Final Fantasy XIV puts out a survey about the digital fan festival experience
This year's Final Fantasy XIV Digital Fan Festival was a new thing for the game to try. It was filled with a lot of stuff, including big reveals of new content and big emotional reveals that made everyone cry on stage. And now Square-Enix wants to know how it worked for you with a new survey […]
The Stream Team: Another Path of Exile Atlas run
Even with new Path of Exile leagues every three months, Massively OP's MJ can't help but look back longingly on many of her previous characters. (OK, Witches. And a Ranger!) So she has to break away and go back to standard once in a while. Today is that once. There is much more of the […]
Leafling is an indie 2-D action MMORPG that hopes to provide 'a nostalgic, old school RPG feeling'
This one crossed our news desk by way of a call for other players on Reddit. It's called Leafling, and it's a 2-D action MMORPG styled in a 16-bit aesthetic that wants to "deliver a nostalgic, old school RPG feeling" while also providing some modern gameplay beats. Leafling comes from the team at Celtaria Productions […]
Profane talks about the Primordial Elements of Life and Instinct
Yep, it's another tweet thread from Profane all about its in-development game's systems. This time we have a look at Primordial Elements — magic by any other name. The elements showcased in the thread are Life and Instinct. Life, as one would expect, can be a beneficent force that can heal or restore someone from […]
Netmarble announces release plans for several mobile titles, including new MMOs
For those out there that get their gaming through mobile (and there a lot of them out there, whether any of us wants to admit it or not), there's a lot of good news coming out of Netmarble. The publisher has put out an announcement confirming several game release windows, all of which are mobile […]
Final Fantasy XI celebrates 19 years and promises new job progression and storage options
It's been 19 years since Final Fantasy XI first launched, and yet the game is still going strong with an update cadence the envy of titles not in alleged maintenance mode. Producer Akihiko Matsui took the opportunity to pen a thank-you letter to the community, noting once again that a big part of why the game has […]
Dungeons and Dragons Online will also end support of Windows XP
In news that will likely be not all that surprising considering Standing Stone Games already confirmed this move for LOTRO, the devs of Dungeons and Dragons Online have announced that support of the Windows XP operating system will also be ending, specifically on Wednesday, July 21st. For those who are affected by this change and […]
RuneScape starts spooling hype for the next Elder God Wars chapter, promises to grant wishes soon
When you wish upon a star in Gielinor, Jagex will eventually hear you. For realsies. That's part of RuneScape's weekly newsletter content, which confirms that the devs will be granting wishes as part of promised recompense for login server issues soon. These wishes will be locked inside of a Guardian's Gift that will be distributed […]
The Elder Scrolls Online characters can now be found in the Call to Arms miniature tabletop war game
Care to have a little bit of The Elder Scrolls Online in your meatspace? How about as part of a tabletop miniature war game? That's precisely what's being offered with the launch of a new set of miniatures that integrates characters from the MMORPG's cinematic trailers into the Elder Scrolls: Call to Arms tabletop minis […]
Lord of the Rings Online resets neglected account passwords
For those of you who haven't logged into your Lord of the Rings Online account for quite a while, the next time you head back into the MMO, you're going to face a small obstacle. That's because Standing Stone Games announced that it's resetting all passwords for accounts that haven't been touched for two years […]
Roblox is now referring to its 'games' as 'experiences' in light of Epic v Apple trial arguments
It would appear that Roblox is undergoing something of a branding shift, the timing of which is interesting to say the least. Apparently, the game has silently started to change parts of its verbiage, renaming "game" to "experience" and renaming the "Games" tab of the browser to "Discover" instead. According to a Roblox spokesperson, this […]
First impressions: Even in beta, New Genesis is the quantum leap forward the aging Phantasy Star Online 2 needed
Now this… this is more like it. When I was last spending time with Phantasy Star Online 2, I found it to be a fun game that was mired in a whole bunch of old console MMORPG nonsense. All of the fun was buried in menus and poorly laid-out pathing. After my time with the […]
Daybreak grants all of its employees a paid 'unplug day'
While it's important for us here at MOP to be a watchdog for bad company behavior, we also try to be fair in acknowledging when a studio does something right. And so today we pin a bright gold star on the lapels of Daybreak (yes, Daybreak) for making an effort to treat its employees right. […]
First impressions: Bless Unleashed's PC beta is just enough of an improvement over the original Bless
I'm not going to say I've had a great deal of time with the recent PC beta test of Bless Unleashed — that's why this is called "first impressions" and not "final impressions," and we don't do fully final opinions on MMOs anyway. Even so, I feel as if I've had enough time in the […]
