The Daily Grind: Did you try out any MMO rogue servers in 2020?
Last year was the year when rogue servers became an even bigger deal for many veteran MMO players than usual, due in no small part to the out-in-the-open rogue servers for City of Heroes that started as a point of contention before becoming a weirdly heartwarming story for everyone. This year, meanwhile, we've all been […]
Global Chat: Is RIFT the Volvo of MMOs?
If you're not familiar with the blog 24 Hours In, you really should be. The author takes on 24-hour challenges (not consecutively) to investigate specific MMORPGs over a one-day duration. This month? It was all about Trion Worlds' old stomping grounds of RIFT. The game actually got a lot of praise in the end, with […]
Life is Feudal MMO announces imminent closure, cites 'reasons beyond [its] control'
Enjoy this Christmas, Life is Feudal, because it will be your last. The Life is Feudal team made the shocking announcement on Friday that it will be shutting down the MMO version of the game on January 18th, 2021, about three years after the game's launch. What's bizarre is that this sunset doesn't have anything […]
Phantasy Star Online 2 shows off new classes, locations, and details for New Genesis in a livestream
Earlier this morning, the devs of Phantasy Star Online 2 showcased gobs of new details for the upcoming sequel PSO2: New Genesis during a livestream. The broadcast offered up a look at the planet Halpha as well as a brief few words about the game's story, though details of the plot won't be revealed until […]
The Stream Team: A first ride in Raft
Massively OP's MJ is a fan of survival game, so when Raft was recommended to her, she jumped at the chance to climb aboard. Of course, she's not planning to brave these new waters on her own: Prepare to be dragged along with her! Join us (totally willingly, of course) live at 2:00 p.m. as […]
Massively OP's 2020 Awards: Worst MMO Business Model
MassivelyOP's end-of-the-year awards for 2020 continue today with our award for Worst MMO Business Model, which was awarded jointly to Star Citizen and Fallout 76 last year. This faux-ward is a counterpart to our award for the best business model of the year and is intended to recognize an MMO of any age that has […]
City State Entertainment's Final Stand: Ragnarok heralds the arrival of 'first access'
It's been some time since we had heard much about Final Stand: Ragnarok, the second game coming from Camelot Unchained developer City State Entertainment; the last we had heard, they were taking on fresh staff. It would appear that silence has been due to the devs putting in work on the title, as a new […]
WRUP: All I want for Christmas is a very large number of things edition
I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree A little something for my own, more than I have ever known Make my wish come true All I want for Christmas Is A cool million dollars Five separate sports cars […]
The Daily Grind: Are you playing the same MMO at the end of 2020 that you were in January?
I always find it interesting to look back over the gaming journey that I took during the year. If I rewind the calendar all the way to this past January, I can see that I was in a very different place, gaming-wise. I was neck-deep in Lord of the Rings Online and Elder Scrolls Online […]
The Stream Team: Gift'thulu gives goodies for AdventureQuest 3D's Frostval
You better watch out, 'cause Gift'thulu is coming to town — and you don't want to miss it! The wonderful weeks of Frostval have started in AQ3D, and Massively OP's MJ is ready to celebrate the season with the moglins. This year, friends and neighbors can call forth the massive Gift'thulu, who will grant you […]
Betawatch: Chronicles of Elyria insists it's not dead
Seriously, Chronicles of Elyria isn't dead! It feels much better and wants to go take a walk. Why did everyone think it was dead just because it announced that it was dead? Apparently we were supposed to not believe that part and believe this part. I don't even know any more. Speaking of things that are […]
Whatever happened to Eternal Magic?
