World of Warcraft explains Shadowlands' Conduit levels, preps stress test for today
With less than a month until the announced launch date for World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, players are anxiously crying out in one voice for just several dozen things. Seriously, there's a lot of consternation in the playerbase right now. But one of the points of anxiety has been the functionality of conduits, and the latest official […]
Black Desert confirms backwards compatibility with PS5 and Xbox Series X
So, you like to play Black Desert on console, but you also are excited for the next generation of consoles that are coming soon. What do you do? You don't worry is what you do because Pearl Abyss has recently confirmed that the game will be fully backwards compatible with the new PlayStation 5 and […]
Here's Torchlight III's headstart pre-launch is going to work in October
Hot on the heels of its launch announcement yesterday, Torchlight III's Echtra Games and PWE posted another state of the game piece meant for existing players and testers. Notably, the studios say, the early access period will come to a close with the launch of the game and the 1.0 release, though early access players […]
Elite: Dangerous elaborates on how Odyssey moves careers and missions to NPCs, stations, and settlements
Most of the time, getting a mission in Elite: Dangerous involved docking into a spaceport and navigating a UI from the seat of your spaceship. That's all completely changing when the Odyssey expansion arrives, though, as the ability to leave the ship and walk around stations and space ports will now deliver mission giving in […]
PBS Kids' kart-centric MMO Kart Kingdom is sunsetting today after five years online
While a game like Kart Kingdom is not often touched upon here, it's still a valuable place in the MMO sphere, especially since there are fewer MMOs aimed at children nowadays. Unfortunately, that number is decreasing by one more as Kart Kingdom announced its shutdown after five years of operation. For those unaware, Kart Kingdom […]
CD Projekt Red goes back on its word regarding Cyberpunk 2077 crunch
Crunch — the period of development time where studios enact overtime to get a product ready to ship — is a controversial and harmful practice that has come under increased fire in recent years. Last year, CD Projekt Red took a vocal stand against crunch, saying that it would most definitely, most assuredly not enact […]
The Daily Grind: Why didn't RIFT do better?
Want to make me sad? All you need to do is remind me that RIFT is stagnating in the hands of Gamigo, which hasn't seen fit to do much with this incredible MMO since it acquired it from Trion Worlds. It's really depressing to see this title languish when it could be thriving under the […]
The Stream Team: Avenging dragons in Guild Wars 2
Have you heard of Guild Wars 2-sday? Well now you have! Massively OP's MJ has decided that it's the perfect day to continue her Tyria adventures. And those adventures are focused on avenging a dragon! Little did she know last time that her heart would shatter just like the dragon. Join us live at 8:00 […]
Pokemon Sword and Shield teases dungeons, Pokemon Go will finally connect to Home
Today's Pokemon Direct had some surprising news for franchise fans. First, the second Pokemon Sword and Shield expansion, The Crown Tundra, is coming out October 22nd, 2020. We've previously discussed how some kind of movement dungeons would be involved, and as represented in the video, it seems teams of up to four players will simply […]
Path of Exile's developers are working at improving Heist rewards and making Heists shorter
After about two weeks of elegant heist antics in Path of Exile, the developers are hard at work improving the experience. This includes literal experience, too; right now, Heist enemies are just not providing enough experience for fighting through them. So one of the big areas the team is working on is providing more experience (especially […]
Hearthstone begins Halloween celebrations with the Masquerade Ball event
Some balls are held for charity and some for fancy dress, but the ball being held in Hearthstone's Scholomace Academy is the one we'll be talking about. Starting today, the Masquerade Ball event is beginning, bringing some Halloween-themed fun and a few wrinkles to the game modes of the online CCG. Starting today, players will […]
Massively OP Podcast Episode 290: African expedition
Justin and Bree discuss Ultima Online New Legacy, Phantasy Star Online 2's New Genesis, LOTRO's new class, WoW and BlizzConline, The Wagadu Chronicles, and Secret World Legends, with adventures in WoW, Guild Wars, and City of Heroes, plus mailbag topics on representation in MMOs and favorite jumping puzzles.
