MMO Week in Review: Burning Crusade, Blackwood, Prisms, and Crowfall
One of my favorite "problems" is when we have a week so packed with big MMORPG news that I can't decide what to feature at the end of the week, and that's exactly what we're dealing with tonight. This is a week that was dominated as much by WoW Classic Burning Crusade and Elder Scrolls […]
Battle Bards Episode 194: No Man's Sky
No Man's Sky is a Cinderella story, a turnaround from a project that failed on its promises to exceeding them. But what about its soundtrack? In this episode, the Battle Bards examine this "experimental" score and grapple with how it fits with space exploration theme. Battle Bards is the world's first, best, and only MMO music […]
The MOP Up: Wurm Online's animal update made sheep fluffier
Wurm Online's animal update is upon us, kindly making free-to-play players ride donkeys and mules so we can all point and laugh. I'm kidding. The late-May update likewise added a new animal feeding system, new farm items, new horse shapes, better animal AI, better animal breeding, and a fluffier sheep model. I'm not kidding. And […]
Moonlight Sculptor gets new dungeons, a guild hideout, and a new event on June 8
With roughly two weeks since the game's launch now under its belt, it's time for the mobile MMO Moonlight Sculptor to get its first content update this coming Tuesday, June 8th. Players can look forward to some new content in the form of a 150-floor Mirkhan Tower, a new Twisted Abyss – Sewer Maze dungeon, […]
Ashes of Creation addresses extra player questions on music, election systems, and more
Much as they did last time, the devs of Ashes of Creation saw fit to round up every single question that players have asked recently and collate every single response in one giant list, so if anyone's questions weren't pulled from the forum and addressed in the latest livestream, the answers are here. Also the […]
Mortal Online 2 introduces mounted combat, adds anti-cheat software, and lets players flip each other off
Remember when I said that one of my favorite pastimes in reading Mortal Online 2 patch notes is finding the more unique update features? The game's most recent patch notes offers one right from the very off: "Added FlipOff emote." We are now officially living in the year 2250. Rude gestures aren't the only thing […]
One Shots: Cave rave!
Where do you go when you want to relax in an MMO with friends, a strong drink, and some good atmosphere? This changes depending on the game, but here are a few suggestions from your friendly neighborhood screenshotters. We will start with Fisty, who is getting wild 'n' wooly in World of Warcraft: "This isn't […]
The Daily Grind: Do you play MMOs when you're on vacation?
As I type this, MOP's Justin is on vacation, though he'll be back by the time you're reading it. And dammit, he deserved it. We all do! Justin is really good at not wasting a good vacation on video games. When he says he's unplugging, he does it. But some folks? I've seen y'all taking […]
Make My MMO: Crowfall cometh
This week in crowdfunded MMOs, the big news was Crowfall – yes, the MMORPG everyone Kickstarted way back in 2015 is has a real launch date, now set for July 6th. Gamers can currently access the beta freely through June 23rd using the code MOPCROWCODE. Meanwhile, Albion Online teased next week's mobile launch and next […]
ArcheAge and ArcheAge Unchained add Gunslinger Ancestral skills in June 10 update
Players of both ArcheAge and ArcheAge Unchained who have hit the pinnacle of the recently added Gunslinger skillset are going to have some new heights to climb towards soon. A tweet from the game has announced that an update coming on June 10th will be introducing Ancestral skills for the Gunslinger, as well as revamps […]
Pantheon Rise of the Fallen showcases NPC combat tactics and discusses programming in latest videos
There have been a couple of extremely lengthy videos released by Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, both of which are full of behind-the-scenes goodness for those followers of the developing MMORPG that love their granular details. First, the game's recent livestream provided a close look at how enemies will operate in combat, pointing out a […]
The Stream Team: Heading into ARK's new Genesis 2
With Genesis 2, the conclusion of the ARK story is now here. And while she's been burned by much from the game, Massively OP's MJ has been a part of it from even before the beginning, so she's here to see the end. How is the final world going to look? And how will it […]
Elite Dangerous maps out plans for three more updates in June as another player initiative is binned
At the tail end of May, the devs of Elite: Dangerous promised to share a roadmap of updates to address a number of problems with the Odyssey expansion. That roadmap has since been provided, but what it does share are mostly vague mentions and promise of "many improvements." There are a couple of specific updates […]
New World's latest region tour video features the rain-soaked Mourningdale
Hope you like dreary weather, New World fans, because the latest in the Touring Aeternum video series offers up a look at the rainy region of Mourningdale. This particular area is perpetually drenched in rain as well as filled with creature-infested ruins, but it also promises plenty of beauty to behold as well in the […]
WRUP: Hippo dance texture edition
What is the texture of a hippo dance? To understand this, we first have to understand a few important pieces of information. The first is that hippos are mammals. The second is that when a hippo is wet, it is wet on purpose. The third? Actually, that's the mammal thing again. Hold on. I think […]
The Daily Grind: What MMO music do you listen to out of the game?
