The Stream Team: Guild Wars 2 griffon egg hunting in Elon Riverlands
In honor of Guild Wars' anniversary on the 26th, Massively OP's MJ is hopping into its sequel, Guild Wars 2. There, she's halfway though the tasks that will grant her a griffon mount. The next stop is heading to Elon Riverlands to hunt eggs — and apparently raid the Dead House! Sure, that doesn't sound […]
Black Desert welcomes May with tulips on PC, awakens the Sage on console, adds the Kunoichi to mobile
Every version of Black Desert has seen an update of some sort this week, which means that not only is there a whole lot for players of the MMO to experience, but we're going to tap out some bullet points for you. It's just easier to write and to read this way, honestly. Also Bree […]
Not So Massively Roundup: Valorant's Breeze, Apex's Olympus, Runeterra's expansion, and Jeff
Welcome back to another roundup of news for Not-So-Massively and MMO-adjacent games in the MMORPG orbit! Valorant: Riot's Valorant has rolled out the Breeze map this week, set on a "remote island distinguished by its bright, playful, and colorful environment, with wide open spaces and opportunities for long range encounters." And if you for some […]
The Stream Team: Saying sayonara to Defiance 2050
It's been a long, long time since Massively OP's MJ hopped into Defiance 2050… and today is her last chance! The game, as well as Defiance the first, shut down early in the morning. MJ can't let it head off into the land of the sunsets without a goodbye, so join us live at 5:00 […]
Super Mario Party expands its online multiplayer offerings in latest update
Yes, we know, Super Mario Party is not an MMO. Here's your celebratory basket of onion rings for pointing that out. For everyone else who likes multiplayer games (which are also under our purview) and would like to play some digital Mario board gaming with others, there's a free update that has vastly opened up […]
Final Fantasy XI kicks off multiple boost campaigns in May
If you still have leveling to take care of in Final Fantasy XI, you might want to hold off until May 11th. Not because you won't be able to level before then, of course, but because the game is kicking off a variety of campaigns starting on that date, including double to triple the total amount […]
Champions Online is holding a kaiju-themed costume contest on April 30
Ah, the costume contest. That venerable piece of emergent content that vets of a certain superheroic title will remember all too fondly (or bitterly depending on how judging went for you). Champions Online is certainly no stranger to encouraging this sort of thing, and the devs at Cryptic will be doing so this coming Friday, […]
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go's May events look fairy good
Pokemon Go's finally getting back into the swing of things. While mini-events have been on offer in the past, May looks to be returning to longer, meatier events, complete with more accessible player participation (perhaps as a result of the recent Sustainability Week failure). May 4th through 17th will be the Luminous Legends X event, […]
Wizard101's massive spring update is live with new social grouping tools and myth ninja pigs
Wizard101 has been in the headlines a lot in 2021, owing largely to the fact that its studio, KingsIsle, was bought out by Gamigo and Gamigo's parent company, MGI Invest, earlier this year. MGI has called the buyout a "transformative acquisition" and talked up a console port for the 101 games as KingsIsle hastened to […]
City of Heroes' Rebirth server adds new Guardian archetype and powersets with first Issue
Rebirth might be one of the smaller rogue servers in the City of Heroes community, particularly compared to the largest batch; according to its own website as I type this on Wednesday morning, only around 25 people are in there right now. But its first major update is a whopper worthy of attention. Readers will […]
Elite Dangerous launches Odyssey alpha phase 4, affirms improvements to its final build in livestream
Today is the last day for PC-playing Commanders in Elite: Dangerous to kick the tires of the Odyssey expansion as the fourth and final phase of the alpha test is now officially live, bringing over player characters from the live game into the alpha build as well as all of their ships and credits instead […]
Perfect Ten: Why I'm a sucker for MMO collector's editions
If you've ever wondered what kind of naive sucker would plunk down a semi-thick wad of perfectly good cash on an overstuffed MMO collector's edition, hi, I'm Justin. I do just that. I don't buy collector's editions for every MMO I pick up, but I do have a strong habit of purchasing them that dates […]
Crowfall's Carnage adds more than just HungerDome, including crafting and trading updates