Shroud of the Avatar adds Lord British's castle, details food updates, player dungeon creature spawners, and even bigger player towns
The latest newsletter from Shroud of the Avatar has a lot of ground to cover this time around in terms of content being added or soon to be added. On the "added" front is the Lord British's castle adventure, which readers will recall was first opened to Episode 2 early access buyers this past July. […]
Diablo IV devs discuss 'major changes' for the game's skill and talent systems
Hey, remember how Blizzard is still work on Diablo IV? Yeah, one or two other major things in 2020 may have made that slip from your mind. But today the studio released another quarterly update on the game's development. Lead Systems Designer David Kim says the studio has been busy tweaking ancestral, demonic, and angelic […]
City of Heroes: Homecoming previews Page 6 content, preps for Halloween, and shares the cost of operations
We've got a whole lot of news pouring out of the Homecoming rogue servers for City of Heroes, so let's dive right in. First off, we've got a preview of Page 6 content, which will be introducing a new Sonic Manipulation secondary powerset for Blasters, a whole slew of endgame balance adjustments that will mostly […]
Phantasy Star Online 2's episode 5 launches tomorrow with new hero class, level cap bump, and raids
Tomorrow's patch day for Phantasy Star Online 2, SEGA announced today, complete with new trailer and pics too. Episode 5 begins tomorrow, meaning that the "road to episode 5" content is nearing completion tonight. "In Episode 5, following the aid of those on Earth, players discover a mysterious portal that leads to another dimension, called […]
PSA: Migrate your Closers account by December or lose it all
The account migration for Closers Online is now live, an event which follows August's announcement that Krafton was dissolving En Masse Entertainment and transferring the game's operation back to Naddic, its original developer. The team created a step-by-step guide to walk you through the process of creating a Naddic account and getting your Closers roster […]
Leaderboard: To which WoW expansion era will you send your Shadowlands alts first?
One of the more intriguing things about World of Warcraft Shadowlands, at least for me, is the game's new leveling system. While brand-new accounts will have to play a tutorial and then Battle for Azeroth before pushing into Shadowlands, alts will have the opportunity to choose any of the expansions, including the Cataclysm vanilla zones […]
Epic/Apple lawsuit proceeds to trial by jury as early as July 2021, Fortnite still barred on iOS
It looks like the ongoing legal tussle between Epic Games and Apple over Fortnite and the 30% App Store cut will be moving to the courts. In a hearing on Monday, Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers has stated that the antitrust matter should now move to a trial by jury, which could happen as early as […]
Global Chat: Why is LOTRO charging for its fall update?
Roger over at Contains Moderate Peril recently ducked into the upcoming DLC for Lord of the Rings Online to see what it contained and if it was worth the $20 price tag. He reports that it looks pretty standard for an update and considers it a little strange why SSG is charging for it. "I […]
As US COVID deaths pass 200,000, the LA ComicCon refuses to cancel
Since January, we've been covering the endless stream of gaming and geek conventions that have closed their doors and gone online in an effort to avoid exacerbating the spread of the deadly COVID pandemic that's killed over 200,000 people in the US and over a million around the world. But not the LA Comic Con! […]
World of Warcraft is wiping Shadowlands characters and pulls back its release candidate of the pre-patch
Well, this is slightly less than heartening for World of Warcraft players. There's less than a month until the stated launch date for Shadowlands, but despite player predictions putting the patch today, there is still no pre-patch and the most recent test server build actually removed the release candidate status. On top of that, the beta […]
Torchlight III finally has a launch date: It's now coming October 13
The long-delayed Torchlight III has just revealed its formal launch date: October 13th. PWE and Echtra Games made the announcement this morning, putting a $39.99 final price on the Steam, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 MMO-lite. And yes, if you're already playing the early access version, you'll be upgraded automagically. "In Torchlight III, it's been […]
Elite: Dangerous makes the Horizons expansion part of its base edition in October
The base game of Elite: Dangerous has just gotten a little more interesting for those who didn't buy in to the Horizons expansion pack. On Tuesday, October 27th, Horizons will be completely free, becoming a part of the base game on PC, Xbox One, and PS4 as well as a part of the base game […]
2015 sci-fantasy MMORPG Skyforge is launching on the Nintendo Switch this fall
Here's a fun Tuesday morning surprise: Skyforge of all games is coming to the Nintendo Switch. My.Games made the announcement this morning, promising a rollout on the platform later this fall. "For the first time ever, players can take their intergalactic adventures on the go thanks to the signature portability of Nintendo Switch. Skyforge can […]
Cryptic partners with Gameheads charity, Star Trek Online buffs up the Year of the Klingon
MMO developer Cryptic Studios announced this week that it's partnering with Gameheads, an NPO that's dedicated to helping disadvantaged youth in California's Bay Area to land education and internships in tech industries. "Cryptic Studios has always had a dedication to mentoring the future of the video game industry," said Cryptic CEO Stephen D'Angelo. "With this […]
The Daily Grind: What MMO has the best login screen?