The thing about video game music is that some of it is so perfectly attuned to a very specific game that it can feel weird to listen to it outside of that context. I definitely enjoy the soundtrack to a lot of games that I feel no desire to listen to again, for example; there's […]
Betawatch: We want us some Palia
Palia! It exists! We got a whole preview for it, and it looks wonderful, and people will not stop telling us about it and we want it. We all want it. I want it. You want it. Everyone on staff wants it. (Note: Anyone who is reading this and does not want it, you don't […]
The Stream Team: The secret of Zhoom in AdventureQuest 3D
The Sandsea Saga part IV has released in AQ3D, and Massively OP's MJ is raring to go! She's been tasked with wiping out the rebel leader Zhoom to earn Lord Sekt's trust. But is Zhoon really a bad guy? MJ has to find out! Join us live at 7:00 p.m. to uncover more secrets of […]
The sun is setting on Need for Speed's online offerings, Call of Duty Online in China, and multiple SUBA MMOs
I'd like to say that a roundup of impending sunsets is a first on MOP, but this is 2021, the year Gamigo sunsetted a ton of games all at once, so unfortunately it's not. First, Need for Speed World sunsetted back in 2015, but a whole bunch of older Need for Speed online titles are […]
MMOs You've Never Heard Of: Elethor, Astonia, Guardians of Cloudia, Lands of Kehliel
Let's take a peek through some MMOs you've never heard of or have totally forgotten about. The tinier and more obscure, the better, we say! Astonia MMO Fallout put Astonia back on our radar, as we hadn't mentioned it since April of last year. It was originally launched in 1998 and went through several iterations […]
Multiplayer voxelbox Elteria Adventures begins open alpha testing on Steam
Elteria Adventures, the voxel-powered building and exploration sandbox that was first announced in May 2020 and elected to wholly change its visual style in April 2021, has taken its next developmental step forward. As of this past Wednesday, the game has begun open alpha playtesting, allowing anyone to check out the game by simply clicking […]
Hearthstone adds a new mini-set and Book of Mercenaries tale, plans more single-player stories for June
Update 20.4 in Hearthstone is bringing a number of new content updates to the online CCG. As of yesterday, the game has received a new Wailing Caverns mini-set with 35 new cards for players to purchase, along with a new Book of Mercenaries free story featuring the Dranei priestess Xyrella. The update has also added […]
The Repopulation team recreated over 1100 pieces of furniture from earlier builds
Let's be honest, it's never a good sign that I forget about an MMO until I see a developer tweet about it, but in this case, The Repopulation caught my attention with good news. The MMO has been under development for years now under the stewardship of the Hero Engine team Idea Fabrik, which took […]
PlanetSide 2 outlines upcoming NSO faction updates, including opening the group to free players
The Nanite Systems Operative (NSO) faction in PlanetSide 2 has always been a unique choice, as it really isn't its own faction so much as just a set of robots that join the side of the lowest populated empire and was only available to those who have a membership to the game. Those two factors […]
Odin: Valhalla Rising gets a South Korean launch date of June 29, releases a new trailer in English
Back in May of last year we reported on the upcoming title Odin: Valhalla Rising, a new MMORPG for PC and mobile developed by Lionheart Studio and published by Kakao Games with a pretty obvious setting and some extremely kinetic-looking combat. At the time, there weren't many release details, but thanks to Kakao's virtual showcase […]