"Carnage" doesn't exactly sound like like a safe and relaxing time, but we'll make allowances for Crowfall, which has rolled out its Carnage update this week. Less colorfully known as beta 6.520, Carnage specifically opens up the HungerDome arena being used for the Eternal Champions Series 2021 esports tourney, which as we noted over the […]
Former Marvel Heroes developer Brian Waggoner is now working on Marvel's Avengers
Remember Marvel Heroes? You probably do! It was a pretty popular game, after all, and as we noted last year it was ultimately the implosion of its studio that killed it rather than a lack of players. It was also bizarre in how badly that sunset was managed, to boot. People really enjoyed that game. This stands […]
Corepunk's third Q&A talks about class quests, criminals, and more
The questions keep rolling in for Artificial Core's Corepunk, and the devs keep answering them! In this month's third Q&A session, questions are posed about a wide variety of interesting topics including game optimization, PvP roaming, and talent builds. For those wondering what camera options there will be with the isometric viewpoint, the devs said, […]
Riot Games' demand to shut down a fan-run 10 year-old League of Legends build causes a community uproar
Riot Games is back in the news for yet another unsavory reason as the League of Legends developer has acted against a fan-made emulator of the game, and while that matter isn't necessarily remarkable (or legally out of bounds), it's the uncouth manner in which it's been done that has caused some community outcry. The […]
Dreamworld co-founder's ex-fiancee calls out Kickstarter fibs but says he's not intentionally scamming
A couple of weeks back, we covered the impending Kickstarter funding of Dreamworld, a game by a couple of MMORPG industry novices promising the moon and throwing up red flags left and right. As we noted at the time, the Kickstarter was stuffed chiefly with stock assets and promises to put an "infinite open world […]
WoW Classic cancels Burning Crusade raid test, leaks deluxe edition mounts
If you were hoping to get an early dive into Karazhan with the rest of Burning Crusade Classic's testing crowd, steel yourself for minor disappointment: Blizzard announced that "due to unforeseen technical difficulties" it had to cancel this week's test to address an unspecified issue. The studio said that it would reschedule the raid test […]
The Daily Grind: What's the story behind your MMO character's name?
When I see a character cross my path with the name "XxDoodyHeadxX," I'm not usually that curious about how such a name came about. Presumably it was just a random firing brain cell and an ill-timed fart. But I certainly do grow intrigued when I encounter players with beautiful or seemingly significant character names. I […]
The Stream Team: Puzzled to death in SWTOR
With seven combined deaths already on the Death Counter, Massively OP's Larry and MJ have only made it through part of The Shroud's lair in SWTOR. They've got quite a bit left to complete — and that includes puzzles! (Sorry, the traffic jumping puzzle and all its amusement is over though!) Tune in live at […]
Monster Hunter Rise unleashes Apexes and crossover with Monster Hunter Stories 2
Hold on to your butts: Monster Hunter Rise is letting the current Apex monsters out of their rampage cages and into the wild. Capcom's also introducing Apex Diablos and Apex Rathalos for rampages and sticking title monster Magnamalo into the rampage rotation. Capcom's also adding past Elder Dragons Kushala Daora, Teostra, and Chameleos to the […]
Survival MMO Stars End struggles with low engagement, reaches alpha milestone
Last fall, we noted that an intriguing-looking space survival MMO called Stars End had sort of stealth launched on Steam early access and wasn't doing a lot to draw attention to itself. As it turns out, it was pretty much DOA — but it's fighting for a brighter future even still. Steam Charts notes that […]
Voxel MMO Elteria Adventures revamps its visual style, plans open playtesting this week
Back in May of last year we took a peek at Elteria Adventures, a voxel-based MMO that featured floating islands, destructible environments, building features, and monsters like Crystal Llamas and Boarmelons. It also stood out because its voxel style was very Landmark-esque, with voxels being smoothed out into more natural-looking shapes. It turns out that […]
Massively OP Podcast Episode 319: A sadness prison for addicts
Justin and Bree discuss Destiny 2's tmog, Elite Dangerous Odyssey, PSO2's New Genesis, RuneScape and Albion on mobile, and Jeff Kaplan's farewell, with adventures in Guild Wars, City of Heroes, and SWG Legends, plus a mailbag discussion on Blizzard's downfall and future.