We called it "the Candy Crush of MMOs" when we looked at it in depth, but how is Eternal Magic faring ever since its launch this past spring? Let's catch up with this free-to-play fantasy title to see how its 2020 has progressed! In May, Eternal Magic introduced the Level of Chaos instance with its […]
Skyforge's newest holiday event explores the true meaning of winter
You might not think that a season of the year could have anything approaching a "true meaning," but considering all the deific antics in Skyforge, we suspect there are probably a half-dozen gods who feel otherwise about winter. So you may as well explore the true meaning of the event running until January 7th, and […]
Last Oasis applies balance changes, answers player questions about bug fix priority and map releases
While the latest update to Last Oasis isn't trying to do anything new or novel, it is trying to improve what's already there. Players can expect a nerfing to Scattershot damage, a reduced area of effect for the Poaching Hut, and a number of interface improvements, bug fixes, and fixes to lost connection issues. "Probably." […]
The Stream Team: Dungeons and delves for Trove's Snowfest
Are you ready for some D & D in Trove for the holidays? Dungeons and delves, that is! Snowfest brings the holidays to the blocky world, and Qubesly and both help you celebrate by collecting subzero snowflakes — and now subzero shadow snowflakes — so you can get some cool presents to enjoy. Join us […]
China's video game regulators introduce a three-tier age rating system for games
If you're accustomed to the age rating of games in the US, it's easy to forget that this is a voluntary system rather than an official one. The new rating that China is introducing, on the other hand, is very much a mandatory system. All games will be rated in one of three categories for […]
ArcheAge's December update adds new quests and housing areas as Trove's Snowfest gets underway
There's a lot going on in Gamigo's MMORPGs right now, so let's dig in. First, over in ArcheAge, the December Update may not have the most sparkling name, but it includes significant new content: new quests, the revamp for Stillwater Gulf, tweaks to Nehliya, boss changes, siege improvements, new ancestral skills, and even new housing areas, […]
Conan Exiles covers NPC camps, expanded lands, and gameplay adjustments coming to Isle of Siptah
If you're among those Conan Exiles players living in the Isle of Siptah, you're going to want to brace yourself for a number of changes that are on the way. A producer's letter has outlined a variety of updates and adjustments that are in the works for the early portion of 2021. First off, the […]
Asheron's Call 2 died 17 years ago, then came back, then died again, and here we are
On December 30th, 2005, Asheron's Call 2 was shut down – the first time. That was 15 years ago. And then, without warning, seven years later, the game was brought back to life on December 13th, 2012… only to die again five years later, this time with its predecessor on January 31st, 2017. And unlike […]
Fallout 76 looks back at 2020 with recaps and stats, shares a calendar of events for the first quarter of 2021
As December continues to draw to a close, the developers of Fallout 76 are looking back at the past year's efforts in the most recent dev blog. As one would expect, the post lauds the wide variety of updates made to the multiplayer title, not the least of which being the big Wastelanders update, the […]
Massively Overthinking: Our MMO predictions for 2021
So… 2020 didn't go exactly as anyone planned. Our predictions for this past year were pretty janked up by that whole pandemic thing and the whole games industry going way off course. And we don't have much reason to think that at least the beginning of 2021 will be dramatically better. But so what? It's […]
World of Warcraft is making Torghast easier and faster to clear in response to player behavior
Torghast isn't too hard for what the developers had intended in World of Warcraft, but it is too hard for how players had actually been playing it. That's been the important takeaway that developers have learned according to a new interview with game director Ion Hazzikostas. While the original plan was to have layers of Torghast […]
Massively OP's 2020 Awards: Biggest MMO Surprise of 2020
MassivelyOP's end-of-the-year awards for 2020 continue today with our award for Biggest MMO Surprise of 2020, which was awarded to the revival of City of Heroes last year. It's one of our younger awards, and we've brought it back again because it's something quite different from just a big story or disappointment or blunder: It's […]
Star Citizen releases alpha 3.12, celebrates the holidays, and gives away a hoverbike for referring a friend
Star Citizen has kicked out a bunch of updates and details in what we can only assume was a mad rush from the game's PR department to turn in its final pieces of work before dashing home for the holidays. There's a lot of ground to cover, so let's get started with the bullet points: […]
Albion Online studio Sandbox Interactive just got bought out for more than €100M
As it turns out, the MMO industry is going to see one more big buyout move before 2021 is upon us. Last night, Albion Online studio Sandbox Interactive announced on its forums that it's been bought out by a company called Stillfront Group AB, a Stockholm-based mobile games publisher. Sillfront's own press release says it's […]
Sony yeets Cyberpunk 2077 off the PlayStation Store, offering full refunds
File this one under "comeuppance for months of crunch that didn't even really get the game to a launch state before Christmas": The Cyberpunk 2077 launch fiasco has only ramped up as now Sony has yanked the game from the PlayStation Store. Platform reps last night tweeted that it will be granting full refunds to […]
Diablo Immortal kicks off technical alpha, confirms that it's free-to-play
Queries about telephonic ownership aside, Diablo Immortal still has the attention of many who would dearly like to see an official Diablo on a mobile device. The Blizzard-NetEase project dropped a whole ton of information this week, including confirmation of the game's business model and an imminent start to testing. First things first: A "limited […]
The Daily Grind: Which MMORPG offered the best PvP experience in 2020?
