Wisdom of Nym: Speculating on the newly announced Final Fantasy XVI
So, uh… hey! Final Fantasy XVI! That's a thing we learned about yesterday, huh? I'm sure we're all shocked that Naoki Yoshida's very specific dismissal of rumors about him and the title turned out to be not actually a denial after all. If only someone had noted at the time that it was a very specific denial […]
Phantasy Star Online 2 announces Episode 5 launch date of September 30 and starts lead-up campaigns
The next episode's worth of content is coming soon to Phantasy Star Online 2 as Episode 5 has been confirmed for a release date of Wednesday, September 30th, bringing with it a level cap raise to 90, new ARKS missions and areas to explore, new enemy types, new quest types with new rewards, new seasonal […]
Echo of Soul is sunsetting yet again, this time on Steam, and no it's not giving refunds
We return now to the confusing story of Echo of Soul, which as we've previously chronicled has at least a million versions and has sunsetted them approximately half of them. The one relevant today is the version run by Blue Potion Games on Steam, which never actually launched out of early access but is apparently […]
World of Warcraft hitches up PvP's pants while WoW Classic throws a tournament
Eleventh hour adjustments are being made to World of Warcraft: Shadowlands' PvP scene in response to a whole lot of player concerns over the upcoming expansion's competitive scene. Blizzard's main focus in this department is to adjust Conquest gear so that all of it includes the versitality stat. "The result of these changes should be […]
PlayStation 5 targets November amidst buying frenzy, while Facebook trots out the Oculus Quest 2
Expect everyone in the gaming world to be a bit console-crazy this week — and console-insane come November. Not only is Microsoft launching the Xbox Series X on November 10th, but now we know that Sony is releasing the PlayStation 5 two days later on November 12th. Sony's PlayStation 5 will come in two editions: […]
The Daily Grind: What common MMO developer reassurance doesn't reassure you at all?
At one point, I was tossing an idea around for a Perfect Ten column about a Kickstarter drinking game. It didn't go anywhere, ultimately (it wasn't very funny), but it did touch on the point of repeated MMO developer promises, which I think we can agree is most certainly not limited to cash shops because […]
The Stream Team: In SWTOR, 'gotta catch 'em all' refers to droids
Massively OP's Larry and MJ are still out to learn the secrets of — and sabotage — The Shroud, but their real focus is on collecting all the droids in SWTOR! Who wants to pass up an achievement? The duo continues their quest by infiltrating transport station number five on Taris. Join us live at […]
Final Fantasy XVI is announced with Naoki Yoshida of Final Fantasy XIV as producer
Surprising absolutely no one, Final Fantasy XVI is going to happen! Yes, it turns out Square-Enix is continuing its flagship series, we're all shocked. The reveal today took the form of a four-minute trailer for the game along with a blog post on the official PlayStation site, announcing the game in the words of director […]
EVE Online's Depths of the Abyss is live as CCP updates policies and World War Bee 2 endures
EVE Online has lots going on this week, from patches to policies to drama. Let's dig in: First, this week's patch, Depths of the Abyss, is fully live now, with perks for people on both ends of the PvE spectrum. The new tier 0 abyssal deadspace should help newer players ease into the mechanics, but […]
Old School RuneScape introduces more Poll 72 changes and tries to open the discussion on Revenant Caves
It's another week of updates for Old School RuneScape and another gaggle of included adjustments based on Poll 72's results. That all might sound like a complaint, but it's hard to really balk at weekly updates of things that players voted to have added. This week we're seeing some improvements to Agility Courses, a new […]
TERA on console makes a wide swath of adjustments to awakened class skills and maps out the rest of 2020
Players of TERA on console that have an awakened class are going to want to pay attention to the latest update's patch notes because things are a-changin'. This patch has introduced some balance adjustments and improvements to awakened classes, affecting every single class in the game to varying degrees, though the most numerous are applied […]
City of Heroes Homecoming emphasizes player-created content, bars 'controversial political content'
City of Heroes' most popular rogue server, Homecoming, is a fount of player activity these days, and the dev team wants to make sure that the community gets the credit. Two new mission architect efforts recently were stamped with the "Dev Choice" seal of approval, a magic costume contest is coming up this Saturday, and […]
Whatever happened to the Final Fantasy XI mobile remake?