Final Fantasy XIV and XI now support more authenticator software for one-time passwords
If you want to enable a one-time password for your Square-Enix account to access Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy XI, or both? That's a good and sensible security measure. And now it's easier to do even if you're not interested in making use of the Square-Enix software token app available for your phone or the physical […]
TERA Console opens a new dungeon and makes several dungeon adjustments in latest update
The console version of TERA has gotten a recent update that's almost exclusively about dungeons, which is good news for those who like to get their action combat kicks in the variety of instanced locations in the game. For those who enjoy new delves, the update brings the Immortal Manaya's Core dungeon, an item level […]
Neople opens a teaser site for its new game Dungeon and Fighter: Overkill
In a story from the tail end of last year (and in coverage from a year before that), we cast our eyes on Neople's Project BBQ, which was elaborated as a "parallel universe" MMO from the Dungeon Fighter Online IP featuring 3-D graphics, movement, and combat. Now, we have an official name for the game […]
Fallout 76 launches its Locked & Loaded update
Today, Fallout 76 is ready to lock things and load other things, or possibly load something and then lock it when it's been loaded? That second one makes more sense. Look, the point is that the Locked & Loaded update is live today, bringing a new season of reward progression for players along with double the […]
Multiplayer PvPvE shooter Scavengers enters early access April 28, floats 9000-player-and-bot mode
This past March we got a look at Scavengers, a multiplayer PvPvE survival shooter where up to 20 teams of three players are tasked with surviving the elements, AI attacks, and potential fights with rival teams as they try to gather the most datapoints in the map and exfiltrate to win. If the load of […]
EVE Online releases the second half of its industry update, asks players for footage for an anniversary video
It's one part work and one part celebration in this EVE Online news posting. On the work side of things, the second part of the game's industrial shakeup has gone live today, introducing the promised blueprints, reactions, and components for ship manufacturing, while also adjusting the materials received when reprocessing tier two ships and doubling […]
Guild Wars 2 releases summer roadmap, plans End of Dragons reveal event for July
Guild Wars 2's Icebrood Saga Episode 5 Chapter 5 Judgment is launching today, and of course we've got our Guild Wars 2 columnists bringing you coverage from the press event and impressions of the new content. But ArenaNet also has a big announcement launching at the same time, one you won't be too surprised about, […]
Flameseeker Chronicles: Hands-on with Guild Wars 2's Judgment world boss, Dragonstorm
Judgment is upon us, friends, in this edition of the Flameseeker Chronicles: The fourth and final chapter of Guild Wars 2's The Icebrood Saga: Champions drops today! Eighteen months of living, breathing content culminates in a whirlwind of a world boss encounter – Dragonstorm – and one of the highest stakes showdowns we've seen in […]
Swords of Legends Online drops a brand-new lore trailer and concept art
Swords of Legends Online would really like your attention, and it's apparently going to keep pumping out trailers until it has it. Today, Gameforge, Wangyuan Shengtang, and Aurogon have released a lore trailer that explains just what the heck is going on in the gameworld when players drop in for the first time. Chaos, benevolent […]
Choose My Adventure: RIFT was fun before, wasn't it?
My time in RIFT this past month has left me confused, frankly. Primarily because I remember genuinely enjoying this game more than I did. That's not necessarily to suggest I had a bad time these past few weeks in the game, to be clear. I've just had a reasonable time. A wholly unmemorable time. A […]
EA insists it's focused on 'engagement,' not monetizing FIFA players into gambleboxes
Yesterday, Canadian outlet CBC published a massive Electronic Arts document leaked by a supposed "gaming insider" that seemingly confirms what you already thought about EA: It really wants you to buy lootboxes. The 54-page memo was originally circulated internally within the Canadian division's FIFA teams and declares, among other things, that lockboxes – are the […]
An infamous WoW Classic griefer sees his 16 accounts all banned during a livestream
If you've got your finger on the pulse of the greater World of Warcraft: Classic community, you perhaps are familiar with the exploits of one TinyViolin69, a player whose entire reason for existing in-game is to camp World Buff sites with 16 different boosted and paid-for accounts in order to dispel buffs that other plays […]
Star Wars: The Old Republic explores dark secrets with today's Update 6.3
Hey you! Drop everything — groceries, babies, financial responsibilities — and make a dash over to the Star Wars: The Old Republic launcher. You see that? Yup, it's a patch in progress, bringing you into the era of Update 6.3: The Dark Descent. The headlining feature of this update is a new flashpoint that takes […]
EverQuest's 'random loot server' Mischief and item comparison are coming in May
There's a portion of the classic EverQuest community that absolutely lives for days when a new time-locked progression server is added to the roster. But this year is bound to whip the MMO faithful into an even greater frenzy thanks to the announcement of Mischief, a time-locked progression server that just so happens to feature […]
The Daily Grind: What's the best way MMOs can improve player retention – other than new content?