A few years back, we retired our award for the best PvP experience in an MMO, largely because neither our writers nor readers really seemed enthusiastic about it. It seemed to our community at the time that PvP was a side game in most MMOs, so the debates wound up being about whether we preferred […]
The Stream Team: Squelching Neverwinter's spellplague
The spellplague is taking over The Chasm in Neverwinter, and Massively OP's MJ is on hand to help to squelch it! She and her team will be helping Quorthon take care of the Acolytes of Corruption. Tune in live at 9:00 p.m. as the D&D night crew adventure in… What: Neverwinter Who: MJ Guthrie When: […]
Greg 'Ghostcrawler' Street confirms that Riot Games is working on a League of Legends MMO
Are you ready for that League of Legends MMO? Because it looks as though it's actually going to be coming your way. On Thursday evening, former World of Warcraft developer Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street dropped one heckuva bomb on Twitter when he announced that he's heading up a "massive" project at Riot Games to expand the […]
Closers adds a new character, a winter event dungeon, and several events in latest update
Closers is ready to rock, release a new character, open a winter dungeon, celebrate the holidays, and sell you stuff on Steam. If all of that seems like tonal whiplash, worry not; it's effectively part of the action MMO's most recent updates. See? Totally makes collective sense. The tentpole attraction of the game's latest patch […]
Mabinogi introduces new story and characters with today's Hypernova: Eclipse update
Mabinogi's story presses onward today with the release of the Hypernova: Eclipse update, the first part of the game's overall G25 update series. Hypernova: Eclipse introduces the final story of Chapter 7 and the sixth night of the Seven Nightmares, along with some new NPCs to meet along the way. Just in case you're looking […]
Grim and glad tidings spread across Blade and Soul
Do you like your holiday season dour or delightful? If you venture into Blade and Soul this week, you can have both! This week's Grim Tidings update is named after the addition of a new Blade Dancer specialization, the Way of the Grim Blade. "The new specialization takes managing effects and skill timing and combines […]
Atlas Rogues brings Nix and Aurora into its roster with its newest update
The nice part for Atlas Rogues is that it has a lot of the eponymous rogues to add into the game just based on fan expectation. The newest update, for example, adds both Aurora and Nix into the game's overall roster, with Aurora sliding into the standard roster as well. That right there gives players […]
Albion Online celebrates the season with the return of Uncle Frost
It's time for the Yule season in Albion Online, and that means the return of Uncle Frost. Rather than being a more paternal figure, Uncle Frost is more like your uncle who gets a bit slanted on Christmas and winds up starting a brawl; he's got a chance to appear in dungeons dropping a variety […]
Elite Dangerous' latest Odyssey dev diary focuses on FPS combat
In the latest hype builder for Elite: Dangerous' forthcoming Odyssey expansion, the devs of the game talk up the various features and foci of FPS combat in the third episode of the Road to Odyssey video series. The video not only offers up a look at FPS gameplay in action but also talks up the […]
Winter holiday events around the MMO universe, 2020 edition
Ho ho ho, it's Santa's younger brother Derrick here to do all of the jobs that Nick can't be bothered with this holiday season! Oh, my big brother always shows up when there are cookies and eggnog to snarf down, but when there's actual work to be done, he's like, "Gotta go, I have to […]
Warframe shows off Lavos, a new co-op event, and a first look at content updates arriving in 2021
It's the final devstream of the year for Warframe, and as is often the case with livestreams from this game, there is plenty to talk about, with a look at coming attractions for the game's next update and beyond. The stream offered a full look at the next 'Frame, Lavos, which ran alongside a premiere […]
Chronicles of Elyria is still in development, new video from Soulbound vows
Chronicles of Elyria's 2020 saga is without a doubt of the most concerning MMO stories of the entire year. This past spring, after reaching pre-alpha and running a funding campaign, developer Soulbound Studios abruptly announced it had run out of funds, laid off the entire staff, shuttered the studio, and ended development on the game, […]
