MMO Week in Review: WoW Shadowlands repositions for launch
This week in MMOs, we learned that Guild Wars 2's Steam launch and Path of Exile's next league would be delayed, which is a bummer. But World of Warcraft Shadowlands issued a brand-new launch date of November 23rd, all against the backdrop of Acti-Blizz's latest investor report and the news that Blizzard lost another 2M […]
World of Warships adds sci-fi LTM, War Thunder announces battlecruisers and battleships
Both of the big military vehicle battlers are getting some unique updates, so we'll go ahead and bundle up the latest news from War Thunder and World of Warships together in one post. Either way, there's a whole lot of naval combat going down. In World of Warships, there are a couple of unique events […]
The MOP Up: Anarchy Online's remixed raid
It's always a notable event when a stagnating MMORPG suddenly receives an infusion of new content. Such was the case for Anarchy Online this week, which received a reworked raid for players level 201 or higher. "Supercharged and reimagined for a single-team raid, experience the classic Condemned Subway instance like never before," Funcom posted. "Remixed […]
Champions Online delays its next story update until 2021
It's been a good while now since Champions Online received a new story — and the bad news is that players are going to have to wait a while longer to get the next one. While Cryptic said that it was very close to completing The Midnight Depths this past August, the update has not […]
The Stream Team: A Halloween-y hunt in Dauntless
MOP's resident monster hunter Chris is back on the job once again against a particularly threatening foe in the Shattered Isles. Apparently, there's a special hunt happening as part of the game's ongoing Halloween event, and by all accounts it's one of the game's more imposing and creepy critters: the Shrowd. Will our hero punch […]
Global Chat: How World of Warcraft can be peaceful
A recent article about the revised leveling process in World of Warcraft caught my eye, because MMO blogger Kaylriene spoke about how it's really been helping him get through a hard time in his life by being, strangely enough, calming and peaceful. "The whole experience led to me a thought about why it is I […]
One Shots: Cooking with arsenic
In the apocalypse, cooking shows are a lot weirder — and deadlier. But just because your co-host accidentally drank that bubbling green liquid and immediately passed to the great beyond doesn't mean that you have give up! A skeleton co-host is just as entertaining, in many cases. "Happy Halloween Week from Fallout 76," posted Lethia. […]
The Daily Grind: Have you ever gotten into MMO lore speculation?
When you play Star Wars: The Old Republic, there is a certain sort of lore speculation that holds that in 3000 years none of this will matter because we all know what happens then. (It involves midichlorians.) But there is also lore speculation about what will happen in the next patch, where the game's current story […]
Make My MMO: Wagadu funds, Project Gorgon eyes mid-2022 launch
This week in MMO crowdfunding, we got a blast of good news courtesy of Project Gorgon player Drew, who got a tentative release window for the early access MMORPG out of an Elder Game GM during a Halloween Q&A with the devs: As the cherry on top for the week, the genre saw another big […]
Conan Exiles' latest PC update introduces a 'massive' overhaul to crafting and thralls
The way you craft your tools of conquest (or your decorations of housing) is going to be changing dramatically with the latest update to Conan Exiles on PC. Update 2.1 has introduced previously discussed adjustments to the crafting system in what is being called a "major overhaul." As a refresher, this overhaul introduces specialized crafting […]
Ashes of Creation offers a peek at PvP combat from pre-alpha and discusses PvP balance in a livestream
Ashes of Creation has made no bones about the fact that it's a PvP title and the latest livestream from the devs once more illustrates as much with a look at some fresh pre-alpha combat footage featuring two teams of devs and testers attacking or defending a caravan. It also features Steven Sharif absolutely getting […]
The Stream Team: Astroneer's B.O.O. event is underway for Halloween
For Halloween, Astroneer has a giant hungry plant that needs to be fed, and Massively OP's MJ has volunteered for the position. To feed it, not be the food! B.O.O. (EXO's Biofuel Obtainment Operation) is underway, necessitating the collection of specific ingredients for the Cauldrangea to snack on in order to obtain the biofuel. Of […]
PSA: The online memorial for Meridian 59's Brian Green is this afternoon
It's been a long year, so you're entirely forgiven if you forgot that we lost Brian "Psychochild" Green this past summer. Green was the long-time caretaker of Meridian 59 and the creator of Storybricks, a tech that EverQuest Next wanted to use in its now-defunct project at one point. While there was an online memorial […]
The Game Archaeologist: Fallen Earth
I remember back when Fallen Earth first came out, I had some friends who were raving about it and doing everything in their power to drag me kicking and screaming into it. I did a lot of kicking and screaming back then, I realize. But what I first didn't get soon became a tale of […]
World of Warcraft shifts its 16th anniversary event, defends raiding over the holidays
Now that the (new) release date of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is public knowledge, both players and developers are swinging into action to prepare for this fall's big expansion debut. As Shadowlands is releasing on the exact 16th anniversary of World of Warcraft's 2004 launch, Blizzard apparently decided that it was best to bump up […]
WRUP: Wither bird edition
he came to me he came to me though I was afraid my fear and anxiety have ruled my life and it has been so consuming upon my windowsill he sat, black and ancient, and the tap of his claw against the glass spoke of something more eloquent than any language I had ever heard […]
The Daily Grind: What MMO boss quote can't you get out of your head?