CS:GO reboots F2P business model, tucking far more behind the paywall
Valve set off a dramabomb last night with its announcement that CounterStrike: Global Offensive would be dramatically changing its business model. The company essentially walked back the free-to-play model it's run in CSGO for the last three years, saying that "bad actors" have abused the free-play content to "hurt the experience of both new and […]
The Soapbox: MMO monetization that complements poor game design makes us all losers
I have a problem: As much as I enjoy games, I can see that many online and multiplayer games are becoming designed more poorly in order to sell themselves as a service, and they're getting better at the selling part without necessarily being worthy of it. With the latter, I'm fine buying DLC or paying […]
ARK Survival Evolved's Genesis Part 2, the 'bridge' to the ARK sequel, is finally live
As promised, ARK Survival Evolved has finally rolled out part two of its massive Genesis update, which essentially puts a capstone on the game's entire plotline; it's being sold as a "narrative bridge" between ARK and ARK II, with new missions, new critters (natch), new loot, and new biomes, including the "innards of the ever-expanding […]
World of Warcraft offers a preview of what will be required for flight in Shadowlands
Patch 9.1 for World of Warcraft will bring with it the coveted ability to fly in the game's expansion areas, but what will be required to get there? Not a whole heck of a lot, really, but you'd better be ready ahead of time by being done with the Covenant campaign and having your Renown already […]
Star Citizen talks about the creation of the Bengal carrier and hosts a competition to celebrate Pride
During the Invictus Launch Week event in Star Citizen, fans were treated to a special arrival as part of the UEE Navy's show of might: the Bengal carrier in all its fully functional glory, which happens to be the focus of this week's episode of Inside Star Citizen. In the video we learn about the […]
Bloomberg takes a look at the growing presence of 'Blizzard 2.0'
By this point everyone has had time to read and analyze that lengthy piece on IGN about Blizzard as a company in turmoil, wracked by changes in leadership and corporate culture over time. But what about the growing force of developers who have left? A new piece on Bloomberg takes a look at what is […]
Neverwinter's new Bard is accompanied by a massive level squish from 80 to 20
Earlier this week, Neverwinter announced that it was working on a brand-new class, its first since 2016: the Bard, described as a "stylish fighter who uses the power of song to enhance their allies and defeat their enemies" and "daring heroes who possess the ability to weave magic into their swords and use music to […]
New World nerfs experience and buffs character appearance in its June alpha
With less than three months to launch, Amazon's New World is putting the last touches on the playtest. This week, the studio's dropped the first part of its June alpha update, and it's got much more than the 1209 bug fixes at the tippy-top of the patch notes. Notably, character progression has been retouched again […]
The Daily Grind: What's the weirdest gameplay myth that persists in your favorite MMO?
My husband is an avid Overwatch player, and the other day he pointed out to me that Blizzard has, in spite of its foibles, absolutely nailed the matchmaking algorithm: For him, with almost 9000 (!) matches played, it's within 1% of 50:50 wins to losses. But, he noted, there's apparently a persistent myth among Overwatch […]
Massively Overthinking: Do you associate music with memory in MMOs?
