EVE Online begins open beta testing of its browser-based EVE Anywhere client
If you're eager to play EVE Online somewhere you probably shouldn't be, you just want to keep appraised of goings on in New Eden, or you're curious to try the game without a full install, then you might be interested in the browser-based cloud client of the game, which has expanded its testing to include […]
Casually Classic: Will WoW Burning Crusade Classic's level boost be the casual's best friend?
While the announcement of Burning Crusade Classic at BlizzCon last month was of no surprise to even comatose cave dwellers, details of that announcement were. Not everyone was expecting #somechanges or a pre-patch with the two additional races, for example. One of the most surprising parts of this announcement was the fact that Blizzard is […]
Animal Crossing New Horizons unveils more design space, an Island Tour Creator, and the return of Bunny Day
There's a whole lot of new features coming to your Animal Crossing: New Horizons island in the next few days according to a sizeable info post on the game's website and a thread on Twitter. First up, a free update on March 18th will add, among other things, some spring seasonal items and whoopee cushions […]
TERA Console teaser trailer showcases the arrival of the training ground in its next update
TERA Console players are soon going to get the opportunity to parse their DPS and tune their favorite class if a teaser trailer showcased on Twitter is any indication. This new teaser for v91 comes to us via the results of a player poll that was attached to another teaser video last week, which incidentally […]
Co-op D&D action battler Dark Alliance announces a June 22 launch date
The best way to experience a story set in the oldest role-playing game is through a hack-and-slash co-op battler, obviously. Yes, Dark Alliance is based on Dungeons & Dragons (the Forgotten Realms specifically), but as already mentioned it's more of an action game than anything else, with players battling iconic monsters from the tabletop game in […]
World of Warcraft explains the current Valor cap as an 'immediate kickstart'
The Valor point cap in World of Warcraft at the moment might seem a little high compared to the amount of weekly increases available subsequently. A new post from the developers clarifies the rationale behind the initial 5000-point cap compared to the smaller weekly increments afterwards. Since the system is only coming in partway through the […]
Elder Scrolls Online decides to leave proc sets disabled – for now
The bursty nature of proc sets have been a contentious part of Elder Scrolls Online's PvP scene, where some players dislike how quickly they can tip the tide of battle and overcome displays of skill. Well, those critics of proc sets have been enjoying a proc-free PvP scene in the game — and Zenimax apparently […]
EverQuest marks its 22nd anniversary with events, producer's letter
Wake up sheeple! If you thought today was going to be a normal, ordinary day — you're dead wrong! It's the 22nd anniversary of the majestic EverQuest! Which means that everything we write today will end with an exclamation point! OK, no, my editor told me we are definitely not doing that — but we […]
The Daily Grind: Would you play a modern remake of Guild Wars 1?
Every couple of months, we'll mention Classic Guild Wars in an article, and we'll get deluged by fans of the 2005 MMO. There appears to be a strong sentiment out there, at least in our commenters, that the original Guild Wars was a great game, maybe even superior in many ways to Guild Wars 2. […]
The Stream Team: Path of Exile's layaway plan and loot betrayal
When Massively OP's MJ didn't have enough Ritual currency to buy a certain item in Path of Exile, she had to put it on layaway. Now, she's got to have the RNG luck for it to reappear in her available rewards! It's not like she's stubborn and refuses to stop until she gets what she […]
Mabinogi celebrates 13 years with combat challenges and lots of balloons
Few things set a festive atmosphere quite like a bunch of balloons, so it's a good thing that Mabinogi has plenty of them to celebrate the game's 13th anniversary. Balloons (likely) not only feature in the event's decor but also in minigames where players can pop balloons as fast as possible for Anniversary Coins and […]
Sea of Thieves talks up its third anniversary, new comic, and Vault raiding event in a video
It's time once more for the buccaneers of Sea of Thieves to get their news in video form. That's right, it's time for another news bulletin video, which offers word of several things arriving to the piratical sandbox over the course of this month. First off, the game's next update is due to arrive on […]
Diablo III confirms the closing dates of Season 22 and prepares to preview Season 23
Have you had fun watching your shadow clone follow you around in Diablo III? Well you don't have much time with it left as the devs have confirmed end dates for Season 22 in order for players to better prepare to say goodbye to their little shadow buddy. Season 22 will officially end on Sunday, […]
Saga of Lucimia studio splits from the Anderson brothers, says game dev 'continues full steam ahead'
Last week, we covered the surprising news that the founder of Saga of Lucimia, Tim Anderson, was no longer working on the game. The revelation came courtesy of a Patreon post for a new game being built by his family; the January posting says that they had stepped back from Lucimia's development and hadn't been […]