There's one thing to be said about running the same dungeons and fighting the same bosses in MMORPGs repeatedly: You absolutely end up memorizing every one of their quotes. This is doubly true for the real ear worms, such as with World of Warcraft's seasonal Headless Horseman, who speaks in rhymes like, "Here's my body, fit […]
The Scream Team: Finding ghosts in Phasmophobia
What's better than a ghost hunt for Halloween? Not much! And since her favorite genre is horror, Massively OP's MJ has found a perfect holiday treat: an online co-op psychological horror. Phasmophobia sounds just perfect for her! She's slipping into the new early access game with friends to collect evidence of the paranormal. Join us […]
Betawatch: Spooky scary Bless Unleashed closed betas
Yes, I know, Bless Unleashed isn't scary… except for the specter of the original Bless that hovers in the background. Oooh, there's a closed beta coming up! Spooky ghost voice! You can get a key for it, if you dare! Did that part do it for you? Nope? Well, that's all we got. Other beta […]
The Yellow King has introduced hardcore mode, Mac and Linux versions, and a new dungeon
Back in February of this year, we reported on the early access release of The Yellow King, a self-described Lovecraftian horror rogue-lite MMO. We figured that there's been more than enough time between then and now for updates, and sure enough, there's updates a-plenty. For a few months, anyway. Some of the headlining updates include […]
Afrofantasy MMORPG The Wagadu Chronicles just funded on Kickstarter for almost $200K
Twin Drums and its fans have done it: The Wagadu Chronicles just fully funded on Kickstarter to the tune of €163,910 (around $191,400 US) thanks to 2,659 backers. Its original ask was $117K US, which it more than exceeded; the Kickstarter funding is meant to increase the development budget and rope in player "feedback and […]
Guild Wars 2 postpones November Steam launch indefinitely to focus on End of Dragons expansion and living world
Just three months ago, ArenaNet told Guild Wars 2 players the game was bound for Steam with full crossplay in November. You might have forgotten that, what with the fact that the studio announced End of Dragons during the same event, and that kinda stole the show. Also it's 2020, so that August event feels […]
Naïca releases a gorgeous pixel art trailer ahead of its equally pixelated open beta
The open beta for Naïca starts on November 10th. We've covered that before, of course, along with all of the things that the game will offer to players even within the limited confines of its open beta scope on the continent of Lazul. But today there's something else to admire ahead of that open beta […]
Book of Travels previews its early access landmass and elaborates on its chapter-based update system
The self-described tiny multiplayer online title Book of Travels is slowly unfurling its plans for early access, and this time around it wants to show you the part of the game's world that will be open once early access — aka "Chapter Zero — kicks off. The area in question is a sizeable chunk of […]
Netdragon's Eudemons Online just hit Steam with a new server and promo
Long-running free-to-play MMO Eudemons Online is following in the footsteps of several other MMOs this year and has set up shop over on Steam. "In this mythic world, you can choose to be a Warrior, a Mage, a Paladin, a Vampire, a Necromancer, a Shadow Knight and a Ranger. Over one hundred distinct Eudemons are […]
The Stream Team: Trick-or-treating in Trove
One of the most iconic parts of Halloween is trick-or-treating. And Massively OP's MJ looks forward to it every year, in all its many forms. In Trove, that just so happens to involve smashing and bashing monsters in dungeons. (Don't try that at home, folks!) Tune in live at 3:00 p.m. as MJ embarks on […]
WoW slots Classic's Naxxramas for December 1, previews Shadowlands' Bastion in new video
If you're looking for big news about World of Warcraft Classic… well you're not likely to get it for a while, in spite of the teasing during last night's investor call. Blizzard's not gonna stomp all over Shadowlands for nothing. But you're definitely going to get some medium news, as Blizzard announced that Naxx will […]
Warframe continues the Great Ensmallening with focus on texture size and visuals