Ashes of Creation boss criticizes New World's business model, argues for subs and cosmetic shops
New World's cash-shop snafu last week still has a wide swath of the MMO community up in arms, apparently. Readers will recall that a tester leaked info from the NDA-locked alpha that suggested Amazon was adding both cosmetics and leveling boosters to the test cash shop, which of course caused an uproar from gamers who […]
Wisdom of Nym: Recapping the Endwalker reveals from Final Fantasy XIV's Fan Festival
I ended the first night watching the Fan Festival a bit sad about how long it would be before Final Fantasy XIV's next expansion. I ended the second night a bit sad that there still wasn't any talk about All Saints' Wake, even though maybe that was just too far in the future. And I […]
Players begin leaking footage of The Division Heartland closed test
The Division: Heartland, the free-to-play game from the Division IP that was among the reveals that Ubisoft recently announced, has been undergoing a round of closed testing. While said testing is under an NDA, that has not stopped folks from leaking footage of the game. One such leaker's footage reportedly offered about 20 minutes' of […]
Phantasy Star Online 2 asks for New Genesis beta feedback
The May closed beta test for Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis wrapped up this past weekend, but the discussion of the client is ongoing. SEGA is asking all beta participants to deliver feedback through a website survey. Plus, there's incentive. That got your attention, didn't it? If you fill out the short survey, you'll […]
The Daily Grind: How do you manage your frustration with MMO griefers?
I was hanging out in an MMO's Discord channel a while back when I skimmed through a convo where some folks were grumping about a griefer and demanding that the devs do something about it. Another player chimed in with a comment that absolutely changed my perspective. "Imagine how crap your life's gotta be to […]
Exclusive: Swords of Legends Online previews its frenetic mass PvP in new video
The field for new launches, patches, and betas is mighty crowded this spring, and while Swords of Legends Online is one of the newer titles vying for the attention of MMORPG players, it's fast become one of the more intriguing, owing largely to its fast-paced action combat. Gameforge and Wangyuan Shengtang are dropping a brief […]
Final Fantasy XIV's composer reveals he was battling cancer last year while working on the game
Final Fantasy XIV's digital fan festival has been full of moments; plenty of game reveals, some brilliant developer dancing, and a moment where composer Masayoshi Soken took the stage to deliver a rendition of the track Civilizations complete with Otamatones. It also was the place where it was revealed that Soken had been fighting against […]
Dauntless adds new radiant monster, opens a new location, and celebrates its 'Slayerversary' on May 20
If you've been following along with the Twitter account of Dauntless, you know that the previews and teasers have been churning out quite a bit recently. That's because the game's next update is looming on the horizon, bringing with it the promise of a new radiant Behemoth, new radiant gear, and a new Hunting Grounds […]
The MOP Up: Valorant fights against the smurf invasion
What is Valorant doing to fix its matchmaking? The studio explains its system in a community Q&A session, in particular addressing the problem of "smurfs" in the game. "Combating smurfing is not only about punishment, it's also about making Valorant more accessible so those without bad intentions no longer feel the need to smurf. Once […]
Destiny 2 brings back Future War Cult weapons, dates the next Iron Banner, and plans to sell baby Fallen plushies
The weekly Bungie newsletter is very often a stew of various things, but this week certainly seems more mixed than most as it outlines a variety of Destiny 2 tidbits from various points of interest for fans of the shooter. As players know by now, the Season of the Splicer has kicked off, bringing an […]
ZOS director says The Elder Scrolls Online will keep releasing content for as long as players stick around
What's the life expectancy of any MMORPG? Certainly there are games that have been around for decades, but those are edge cases at best. ZeniMax Online Studios director Matt Firor certainly seems surprised by The Elder Scrolls Online's lifespan of seven years, and he doesn't foresee the game ending its update cadence until players decide […]
Epic v Apple: Fortnite at 'full penetration' on console, more industry profit details, and text descriptions of trailers
It's the stupid gift that keeps on stupid giving. It's the lawsuit that might have industry-wide shockwaves. It's a trial that has seen whether a banana not wearing clothes is inappropriate was discussed in a court of law. It's the Epic vs. Apple trial, and once more there are a variety of news pieces to […]
One Shots: Flowers love the sun more than you do
Mental note: If I ever want the legions of readers to flood our One Shots comments with submissions, I merely need to ask for sunrise and sunset pictures. You guys went nuts (in the best of ways). We'll kick off today's submission tour with this stunning pic from IronSalamander8. "What better way to appreciate the […]
The Daily Grind: Would you rather be in a guild of strangers or alone in an MMO?