The other night, I tried to log in to the Star Wars Galaxies emu and the music hit me hard. See, I play SWG Legends almost every day, but I play with the music and sound off since I often have more than one toon logged in and that can get raucous quickly. So I […]
SEED moves development updates to its blog, seeks creative director
Were you a fan of SEED's update videos? Those aren't necessarily going away exactly, but the devs at Klang Games did announce that future production updates would be in blog format going forward. "You, our community, mean everything to us. That's why we want to offer you a front row seat on the magnificent madness […]
Craftopia updates its roadmap with plans for level cap increases, pet systems, creative mode, and guns
Yes, you read that right. Craftopia has big plans on its roadmap, and its next update planned on June 23rd is adding fun stuff like a pet system, a new map, a first increase to the game's level cap, and quests offering experience. Moving past that, however, the update coming in either August or September is […]
Gloria Victis makes a number of adjustments to resource gathering in latest update
Gloria Victis — the actual sandbox MMO, not the spinoff game — has recently put out an update that makes a wide variety of changes to the game's resource gathering and economy in an effort to encourage more resource gathering and fighting over resource-rich territory. First off, gatherers can now find location specialization details at […]
Blankos Block Party moves out of open beta and into 'early access soft launch'
When is a launch product not a launch product but is also sort of a launch product? When it moves from open beta into a self-described "early access soft launch," of course! Such is the case for Blankos Block Party, which began its next phase of kinda-release as of yesterday. In terms of gameplay, the […]
Final Fantasy XI heads to Aht Urhgan for the next step of the Voracious Resurgencce
It's time for players in Final Fantasy XI to head back to the Near East with the upcoming June version update for the game. What's in Aht Urhgan? Why, the next stage of the ongoing Voracious Resurgence story content, naturally! This will see players dealing with the infamous mercenary leader Naja Salaheem, a familiar face to […]
Closers holds a number of gift-giving events and plans to reset unused character names
It appears that Closers is very eager to hand out free stuff to its players as the multiplayer action title has a few gift-giving events on tap. Starting today and only running for 24 hours, players who login can get a celebration box in honor of the character Seha's birthday. Also starting today is another […]
Star Wars The Old Republic lists dates for a number of returning events in June
For those who have already made the Dark Descent in Star Wars: The Old Republic, perhaps you're looking for a few events to zest up your June playtime. Lucky for you, there's a calendar of events. Unlucky for you, they're pretty much all reruns. Unless you missed out on previous event goodies, in which case, […]
V Rising is an upcoming multiplayer survival sandbox with a vampiric twist
We all just sort of assume that being a vampire isn't easy, what with the need to regularly drink blood from live prey, avoid the sunlight, and amuse yourself through the burden of eternal life. With the advent of the multiplayer survival title V Rising, however, we can all perhaps appreciate just how hard vampiric […]
EVE Echoes' Exploration update launches tomorrow with new CONCORD pass after a slight COVID delay
EVE Echoes has some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the Exploration Update is big and still coming. The bad news here is that the patch was delayed from its launch yesterday to Friday thanks to the pandemic that continues to wreak havoc around the world. "Due to the impact […]
World of Warcraft updates Torghast mechanics and some soulbinds on the 9.1 test server
The Empowered mechanic added to World of Warcraft's Torghast was not the most beloved mechanic added to an already not-beloved bit of content, so it's been changed with the most recent patch. Where previously the mechanic worked more like a hot streak bar with timing, players will now have the mechanic work more as an accumulated […]
Vague Patch Notes: The specter of MMO burnout and what it means
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about burnout. This is due in no small part to the fact that I am majorly burnt out in a few areas, most notably here. Yes, I said here. Lately, I've been going through a phase where it's harder to find the inspiration to write and find something new […]
Bless Unleashed pushed back its PC launch for further polish improvements
If you've been eagerly waiting for the full launch of Bless Unleashed on PC, you're going to have to wait just a little bit longer. A new letter to the community from head of development Koven Park reveals that the game is delaying the full launch to make further improvements and adjustments to the PC launch, […]
Desert Oasis: Why Black Desert Online is my favorite MMO
It's crazy how fast two years go by, but it's how long I've been running this column. I've interviewed the lead producer Jaehee Kim, provided a sneak preview to popular (and profitable) content, and showed some love to the game's beautiful server chat. Heck, I even pushed to give it the 2020 MMO of the […]
Crowfall officially launches July 6 – here's your code to get into the beta
It's official: Crowfall is finally launching. July 6th is the big day. The MMORPG was Kickstarted back in 2015 and has been on quite a ride; it was meant to soft-launch many years ago and has been delayed repeatedly, but the last year in particular has seen the game boost both its genre profile and its content offerings […]
Palia is a new 'community simulation MMO' from former Blizzard and Riot devs
A few weeks ago, I attended a press event for a new game assuming I would not be impressed by the offerings. Instead, I came away thinking that not only do I want this game, but my kids are going to want this game, and a lot of our readers are going to want this […]