Do you remember ages ago, when Final Fantasy XI first announced that it was scaling back to a maintenance mode and a new mobile remake of the title was announced by Square-Enix in partnership with Nexon? Probably not, because that was back in 2015, and that screenshot we have as the header is basically the only […]
Torchlight III finally releases its 'update for dummies'
After a couple of delays, Torchlight III's latest patch is finally here. It's an "update for dummies," as Echtra is calling it. Please don't take that personally; the studio is referring to the addition of training dummies to the game to help players parse their DPS in the safety and comfort of their own forts. […]
Wikipedia is now an MMO (according to Wikipedia itself)
Anything online with a community can be considered an MMO if you play it correctly. That might sound like a joke (due to it being a joke), but consider that even Wikipedia itself can be considered an MMO in the right light. Players (editors) choose a race (editing style) and class (editing role) and roam […]
Titan Reach starts its Kickstarter with a target goal of $430,000
You may recall a while back when we highlighted Titan Reach as a game that you might not have heard of before. The game's Kickstarter is live now, with a target goal of just over $430,000 for this particular project. (It's converted from AUD, where the target is $588,000.) So what does the actual project entail? […]
Desert Oasis: Black Desert Mobile is not just a mobile copy of Black Desert
Last week, I taught my freshman classes basic email etiquette. In a time of distance learning, it's an important skill to teach. We looked into why etiquette matters, writing professionally, and that CC stands for "carbon copy." I also taught them how to properly use it. I'm too young to have ever used it during […]
Apple argues Epic's lawsuit is 'part of a marketing campaign' to 'reinvigorate interest in Fortnite'
The Epic/Apple legal drama continues as this week Apple's filed its response to Epic's request to force Fortnite back on the Appstore, and you may want to pick up some extra popcorn and maybe some sunscreen because Apple's lawyers have decided to bring some burns to this filing: They assert that Fortnite is basically flagging […]
Perfect Ten: 10 amazing hidden quests in World of Warcraft
Finding quests in World of Warcraft is not exactly what you would call "difficult," as the game famously stuck giant floating exclamation marks over quest givers and slapped notations all over the game map. But what Blizzard hasn't telegraphed is the fact that for years now, the studio's been slipping secret quests into its MMO. […]
Black Desert fights Hadum's influence on mobile, adds Awakening and Succession for Hashashin on PC, and brings PvP changes on console
An alternate headline for this story could just as easily been "Everything Black Desert got content," but I think Bree would dislike me if I tried to pull that off. The point stands, though: Every platform the MMORPG is on has seen some form of new content, so let's dig in. On mobile, players are […]
First impressions: Hands-on with Dauntless' new Mission hunts and the Terra Escalation
There's another big content update on the way to Dauntless on September 17th, and this one has a few new poisonous tricks up its sleeve. This update is all about Untamed Wilds, and as its name would suggest, it's focused on plant growth of the more violent and dangerous sort. I was given the opportunity […]
Crowfall just picked up former SWG comms director Diane 'Tiggs' Migliaccio as its new community manager
There's a fresh face over at Crowfall, though it's one long-time MMORPG veterans will remember: Crowfall has picked up a new community manager, Diane Migliaccio. ArtCraft mentions only a few games, Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies, as part of Migliaccio's multi-decade record in the industry, but fans will probably remember the name Tiggs from […]
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands prepatch is up now on the game's background downloader
If you are one of the many, many people who were ready for World of Warcraft's current expansion to be over and done with on August 15th, 2018, the past couple of months have no doubt been interminable. But the good news is that the pre-patch for Shadowlands has drawn as close as it can to release […]
PAX Online 2020: Pantheon, Ashes of Creation, Amazon, and Crowfall devs on the future of online games
What could online gaming look like going forward? That was the overall topic discussed by a number of devs as part of in a panel at PAX Online 2020, which was hosted by Margaret Krohn from Ashes of Creation and composed of Ashes of Creation's Steven Sharif, Amazon Studios' John Smedley, Crowfall's J. Todd Coleman, […]
Lord of the Rings Online says it's 'close' on re-opening server transfers that have been offline since 2019
For players who have characters stranded on dead or undesirable worlds in Lord of the Rings Online, the question of when Standing Stone Games will be able to re-enable server transfers is of no small importance. There's some hope that this will happen soon, although no date has been given yet. On September 12th, the […]
The Daily Grind: What is your favorite MMO for pure grinding?