You might think this is a trivial thing, but I heartily disagree, and all I have to do is point to a login screen I don't love to explain why: LOTRO's. Even once you get past the gotta-put-your-password-in-every-time launcher, the login screen is fairly static. It was built before you could have so many characters […]
The Stream Team: Delving Elder Scrolls Online's Skyrim and finding lost treasures
In Elder Scrolls Online, you can delve into dungeons, or you can delve into delves. ESO's current Western Skyrim event has three options, and Massively OP's MJ has been choosing to explore the various delves of the region. There's also a community-wide hunt for lost treasures! Tune in live at 8:00 p.m. to see where […]
Diablo III prepares its next season and item changes for public testing on October 1
The dawn of another season in Diablo III will soon be upon us, but before that is the daybreak of an upcoming PTR session to test out the next season's content as well as a variety of legendary and item set changes that are planned. This round of testing will happen in two waves, with […]
Fortnite celebrates the third birthday of Battle Royale with challenges and free goodies
Happy birthday to Fortnite! Specifically to Battle Royale, aka the primary mode of the game now. It's been three years, and the folks at Epic Games are eager to celebrate the milestone with a birthday bash that introduces birthday challenges to earn rewards like a Wrap, Spray, Emoji, XP, and a Back Bling. There's also […]
Torchlight III's game designer shows off favorite character builds, teases next big update
One of the nice things about having a limited action bar is that you can put together some fun builds given time and futzing around with upgrade options. Such is the illustration of Torchlight III's most recent State of the Game post, which features several character builds as shared by Echtra Games dev Michael "Mayhem" […]
MMO Business Roundup: FarmVille's sunset, Netmarble's acquisitions, Intrepid hiring, WoW esports, PUBG India
Welcome back to another roundup of gaming industry news relevant to MMOs and MMO adjacent-titles. PUBG India: Earlier this month, we covered how PUBG Corp. (now merged back into Krafton) was working overtime to avoid Indian's ban on Chinese games and apps. PUBG Corp. had removed Tencent as publisher of the game, though Tencent continued […]
Fractured AMA covers questions about fast travel, PvP, pricing, and testing plans
Dynamight Studios' CEO Jacopo Gallelli decided to open an AMA for Fractured, and curious players responded with a wide swath of questions about the developing sandbox's systems. One of the first questions asked about the game's recent price reduction and whether that represented a "weakness" in business plans. Gallelli admitted that the initial pricing for […]
Legends of Aria provides a sneak peek at the Necrothium mines and heirloom items
The previews for Legends of Aria's upcoming Outlands release are continuing to roll on with another peek at the game's world and the new heirloom items that will be added with the update. In the world preview, players are invited to the Necrothium mines, which house a mysterious mineral that reportedly burst forth from the […]
The Wagadu Chronicles outlines its newly achieved navigation stretch goal, looks to Swala sub-lineages next
There's 32 days left to the Kickstarter campaign of The Wagadu Chronicles, but the project has already hit its first stretch goal. As detailed in the latest update post, this new navigation system will now allow players to sail the open ocean between islands manually and open up three new types of boats for carpenters […]
Razer announces digital event RazerCon 2020 for October 10, complete with streamed lightshow and concert
I know what you're thinking: 2020 really needed another digital gaming convention! Enter Razer, which has today announced RazerCon 2020, a "full-day digital event" hosted in Singapore on October 10th but of course streamed everywhere because the pandemic is still a major problem. In addition to hardware demos, expect gaming content showcases from Perfect World […]
Dark Age of Camelot celebrates 19 years with in-game tabletop map dioramas and RvR bonuses
How do you best celebrate the world of Dark Age of Camelot? By having little chunks of the in-game world in digital tabletop form! That's just one of the rewards that's being offered during the MMORPG's 19th anniversary celebration, which tasks players with helping a cartographer and rewards them with up to four different Frontier […]
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen offers a look at the Dire Lord class in a livestream
The upcoming Dire Lord class for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen got its time in the spotlight in the most recent developer livestream, but first the devs brought on to the broadcast talked about the recent pre-alpha 5 shakeout tests, discussing things that the tests let them complete. The remainder of the stream went all […]
Fans are working on an improved Warcraft 2 remake with Warcraft III: Reforged
It goes without saying at this point that Warcraft III: Reforged failed at pretty much everything it was supposed to do, with the game's very slow patches still working on adding back in functionality like custom campaigns that was working in the original game. Having those custom campaigns back would be a boon to a […]
Wisdom of Nym: What awaits Final Fantasy XIV's Norvrandt in the future?