Months ago, Gamasutra published a piece about the long-tail of game development – basically, how to keep a video game selling copies and/or attracting players long after it's faded from the front page of every website and dropped out of Steam's top 10. The specific suggestions are simultaneously obvious, depressing, and irrelevant: make a game […]
The Stream Team: Before Blackwood, anything goes in Elder Scrolls Online
After checking out ESO's upcoming Blackwood, Massively OP's MJ can't get all that lava out of her mind. She just can't focus as she waits to explore the new lands. Luckily, there are a multitude of other things she can do while she waits! Tonight is an anything goes adventure! Join us live at 8:00 […]
Runes of Magic plagued by murder bunnies and psychedelic eggs for spring
All of the surviving bunnies (sorry, "wabbits") from Easter and leftover colorful eggs have migrated to the safe haven of Runes of Magic, which is just now holding its Spring Rain Festival. The event, which kicked off this past Wednesday, promises to bring "a contagious atmosphere of joy and happiness," or as we better know […]
Animal Crossing: New Horizons announces content-light updates until June
Nintendo just announced that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is expected to get some new content for the next several months, starting with a May Day event from April 29th through May 7th, followed by International Museum Day events and the June Wedding Season Events. Sound familiar? That's because as it did with Bunny Day, Nintendo is bringing […]
Survival shooter Vigor adds a new weapon and more loot events in Season 8 update
The multiplayer survival shooter Vigor continues to cross our news desk like a whack-a-mole. This time around there's word of a new season for the game, bringing with it a couple of updates like the PH M82 sniper rifle, a new battle pass, the addition of two loot events to every encounter, and the addition […]
RuneScape player's huge history book goes on sale for charity
The full history of RuneScape, which spans two decades of development and operation, is far more than can fit in any one book. That's why July, the self-proclaimed "RuneScape History Nerd," wrote three such tomes as an exhaustive account of this MMORPG. This History of RuneScape trilogy, which clocks in at over 1,000 pages in […]
Neverwinter will reopen the Hell Pit for PC players to test their mettle on April 29
With Neverwinter on the precipice of war and the legions of hell looking for strong souls to join their ranks, now seems as good a time as any for the game to invite players to see if they're worthy with the Hell Pit event, which is coming back on Thursday, April 29th and running until […]
Rise Online is a two-faction MMORPG inspired by Knight Online currently in open alpha
If you were looking for a new MMORPG that's similar to the 2004 title Knight Online but is designed by someone else (and you somehow missed out that game's arrival to Steam in 2016), then Turkish developer Rokosoft would like to introduce you to Rise Online, a new game that's like that old game but […]
Profane previews its sound design by focusing on a tropical beach biome
While the developing PvP MMO Profane will obviously feature the sounds of fighting between players and the sounds of combat in general, a new development preview Twitter thread is taking players on an audio journey to a serene tropical beach while also talking about how head of audio Marlon Kroth crafts the soundscape for the […]
Star Wars: The Old Republic to launch update 6.3, The Dark Descent, on April 27
Earlier today, we made a snarky joke about how the next Star Wars: The Old Republic patch has had plenty of its content teased but not yet gotten a hard release date. It turns out that we should have waited just a little bit longer, because the release date for patch 6.3 has just been revealed […]
Not So Massively: Checking up on multiplayer RTS Iron Harvest 1920
Last fall, this column covered Iron Harvest 1920, an alternate history RTS with a strong multiplayer emphasis and surprisingly poignant story-telling. Once I got into the full game, it only continued to impress, and I've been following it since. I thought now might be a good time to take stock of how Iron Harvest has […]
New Eden is a pixel graphics Souls-like MMORPG that's in open early alpha testing
This one's for the MMORPG fan that likes a more hard-bitten challenge in their game and doesn't mind some old school visuals to go along with it. Introducing New Eden, an in-development 2-D MMORPG that pairs pixel graphics with Soulsborne-esque combat to create a game that the devs at Wanderwolf Studios hope will "push the […]