Vegetation is getting animated in Albion Online's Call to Arms update
I am writing about wiggly plants in Albion Online. Primarily because the devs of the game have also written about wiggly plants. Among the other features that the Call to Arms update is bringing, there will soon be a new visual thing to look forward to: wiggly plants. Specifically, flowers, grass, bushes, and trees for […]
Simutronics' new mech hero shooter Galahad 3093 plans an open beta for March 19
It's a mech game! It's a hero shooter! It's from the company best known for GemStone IV and DragonRealms, a pair of MUDs which are not known for their graphical acumen! Yes, it's Simutronics' new game, Galahad 3093, and hold on a moment, is that really the same company behind a pair of MUDs? The […]
Fractured sets next alpha for March 31, shows off new biomes and texturing
Fractured's next alpha is finally on the way – though it'll begin in early spring rather than late winter. "The exact launch date is the 31st of March," Dynamite Studios' Jacopo Gallelli quips on the stream. "We promised March, and March it is. The last day of March. Technically still March." Gallelli spends the rest of […]
EA admits that 'one or more EA accounts' is involved in FIFA 21 trading scandal
Last week our MMO business roundup report included word that there was some illicit trading going on between players and EA employees in FIFA 21. Since then, the game has put out a recent update with word that ongoing investigations may have revealed it could be more than just one bad actor. "It appears that […]
Niantic begins testing transparent Pokemon Go egg odds
Regular players of Pokemon Go know all about eggs; they're kind of a crap shoot in terms of what could possibly hatch and the only way to really know what's inside is to walk the predetermined length of kilometers. However, Niantic is tapping a few lucky players to test a new feature that offers a […]
Albion Online players and devs are being menaced by one player using a 'speed hacking' technique
Nobody likes to see a hacker or cheater in their game, and the players of Albion Online have had it with these proverbial snakes on their proverbial plane, particularly one player who appears to be doing his best to make in-game life (and incidentally the developers' lives) miserable. An instance of one cheater's behavior was […]
Not So Massively: Checking the pulse of Star Wars Battlefront II
As I am someone who is at best lukewarm to the Star Wars franchise, nearly as ambivalent toward shooters, and almost entirely uninterested in competitive play, Star Wars Battlefront II is not a game that was ever on my radar. If not for its infamous lockbox fiasco, I may have never given it a second […]
EverQuest II's PvP server eyes beta in early April, GU 117 beta starts March 17
The most recent Kander's Candor podcast, by Kander's own admission, was more of a general one for the most part as it brought along lead systems designer Robert "Caith" Fouts to talk about EverQuest II overall, but the tail end of the podcast did offer some details for those eager to PvP in the MMORPG. […]
Wisdom of Nym: Thoughts on Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker (given what we know so far)
At the time you read this, it'll be just about two months until we know more about what's coming with Final Fantasy XIV's fourth expansion. We already have some information, but we also have some pretty glaring blank spots about which we know nothing. And it's difficult to not envision those blank spots as being […]
RuneScape eyeballs March 22 for next game update as account restoration efforts move into a third week
The folks at Jagex continue to wrestle with the bear of RuneScape login issues. As we've been reporting, the game's login servers tanked on March 4th, forcing the devs to roll back servers, push back the game's next weekly update, and disable certain accounts due to data gaps that were discovered. Over this past weekend, […]
Astellia has officially launched its Astella Royal free-to-play version on Steam
There's nothing more delightfully confusing than when there are completely different versions of the same MMORPG operating globally, as with TERA or Aion. But usually those separate versions are in different regional markets. Not so for Astellia, which made the extremely weird move of launching a rival version — Astellia Royal — in North America, […]
Blizzard ramps up hiring for its unannounced online game
Blizzard Entertainment is up to something — something big — these days behind closed doors. We've known that the World of Warcraft studio was forming a team to work on a Warcraft mobile game and some sort of online multiplayer project, but now things are getting serious as another jobs call has gone out for […]
One of City of Heroes' rogue servers, Sanctuary, has apparently been taken out by hackers
It appears as though City of Heroes' Sanctuary rogue server has suffered what could turn out to be a catastrophic outage. The troubles began last Wednesday when the server went down – and didn't come back. Neither did the website. By Saturday, the server owner told players on Discord that the hacking wasn't a one-off […]
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite MMO bonus for not-playing?