In case you're wondering just what the heck an "ensmallening" is, it's an effort by Warframe to reduce the game's overall file size and improve its performance over the course of three phases. The first phase arrived to PC players in September, and now the next phase is on the horizon for PC players with […]
Ultima Online previews New Legacy's updated weather and climate systems
Back in September, Broadsword announced a bold new initiative for the 23-year-old Ultima Online: It's called New Legacy, and it's essentially a new-player shard with a new ruleset that simplifies and streamlines onboarding for the game. It's not just another fresh start or classic server, and in fact, it's expected to have seasonal timelimits, at […]
The MMO Cartographer: In the Echo of Echo of Soul
How much would you pay to play a game that has been shut down as a free-to-play game and then re-released as a buy-to-play game? Your answer is probably something along the lines of, "Nothing! Why would anyone pay for that? Why does this keep happening?" And that is the correct answer. But for me, […]
Torchlight III adds pet costumes, spooky fort decorations, and legendary items in the newest update
While Torchlight III isn't really going to put on any sort of large-scale social event owing to the fact that it's not an MMO, the multiplayer ARPG still is keen on celebrating the Halloween season with its Gear 'N' Goblins update, which has added a variety of thematically appropriate goodies for players to revel in. […]
Massively-on-the-Go: Gotta cash'em all in Pokemon Go
In the last few editions of the Massively-on-the-Go column, I've been covering the deluge of events and updates Pokemon Go has received quite suddenly (not including recently announced Animation week from Nov 6-12), followed by Mega-Evolution updates looking at how Megas are being used, being perceived by fans, and how Niantic has (not) listened to […]
Judge enforces a Dutch government order for EA to remove FIFA lockboxes or face over $11M in fines
This has been a long and drawn-out battle, so let us review: Back in 2017 when the outrage against lockboxes was at its highest point after EA's flagrant cash grab in Star Wars Battlefront II, the gambling authorities of Belgium and the Netherlands were leading the charge against the practice, outright labeling the scheme as […]
WoW Factor: Shadowlands has a release date… again
I really thought I had written a column when World of Warcraft properly announced the launch date for Shadowlands. Alas, I apparently did not. But I obviously did write about when the expansion was delayed for an indefinite length of time opining about how this was a good thing for the game as a whole, that it could […]
Fallout 76 takes you on a tour of underground player housing
Player housing fanatics already have plenty of freedom in Fallout 76, but it's going to get even better when the Steel Dawn update drops in December. That's because the game's going to be adding instanced underground housing called "shelters" with relaxed building restrictions and a lot more ability to go nuts and create a customized […]
Path of Exile's patch delay stems from lessons learned launching opposite WoW Classic
Earlier this week, Grinding Gear Games told Path of Exile players that it was delaying the release of the 3.13 update and league to January, largely to get the heck out of the way of Cyberpunk 2077's new launch date in December. You, uh, didn't love that decision, apparently, so GGG's Chris Wilson has penned […]
Inside Star Citizen brings back Count Disco to talk new HUD styles and engineer gameplay prototyping
364 days out of the year, Star Citizen's regular video series features creative producer Jared Huckaby talking pretty frankly about the features the team at CIG is working on. On Halloween, however, Huckaby takes on his seasonal alter-ego Count Disco and absolutely yucks it up, and this year's thematic episode of Inside Star Citizen is […]
Lord of the Rings Online is seeking a new senior game producer
The Lord of the Rings Online team is looking to grow by at least one significant role, as Daybreak posted a job listing for Standing Stone Games in search of a senior game producer for the MMORPG. "The Senior Game Producer manages the development and operation of our long-standing Lord of the Rings Online multiplayer […]
The Daily Grind: What does the future of (World of) Warcraft look like?
