29th (which was delayed from the 22nd). If guilds perform well enough, they can get a giant spider mount […]
Blade and Soul's next update introduces a compound system to the mix
Are you ready for some foooootballlll? No? Well then, maybe you're more in the mood for some Blade and Soul instead. You've got that way about you. And if this is the case, then you definitely want to be around next week when the game drops its next content release. The Midnight Reborn update is […]
Ubisoft ousts its seventh manager in sexual misconduct investigation
Ubisoft reckoning with its workplace culture continues, most recently with the firing of Assassin's Creed Valhalla creative director Ashraf Ismail. According to Kotaku, Ismail was already on leave from the team following accusations that he'd abused his position at Ubisoft to prey on industry newbies, but Ubisoft Montreal made it official this week, announcing his […]