So I've been playing a lot of City of Heroes lately, and I've roped in my son to play with me, which is always a treat – watching him go between flashy modern games and antiques that were old when he was born and sunsetted before he could talk. I recently tried to explain the […]
MMO Week in Review: RIFT deserves better
Gamigo's bad news continued this week as we learned that multiple RIFT developers had been laid off. While Gamigo says RIFT is "contributing a great deal to [its] roster," it stopped short of calling the game one of its core MMOs, couldn't discuss future content for the MMO beyond its anniversary events, and wouldn't tell […]
Destiny 2 outlines the return of Grandmaster Nightfalls and upcoming Stasis PvP adjustments
The next couple of weeks in Destiny 2 are going to be interesting, depending on players' point of view or preferred activity. The latest newsletter from Bungie offers a look at some updates coming to the looter shooter in the form of returning Grandmaster Nightfalls and tweaks to Stasis in the endless, thankless, and ultimately […]
The MOP Up: Destiny 2 sanctions unorthodox raiding
Just because the devs think you're going to play the game one way doesn't mean that players aren't going to pour a whole lot of ingenuity and effort into a different method. Just look at what's happening in Destiny 2 these days. "The big buzz around the [Destiny 2] community this week has been players […]
New World sets the scene for its Ebonscale Reach endgame location with a lore post
The last thing we heard out of New World was from this past February, and that was to let players know that the game's launch is being delayed, but it also provided a peek at things that are being worked on for its next closed beta test on July 20th, including five-player Expeditions, 20v20 Outpost […]
Global Chat: RIFT's melancholy birthday
Any MMO's 10th anniversary is a significant milestone and a reason for celebration, but for RIFT's birthday, this year is more like a funeral than a party thanks to the Gamigo layoffs. Nerdy Bookahs summed up the mood in the room by saying, "We do worry about RIFT and that game was the focus here but […]
Blade and Soul's March patch gives players more gear tiers to chase
How's your gear in Blade and Soul looking these days? Perhaps it needs a bit of freshening up, a bit of an upgrade. Well then hold on to your +5 pantaloons of progress, because March 17th's Slithering Shadows update has a few new ways you can improve your battle loadout. The patch will allow players […]
One Shots: Impossible sky architecture
Lethia seems to be waging a very successful campaign to convince us all that Allods Online has it going on in the eye candy department, at the very least. Of course, seeing something like this always brings up the question of how any buildings can just hang out in the sky, all casual-like. Not to […]
The Daily Grind: Which MMO has the worst general chat channel?