Usually, Activision-Blizzard investor calls are boring as heck and I wish I didn't have to sit through all the Call of Duty and Candy Crush primping just to hear the Blizzard stuff, especially when some of the news is bad, as it was yesterday with news of Blizzard dropping another 2M MAUs, down 21% in […]
The Stream Team: A night of Dungeons and Dragons Online Night Revels
Night Revels are upon us in DDO, and Massively OP's MJ is ready for the reveling. This year will be the first time the new D&D night group goes through together. (Though MJ hopes the spirit of the previous holiday group will haunt her!) How far will this team make it through the event? Tune […]
Massively Overthinking: Doing crimes and getting punished in MMORPGs
A couple of weeks before Dual Universe's snafu banning beta players for taking advantage of a developer's poorly permissioned structure, I saw the game's founder, J.C. Baillie, posting on Twitter about thievery in MMOs. "Regarding theft in @dualuniverse: the vision is that players should be given ways to retaliate within the game, with player-driven police […]
Closers goes down for maintenance until November 5, TERA Console announces work on a DPS meter
The MMOs Formerly Associated with Bluehole, aka TERA Console and Closers (seriously, it's a bit of a Gordian knot, which we've helped cut through for you), have had a couple of important updates recently that we want to share with you. We'll start with Closers, which has officially gone down for extended maintenance until Thursday, […]
Final Fantasy XI starts a new series of winter campaigns on November 11
Winter is coming in Final Fantasy XI. Wait, sorry, that's not quite right; winter is coming in the real world, and that's being reflected with the new winter campaigns FFXI is kicking off on November 11th. This starts with the time-honored tradition of increasing the drop rate for seals and crests, as well as adding new spoils to […]
Activision-Blizzard Q3 2020: Blizzard MAUs fell to 30M as overall ActiBlizz revenues hold steady
It's time for another round of Activision-Blizzard financials as today covers Q3 2020. It's been a weird couple of years for the company as 2019 saw mass layoffs, the Blitzchung boycott, a weak BlizzCon, and plunging YOY revenues for five straight quarters in May 2019, August 2019, November 2019, February 2020, and May 2020. Q1 […]
Apex Legends Season 7 brings a new map, new character, its first vehicle, and its Steam launch
The newest season of Apex Legends is fast approaching, and with it comes a whole bunch of new things for fans of the shooter to enjoy: a new floating city map known as Olympus, a new character by the name of Horizon who has the ability to control gravity, and the introduction of the shooter's […]
Netmarble's mobile TERA Origin to close down in Japan
Oh you can give me all the big wet lavender anime eyes you want, banner girl, but your game is doomed. DOOMED, I say! The doom in question here is heading toward TERA Origin, a mobile spin-off of the TERA franchise that you probably never knew even existed. Netmarble got the rights to develop the […]
Pathfinder Online adds new structures for Combat Alchemists and rebalances an Escalation
When I saw the words "Combat Alchemist" in the latest patch notes for Pathfinder Online, I immediately brought to mind someone charging into battle furiously stirring a cauldron of ingredients to throw at their foes. Obviously that's not the case, but the update does have something new for Combat Alchemists in the form of three […]
The Elder Scrolls Online details the challenges and rewards of the Vateshran Hollows
Facing off against deadly foes in single combat, traversing new landscapes, and earning your way to improved rewards. That might sound familiar to players of The Elder Scrolls Online, but the developers promise that the Vateshran Hollows from the upcoming Markarth DLC isn't just the Maelstrom Arena in a new form. While the nature of the […]
The Stream Team: Halloween happenings in Lord of the Rings Online
With the Haunted Burrow and an entire Halloween zone, LOTRO really is one of the best places to spend the spooky holiday. Add in being a Hobbit, and you know it's the best! Massively OP's MJ is reveling in the Middle-earth revelry. Join us live at 2:00 p.m. for hauntings in… What: Lord of the […]
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands will launch November 23
All right, let's give this a shot one more time. World of Warcraft: Shadowlands now has a release date… you know, again. On November 23rd, players will be starting their trips into the afterlife, forming relationships with Covenants, investing in Soulbinds, and possibly singing "Holiday Road" while dancing among the fields of the dead souls littering these […]