Back in my day when I started playing MMOs, I took it as pretty well understood that you were going to want to join a guild of some sort. The guild mechanics in Final Fantasy XI weren't very robust at all, coming down to just a chat channel, but the important point was that you were […]
Book of Travels delays early access again, this time to late summer
Have you been dying to crack open Book of Travels and see what stories lie within? You'll have to be patient, dear child, for Might and Delight announced that it's delaying the mini-MMO from its original June early access release window to sometime later this summer. "We can tell you Book of Travels really is […]
Diablo Immortal and World of Warcraft lead artist Glenn Rane leaves Blizzard
Blizzard suffered another high-profile defection this past week, as art lead Glenn Rane departed the studio. Rane joined several of his former Blizzard colleagues (along with some ex-Epic Game Studio ones) at Lightforge Games to be a co-founder and art director. Lightforge has yet to announce any of its projects, as it's currently prototyping roleplaying […]
Guild Wars 2 kicks off a week-long WvW bonus event and releases the full Icebrood Saga soundtrack
Whether you like smashing face in the zerg of WvW PvP or listening to pretty tunes, there's a little something for most fans of Guild Wars 2. Or at least something for fans of the game that like to do those two specific activities. Which I assume is a lot of those fans. Yesterday saw […]
The Stream Team: Wandering Conan Exiles aimlessly and living to tell the tale… maybe
There's still plenty more land to roam in Conan Exiles' big Isle of Siptah update, and Massively OP's MJ plans to explore every inch or die trying! Well, there is actually a good chance she will die trying, but that is part of the allure of survival games, right? Join us live at 2:00 p.m. […]
The Game Archaeologist: Dragon Empires, Codemasters' abandoned MMO
The name "Codemasters" is far more familiar to European players than North American ones, as the British developer and publisher was active on the continent since 1986. It got its fingers in the MMO genre early as it acquired ownership of The Realm, a 2-D game, in 1999. Personally, I'm most familiar with its operation […]
Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis has kicked off its closed beta test on PC
As promised when the global closed beta was first announced back in April, testing of Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis has begun in earnest, kicking off on PC yesterday at 9:00 p.m. EDT via everyone's favorite games distribution platform, the Windows Store. Of course, this being a beta, there are a number of known […]
WRUP: How to let's face it you're not paying attention to this anyway edition
Oh, whatever. Yes, I get it, this is where you're supposed to find everything being deliciously random and then everyone laughs because non-sequitur, and I'm so tired of it all. I'm already tired and I haven't even written this week's What Are You Playing, which none of you are even going to pay attention to […]
The Daily Grind: How long do you need to wait to 'recharge' your MMO enthusiasm?