I have a few MMOs that I go to when I want traditional questing or dungeon hopping, but when I'm in the mood for the simplicity of pure grinding — or mob farming, if you will — I boot up WoW Classic and go to town. I know it sounds so basic and even dull, […]
The Stream Team: Shipwrecked on Conan Exiles' Isle of Siptah
Conan Exiles threw open the doors of its Isle of Siptah expansion beta today… or should we say crashed it into a beach? And Massively OP's MJ will be washing up on there and dusting the sand off ready for new adventure. At least there isn't a lack of water! Join us live at 8:00 […]
Skyforge will be removing Might from equipment and the Stronghold in its next update
Things are about to change quite a bit for players of Skyforge with the arrival of the game's next Invasion. Namely, the forthcoming update will be removing Might from equipment and the Stronghold altogether, shifting the Might invested into the Stronghold between the Cathedral and the Tower of Knowledge and making accessories only grant Superiority. […]
Path of Exile offers up its balance change manifesto ahead of the Heist league
It's almost time for players in Path of Exile to be dressed in dashing clothing as they scamper through elaborate setups to snatch valuable objects, since the next league update is Heist. That also means that the developers have taken the opportunity to adjust some elements of the game that were either becoming too dominant or not […]
RuneScape's latest patch offers an exciting trailer of bug fixes
A video! A trailer! Thrill to the excitement of RuneScape… fixing bugs! Yes, the latest update for the game is mostly about bug fixes, but it still gets a cute little Twitter video, so that's a mark of love. Slayer introspection has been fixed! Rabbit immunity has been removed, so you can attack them once again! […]
Massively OP Podcast Episode 288: ArcheAge again
Justin, Bree, and Mia discuss ArcheAge 2, TERA, LOTRO, Wizard101, Corepunk, Raph Koster's new MMO, and Star Citizen, with adventures in WoW Classic, SWTOR, Black Desert, Echo of Soul, SWG Legends, and LOTRO, plus a mailbag discussion on the Final Fantasy XI mobile remake.
Overwatch is all about Tracer with a new comic book series and special event
It's certainly arguable that Overwatch poster girl Tracer gets plenty of attention on her own, but that doesn't mean she doesn't deserve a bit more attention. The multiplayer shooter is very much into the high-speed superheroine with a new comic book series and a new event. The comic, called Tracer — London Calling, is a […]
Ship of Heroes talks class picks, chaotic fights, and more beta events this fall
If you were following Ship of Heroes this past summer, you know that Heroic Games ran several beta events for backers and looky-loos during the season. But those betas are over now, and the team has recapped what it learned. Notably: Y'all like Devastators the best, followed by Tankers. The team is working on making […]
DC Universe Online drops riddles for Batman Day 2020, but DC Comics already revealed what's coming
What we have here is an apparent failure to communicate between DC Comics and DC Universe Online. The superheroic MMO is set to celebrate Batman Day and decided to try and have a bit of fun with the first of several Riddler-style clues being offered for players to guess at what goodies will be handed […]
PAX Online 2020: Destiny's Sword lets players roll characters in free-to-play demo
When last we checked in on Destiny's Sword, it was back in June, when 2Dogs Games admitted that COVID-19 had slowed the game's progress and forced the developers into contract work while seeking an investor or publisher. "We're still here and working, but our outreach team has slowed down significantly," 2Dogs said at the time, […]
Neverwinter rolls out Redeemed Citadel milestone II, plus mount overhaul and newbie leveling
PC players are due for a hefty patch in Neverwinter today, as the second chunk of the Redeemed Citadel campaign goes live, bringing with it the standard difficulty mode of Zariel Challenge. The first "milestone" for the campaign went live about a month ago, and we're expecting two more after that; completing all four will […]
Fallout 76 patches in One Wasteland and Season Two with today's update
Henceforth, there will be no more divisions of wastelands within Fallout 76! It's all one irradiated mess, after all, and now you won't have to be gated by arbitrary level restrictions with the game's One Wasteland update. Now enemies and rewards will scale according to your level, meaning that you can wander all over the demolished […]
Flameseeker Chronicles: Hands-on with Guild Wars 2's new Sunqua Peak fractal, live today
While Guild Wars 2's Cantha-centric End of Dragons expansion may not be coming until next year, players eager to visit The Empire of the Dragon can get a taste of things to come with the new fractal of the mist, Sunqua Peak. You could be forgiven for forgetting about this fractal's announcement during the anniversary […]