I don't want to spoil Final Fantasy XIV's most recent patch here before the cut, but it is not exactly a spoiler to say that when all is said and done, we won. The mechanics and stuff aren't as important as the simple fact that when the dust settles, Norvrandt is well and truly safe and not […]
EA's advertisement of FIFA lockboxes in a children's toy catalogue draws mounting criticism
It would appear that Electronic Arts didn't learn from the last time it pulled this kind of nonsense, but apparently there was still fuel for the dumpster fire. The company is catching flak for an advertisement in a UK children's toy catalogue that touted FIFA 21's FUT lockbox scheme, explaining a four step process where […]
Not So Massively: The dos and don'ts of stealing from single-player games
In my last Not So Massively column, I looked at the right and wrong ways for other genres to steal from MMOs. But in our current climate of blurring genres, that's a two-way street. Just as small games can benefit from borrowing from the MMO playbook, so too can MMOs take some cues from their […]
Naoki Yoshida is focusing on Final Fantasy XIV even as he manages hype for Final Fantasy XVI
Right now, Naoki Yoshida is focused on Final Fantasy XIV. That doesn't mean that he's forgotten about the fact that he's serving as producer for Final Fantasy XVI, and he even brought it up during his TGS presentation on Sunday. Specifically, he talked about managing expectations by ensuring that the first footage was in-game graphics […]
Trove's 'hubdate' patch delivers an improved landing experience
It's a real toss-up whether Trove's "Hubdate" patch or Blizzard's "BlizzConline" is going to win the prestigious award for "Most Annoyingly Clever MMO Portmanteau." While we'll have to wait until 2021 for the latter, Trove's offering is available right now. As the name implies, the Hubdate delivers a reworked layout for the game's central hub. […]
Genshin Impact officially launches for PC, PS4, and mobile devices
Shanghai-based developer miHoYo has officially launched the new open world multiplayer RPG Genshin Impact to the world, bringing its colorful universe and unique mechanics to iOS, Android, PlayStation 4, and PC. In it, you play as a traveler from another world looking to reunite with a long-lost sibling and discover the mysteries of the world […]
SSG confirms Lord of the Rings Online's new Brawler class, presumably for Gundabad
After a little oopsie last week that allowed Lord of the Rings Online testers to witness a class name that they shouldn't have, Standing Stone Games confirmed this past weekend that, yes, the Brawler is coming to the game. "Obviously you've all seen something we weren't quite ready to talk about, but we'll have more […]
The Daily Grind: Which musical act do you wish would show up in your core MMO?
Last week, we saw no less than three announcements of MMOs and MMO-adjacent titles collaborating with musical acts and pop stars in their worlds. Fortnite played host to BTS, PUBG Mobile is working with BLACKPINK, and Roblox is holding an album launch party with Ava Max. I'm of multiple minds about this. There's the cynical […]
MMO Week in Review: The week Bethesda got bought
Welp, it definitely wasn't a boring week over here in the world of online games. It all kicked off on Monday, when Microsoft announced it had bought ZeniMax, Bethsoft, and Elder Scrolls Online's ZeniMax Online Studios. Plus, we covered Ultima Online New Legacy, new afrofantasy MMO The Wagadu Chronicles, LOTRO's upcoming DLC and rumored new […]
EVE Online talks about recent updates, SKIN bundles, and a relaxed banning policy in a video
EVE Online has put out yet another Pulse video newsletter, scooping together the most recent updates to the spaceship sandbox in one condensed bite of information. And this time around, it doesn't feature the running "gag" of one of the devs being blown up by a random enemy. The video draws together the most recent […]
The MOP Up: Life Beyond beefs up building
Life Beyond's recent patch is a spot of good news for budding builders: "With this release, buildings get free energy so you don't have to add fuel to the AI Core. Additionally, constructions don't need to be finalized manually!" And this is just the beginning of the rest of the news! Read on for a roundup of […]