Whenever I leave an MMO — usually because I'm approaching boredom or burnout — I recognize that there's a good chance that I'll be back. I usually am. I've left and come back to LOTRO so many times that they don't take my picture off the wall above the cash register. But I also know […]
Everything we learned from the Final Fantasy XIV Digital Fan Festival 2021
Update: We've now summarized the event after the intro; the liveblog itself can still be found in the comments. The original intro follows. It's time, folks! Time to learn about the second new job coming with Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, along with new areas, most likely the release date and alliance raid, and more! It's all […]
The Stream Team: Finishing Warframe's final anniversary alerts
It's the final week of Warframe's anniversary mission alerts and Massively OP's MJ wants that Excalibur Dex noggle! Decorating her landing craft with fun knickknacks is top priority, of course. After she finishes the alerts, there's plenty more she needs to do, from resources to gather to planetary nodes to unlock. Tune in live at […]
Betawatch: New World plans tests, previews dungeons, and assuages cash shop fears
It's been a busy week for New World, so much so that it could probably get bullet points of its very own along the way. For one thing, we got a look at the first expedition in the game (that's "dungeon" for those of us who don't want to bother learning game-specific terminology). For another, we […]
Retro-themed MMORPG Ravendawn talks up equipment and mounts
If you find yourself pining for ye olden days of isometric 2-D MMORPGs but want a new land to explore, the makers of Ravendawn would love to invite you into their domain. This Tibia-like title is working on a release for later this year, talking up different core systems as a way to get players […]
Bless Unleashed offers a compensation package for its final PC test event
The final PC testing period for Bless Unleashed offered some technical issues. This is not in and of itself a bad thing; the whole reason for a technical test would be identifying and fixing these technical issues, after all. Still, the team recognizes the issues caused by the sheer number of people logging in at once, […]
Star Citizen talks about upcoming capacitor changes and missile operator mode gameplay
It's time once more to round up Star Citizen's latest weekly development video, which talks about ship-based gameplay updates that are in the pipeline for the internet spaceship sandbox. First, the devs discuss changes to capacitors that will allow players to divert a set pool of extra energy to improve thrusters, shields, or weapons. The […]
The Stream Team: A heaping helping of healer hunting AdventureQuest 3D
Massively OP's MJ is quite happy to have her favorite class now in AQ3D. Now that she finally gets to play the class, she needs to level it up. And since she needs a bunch more voidshards from the Sandsea, why not conquer both goals with one grind? Join us live at 3:00 p.m. for […]
City of Titans shares travel power mechanics and video previews
You will believe a man can fly. At super high speeds. Holy crap, watch out for those trees, my dude. That's some of the impressions I got when checking out City of Titans' travel power preview, which showcased some of the work being done on superheroic locomotion and how the system will generally work. All […]
SoulWorker has officially made its self-published global debut on Steam
Don't call it a comeback, just call it coming back from obsolescence. Which is sort of the same thing? The point is that Korean developer Lion Games has officially taken over publishing duties for SoulWorker, bringing the free-to-play MMO back to Steam after Gameforge elected to shutter the game in the west, just as the […]
Fallout 76 starts testing July content update, runs double SCORE event
Fallout 76's test server is humming with activity and promise today, as the shard starts putting the July update through its paces. This content update is going to add the Steel Reign quest series, legendary crafting, legendary power armor, and updates to (you guessed it) legendary attributes. However, Bethesda also has a smaller patch coming […]
DC Universe Online is abuzz with a new seasonal event for spring
Spring has sprung into DC Universe Online, and it brings with it bees. Yes, the bees! It's the Bee Game up in here as players take on a plot by Poison Ivy to to wreak havoc and ultimately collect some sweet, sweet honey. That is, the players will collect the honey because they'll be dressed up as bees. […]
Swords of Legends Online maps out its May and June western betas
Swords of Legends Online showed up in the West virtually out of nowhere this spring, the western version of Gu Jian Qi Tan Online being published here by Gameforge. The company has been pushing out trailers left and right to hype up the launch, a date for which we still don't have, apart from a […]
Massively on the Go: Why Pokemon Go's COVID changes should stay, not roll back
Pokemon Go's already tried rolling back some of its COVID features, and between the original announcement of its June disappearance and the announcement of Gible Community Day – a pokemon that's popular, rare, and useful – players should probably assume Niantic will try to revert the game a bit to its pre-COVID form. From a […]
Stadia's developer marketing lead insists that the platform is doing fine
Hey, folks, did you hear that Google Stadia is doing fine? You probably didn't. Actually, you probably thought the opposite, what with the the platform having lost its first-party development outfit altogether and the biggest new feature added being a search bar (and when your product is made by Google, a search feature would seem likely to […]