Players waged over a thousand PvP wars during New World's preview week
With New World's preview week in the rear view mirror, we're left with various impressions and a whole lot of data for the development team to analyze. While Amazon isn't sharing any hard numbers in terms of how many people tested it or for how long, the studio certainly seems free with all sorts of […]
First Impressions: Craftopia is an enjoyably laid-back but extremely unrefined bit of survival sandbox gaming
You start by blowing up the world. Literally – a button is pressed and then the entire planet explodes. But that's OK because you're then whisked away by some extremely fancy deer lady to a new world and tasked with rebuilding civilization! This is the completely weird and threadbare impetus behind life in Craftopia, a […]
Blade & Soul will add a new class, new dungeon, and new talisman tier in the Cosmic Horizon update
Players of Blade & Soul will soon be able to control phenomenal cosmic power in an itty bitty package when the Cosmic Horizon update lands on Wednesday, September 23rd. How, you ask? Because the game will be introducing the Astromancer, a new class that's available only to the Lyn race. The game's 13th playable class […]
Final Fantasy XIV reminds players of the new plots arriving in patch 5.35
When patch 5.35 arrives for Final Fantasy XIV, players will have an incentive to take a break from building what is expected to be the next housing area in order to potentially purchase a home in one of the newly added wards. The official site has reminded everyone that the patch will bring with it […]
Bungie appears to deny rumors of acquisition talks with Microsoft
What would the gaming world look like if Bungie went back underneath the Microsoft umbrella? It looks like we'll never find out as the developer has come forward to flatly deny growing rumors that Bungie was in talks with Microsoft about acquisition. The rumor was first brought up in the GamesBeat podcast and was subsequently […]
Conan Exiles' Isle of Siptah expansion launches today as Funcom celebrates 10M users
It's expansion day for Conan Exiles as Isle of Siptah officially launches. You might be tempted to quibble over the use of the word "expansion" over DLC, but you should really save your energy for debating the fact that this is an early access content drop running $19.99, twice as much as the game's earlier […]
The Daily Grind: How much do MMOs succeed on faith vs. mechanics and fanbases?
A while back, MOP's Eliot, Chris, and I were discussing Last Oasis and why it didn't take off. Collectively, I think we determined it was a bunch of factors, including the fact that it was a bit of an emptybox asking players to, as Chris put it, "establish a freakin' kingdom from nothing" – but […]
The Stream Team: Calling on Karthwatch for help in Elder Scrolls Online's Greymoor
During her last Elder Scrolls Online Greymoor adventure, Massively OP's MJ saved the long-lost ice princess. But her main goal is to get support to convince the high king of the danger of the coven. Now, that she has Morthal's support, she needs to move on to Karthwatch. Join us live at 8:00 p.m.as we […]
Darewise wants to make MMO Life Beyond a 'super positive' gaming experience
The vast majority of games, MMO or otherwise, are often about conflict and resolving problems through violence. It's something that co-founder and CEO of Darewise Entertainment Benjamin Charbit is familiar with, having worked on AAA titles like Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and The Division. With the release of Life Beyond, however, Charbit is following […]
Survival RPG Frozen Flame outlines updates and an event coming to closed beta
As of tomorrow – Tuesday, September 15th – the "action survival MMORPG" Frozen Flame will have made its way to closed beta testing, and when it does, it will do so with some new updates and an in-game event. The beta build of Frozen Flame will include the addition of a single-player mode, new Obelisk […]
MMOs You've Never Heard Of: Age of Ascent, Little Sim World, Arcane Showdown, Riders Republic
It's tiny titles time, friends! One of the best parts about working with (and before then, reading) MOP is the fact that we all get peeks at some of the smaller, lesser-known, or under-the-radar MMOs and multiplayer games that are out there. In other words: the MMOs you've never heard of. Let's get to it! […]
RuneScape introduces the Effigy Incubator and Penguin Hide and Seek in its latest update
One is about surveilling penguins, one is about creating your own effigy. Both are part of RuneScape's latest update. Choose your poison. Or don't; you can totally do both things if you want to. The latest update to the MMORPG has brought on the Effigy Incubator, a new monthly Diversion and Distraction that lets players […]