Dual Universe is changing the schematic prices that players blasted in the last patch
Last week, the Dual Universe community erupted in frustration over the beta's 0.23 patch, which touched on everything from buy orders to blueprints and seems to have annoyed nearly everyone with the perception of intense grind and expensive schematics, especially in a paid beta. But now, Novaquark is responding, explaining why it made those decisions […]
Massively OP's 2020 Awards: Best MMO Business Model
MassivelyOP's end-of-the-year awards for 2020 continue today with our award for Best MMO Business Model, which we could not reach a staff consensus on last year, meaning we awarded it to no MMO at all. The award is intended to recognize a live MMORPG of any age that has demonstrated an exemplary business model specifically […]
Funcom says it's expanded the DUNE game's scope with Tencent's backing
There's a little nugget of interest in Funcom's traditional holiday letter to fans and press this week, at least if you're waiting impatiently for the DUNE game whose development was expedited by the Tencent takeover earlier this year. Apparently, Funcom's actually expanded the game's scope this year. "[T]here is also our upcoming Dune survival game," […]
Vague Patch Notes: The verbs of MMOs
Even if you don't like crafting, you should care if your MMO of choice has meaningful crafting. And you should especially care if it has housing because one tends to lead to the other for connected reasons. Even if you don't care about housing, you have a richer experience in a game by housing being […]
Pearl Abyss devs talk up the visuals, story, and gameplay features of Crimson Desert's solo adventure
If the preview video of the upcoming Crimson Desert whet your appetite for more detailed video footage, then you're going to absolutely gobble up a new video featuring the game's devs that provides a little more context and a few details about what players can look forward to while playing the game's single-player adventure. A […]
Black Desert starts pre-creation for Nova and the winter season
The latest patch for Black Desert is all about pre-creation. Do you want to create your Nova character now ahead of the full class release? Go to town. Do you want to be ready for the winter season when it kicks off with a character all created? Get prepped up. Heck, you can even get […]
World of Warcraft welcomes back Winter Veil, raises Canadian subscription rates
Ho ho holy moly, are we at the end of 2020 already? It must be, because World of Warcraft's Feast of Winter Veil is here to wrap up the year with Christmas cheer and… sleigh rides? That's right, the popular festival now includes a magical sleigh ride over Orgrimmar and Ironforge. Blizzard also added a […]
Legends of Aria apologizes for COVID-related update and communication delays, shares details for Season 7
Season 7 is underway in Legends of Aria. This would likely be welcome news for most players but it's also possible that they were looking more forward to Point Release 11 and have otherwise been concerned about a lapse in communication and updates on that front. The latest post from Citadel Studio has an explanation, […]
The Daily Grind: Which MMOs did you personally have the most fun with in 2020?
I had a lot of fun with Final Fantasy XIV this year. This is not in and of itself unusual; I usually have a lot of fun with the game. But I feel like that's different from an evaluation of the game's quality in an objective sense. I think that the game was, on a whole, among […]
Here's how to get ridiculously festive ship skins in Elite Dangerous tomorrow
Have you ever wanted your Elite: Dangerous spaceship to look like a literal flying present? Then you'll get your extremely specific wish granted by watching a livestream this coming Thursday, December 17th. Provided you're okay with waking up early in the morning, anyway. The festive skins on display are part of the game's Twitch Drops, […]
The Stream Team: SWTOR's Echoes of Vengeance repeats itself
When Massively OP's Larry and MJ attempted to cruise into the new SWTOR Echoes of Vengeance content last week, they crashed and burned instead. However, with the pesky reinstall from Steam now out of the way, their first look at this adventure gets a repeat performance. (Now with more Mando! Maybe.) What choices await the […]