Yes, yes, I know all of the jokes, World of Warcraft general chat is vile enough to be used as a biotoxin and all of that. Heck, I was there when the jokes were being written. The thing is that the jokes are also not entirely accurate. Sure, it could be bad, but I've seen some […]
Make My MMO: Saga of Lucimia development pushes onward after founder begins new game
Welcome back to another Make My MMO, the long-running MMORPG crowdfunding column where we keep track of crowdfunded MMOs be they launched or lingering, only to be told next week by someone that no crowdfunded MMOs ever launch even though they definitely do! Saga of Lucimia, which was partly funded on Indiegogo and partly through […]
Blade and Soul Revolution introduces a large-scale Faction War PvP battleground in latest update
It's only been a week since Blade and Soul Revolution debuted on mobile devices, but that isn't stopping the game's devs from kicking out a fresh update to the title. The game's first update has introduced, among other things, a Faction War encounter that lets players choose one of two sides and promises large-scale battles […]
China shuts down Genshin Impact KFC promotion at certain locations due to pandemic concerns
I'm pretty sure we were all expecting the Genshin Impact KFC crossover promotion in China was just going to be a one-and-done sort of story, but there's been a new development in the matter. Apparently, the promotion was so popular that it had to be shut down, ostensibly due to crowding concerns related to the […]
WoW Classic 'Fresh Crusade' movement boasts 10,000 players and counting
Leave it to the endlessly innovative and motivated MMO community to make their own fun when game developers won't play ball. After Blizzard declined to announce fresh start servers for the upcoming Burning Crusade Classic, WoW Classic players decided to do it anyway after a fashion by organizing a widespread "Fresh Crusade" restart on a […]
City of Heroes' Homecoming begins testing exploration missions, travel power buffs in i27p2
City of Heroes' Homecoming players have a bit to look forward to this weekend, as Page 2 of Issue 27 has dropped on the beta/test server. While it's not as massive as Page 1, it's still plenty big – and might even make more people happy. Let's dig into the highlights: Tour Guide Missions – […]
Ashes of Creation delays its alpha one test to June for 'additional polish'
The moment of Ashes of Creation's first large-scale alpha test won't be as soon as previously anticipated. Intrepid Studios came out this week to announce that due to performance "challenges" and a need for additional polish, the month-long Alpha One playtest has been delayed until June. "We will be prolonging the NDA testing based on […]
WRUP: Ring of Hedgehog Defense edition
While wearing this ring, you cannot be harmed by a hedgehog in any way. You cannot take damage from any hedgehog-related source. If a hedgehog hits you, it will not hurt. If someone has a sword named "hedgehog," it can't hurt you. If a hedgehog wields a sword, you should be very proud of it […]
The Daily Grind: What's the most embarrassing thing you ever said in MMO chat?
It's one of my favorite things when someone else does it, but it's so cringy when I do. It's when you drop a big fat "MT" — or "mistell" — in your guild or world chat. Sometimes it can be a weird non sequitur, while sometimes it can be mortifying. Especially when you're trying to […]
The Stream Team: Start your weekend with boss bashing in AdventureQuest 3D
Friday is bash the bosses day in AQ3D! At least it is for Massively OP's MJ! King Drachus, that conniving vampire lord, has been added to the daily boss fights, and there are still so many challenges MJ needs to gather goodies from. Join us live at 8:00 p.m. to start the weekend by beating […]
Betawatch: The Burning Crusade Classic may be entering beta this month
It might be time to beta test World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade! You know, again. See, there's a rumor that the next update to the game's classic servers will be in beta testing this month, and while it's not certain it sure is plausible. Who wants to beta test an expansion that came out years ago? […]
Conqueror's Blade gets the Viking touch with Season VII: Wolves of Ragnarok on March 18
We all likely figured that Vikings would become a hot commodity in gaming thanks to a certain title's success, but regardless of that assumption, the fact remains that the MMORTS Conqueror's Blade is about to get some Viking flavor when Season VII: Wolves of Ragnarok kicks off on Thursday, March 18th. The new season will […]
Whatever happened to turn-based MMO Stash?
I really wanted this "Whatever Happened To" article to be a positive one, and in a way, part of it is: Frogdice's MMO Stash is still alive, it's still playable, and it's still free. Gamers will recall that this indie turn-based MMO entered early access in 2016 and launched in 2018, featuring a cutesy tabletop […]
MMO Business Roundup: ROBLOX's IPO, NCsoft, Nexon's next big thing, and FIFA's latest scandal
Welcome back to another roundup of MMO and MMO-adjacent industry news. ROBLOX: As planned, ROBLOX went public (publix?) this week, opening its first day of trading on Wall Street at $64.50 a share and pushing up to as much as $74. The NYSE reference price was $45, so that's juicy indeed. As Kotaku quipped, that […]
Wurm Online introduces combat changes and achievements as players create an in-game social space
The latest newsletter from Wurm Online has a little bit of everything, whether you like to fight, like to chase achievements, or seek a place to meet other players and hang out. The post kicks off with the latest update and its changes to combat, which promises more interactive combat thanks to the ability to […]
