War Thunder fan accidentally shares classified military documents to make digital tank more realistic
No, that headline is not an Onion-style bit of satire because we genuinely live in a world so unapologetically stupid that satire is dying screaming. Apparently, an active member of the UK military and a fan of the online military vehicular battler War Thunder had some opinions about how the game's version of the Challenger […]
Atlas releases a 'summer bug smash' patch that crushes a variety of bugs and adjusts the mortar ship
The pirating sandbox of Atlas is promising some new content on the horizon, but before any of those details are shared, the devs at Grapeshot Games are steamrolling a variety of bugs with its newest patch. Players can look forward to things like more consistent spawning of the ghost ship, the end of the Army […]
SEED's latest dev blogs feature roads, cities, house interiors, a new user portal, and too many ducks
Klang Games' dev blog-a-palooza for its developing colony sim MMO SEED rolls along, with a whole bunch of posts about cities, Seedlings, user tools, and, yes, ducks. Gobs and gobs of ducks. Mysterious ducks gathering under the pale moonlight. We'll begin with a recap of a recent playtest that offers a play-by-play of a recent […]
Mabinogi adds new Stardust skills, new dungeons, and Shadow Missions in the Stardust update
The newest update to the MMO Mabinogi has some goodies for players who like to achieve new power and take on new challenges. The Stardust update has some titular Stardust skills that players can learn from a new NPC after completing a series of quests. Five new Stardust skills and their supporting effects can be […]
OrbusVR releases a new trailer to showcase the MMO's features
How long is long enough before your MMORPG should have an updated trailer? Two years seems to be enough time for OrbusVR, as the devs at Ad Alternum Game Studios have decided their old trailer from April 2019 could do with a refresh. As one might expect from an official trailer, the new video provides […]
Skyforge's Xbox version gets a visual upgrade on Series X/S with the latest patch
It's hard to say a game like Skyforge looks bad from a visual standpoint, but with the launch of the Xbox Series X and S consoles, a lot of games that were released a generation before can now take advantage of the new hardware's grunt to make things look better. So that's just what the […]
Fall Guys season 5 welcomes you to the jungle on July 20
Starting tomorrow, July 20th, the multiplayer obstacle course royale of Fall Guys is trading in its '80s neon for sweltering jungles with the game's fifth season, which is introducing new rounds, new obstacles, and new costumes all set to a tropical jungle theme. A recent trailer offers up a sneak peek at the features for […]
Guild Wars 2 reveals fourth End of Dragons voice actor as cheeky Inventory Manager gets an update
My favorite April Fools' Day trick this year wasn't a trick at all: It was a game published by Guild Wars 2 superfan @that_shaman called Inventory Manager. And it wasn't just a joke; it was a real Bejeweled-style game that actually worked and poked cheeky fun at Guild Wars 2's legendary inventory mess. And now […]
Destiny 2 outlines changes coming to ritual activity ranks and reputations in Season 15
Season 15 of Destiny 2 is going to be doing something a little different for its variety of regular activity reputation grinds. According to the game's regular newsletter, the reputation and rank systems for these ritual activities are getting some unification, while PvE rituals from Commander Zavala will get a reputation system of their very […]
Massively on the Go: Pokemon GO Fest 2021 might be the last great GO Fest
Still cleaning out your pokemon collections, trainers? I know I still need to! Pokemon Go's recent Go Fest 2021 was a return to form for the event. While some people may have preferred the 2020 version, the 2021 version felt incredibly generous in both the low cost and high amount of content without completely overwhelming […]
Ship of Heroes is hitting beta on August 7 – signups open July 31
If you're still bummed about the fact that indie superhero MMORPG Ship of Heroes had to delay its launch from 2021 to 2022, take heart: You can jump into the beta sooner. Back in June, the studio had teased a summer beta event that would be free and open to all comers. That date has […]
Wisdom of Nym: What will Final Fantasy XIV add to its ranged damage dealers?
There's a usual pattern I follow when discussing Final Fantasy XIV jobs, and this time I wanted to break it. We've already talked about tanks, so this week we're going to talk about ranged DPS. We know that Endwalker is going to bring new tools to every job, that's just inevitable; the question is what […]
Indie MMO Past Fate addresses internal PvP tests and region changes in latest dev blog
Indie developer Icy North Games is eager to show off its progress on Past Fate, the sandbox MMORPG that we first told you about in December 2019. The game's most recent Kickstarter post is all about showcasing internal testing, with a focus on PvP combat between developers. "If you have been active in our Discord […]
Hands-on with New World's 20v20 PvPvE battleground and its newest dungeon
Last week Amazon Games held a press demo and offered up an early preview of some of the latest and greatest content coming to New World leading up to launch. Having played around in New World's beta last year, I was excited to see how the game has progressed and to get my hands on […]
Relive LOTRO's Weatherstock XIII player concert series with these videos
This past weekend, Hobbits and Elves (and other Free Peoples of Middle-earth) put down their swords and took up lutes, drums, and oboes for the biggest annual concert in Lord of the Rings Online. Weatherstock XIII raged all Saturday, with several players bands performing entertaining sets to the crowd atop Weathertop on the Landroval server. […]
PvP sandbox Profane shows off development progress as it marches toward alpha
PvP MMO sandbox Profane's been busting its hump this year working to get all of the core parts and features into place, and you may be impressed how much it's done as it works toward getting a proper alpha ready for testing. In fact, developer Insane posted a two-and-a-half minute video to sum up all […]
Albion Online celebrates four years by engaging a fame boost, bringing back a dungeon, and writing a retrospective
Albion Online is now four years old, which naturally means that it's time to celebrate with its players. A number of events are kicking off in the sandbox, including a 25% boost to fame earnings until July 26th, the return of the Defenders of the Past dungeon that was in the beta with a unique […]
New World shares a server list for the upcoming July 20 closed beta test
You know that New World is launching its closed beta tomorrow on July 20th. You know it won't have an NDA. But do you know which server you'll be playing on? While that question would normally be a day-of decision, Amazon Games Studios is actually giving eager fans a heads-up with a list of server […]
The Daily Grind: What do you do when you have gobs of money in an MMO and nothing to spend it on?
The other day, I was tooling around Star Wars Galaxies on the Legends server and feeling a bit despondent, not because I had too little but because I had too much. See, I dropped a bunch of in-game credits when Bespin came out, but I've earned it all back and then some, much faster than […]
MMO Week in Review: Elyria, Camelot, and Crowfall shenanigans
'Twas the battle of the crowdfunded MMOs this week, and not really the good kind, as it all comes down to transparency one way or another. Chronicles of Elyria, for example, locked down its Reddit, passive-aggressively changed its NDA, and committed to crypto trades for its land, while Camelot Unchained rebutted suggestions that its studio […]
Battle Bards Episode 197: A royal affair
Bow to your king and queens of MMO music royalty, for the Battle Bards have donned the crown, taking up the majestic scepter, and issued a proclamation that all sorts of royal music must be heard through the land! Battle Bards is the world's first, best, and only MMO music podcast. Biweekly episodes alternate between examining […]
The MOP Up: World War II Online divides into two battle fronts
Even as World War II Online (aka Battleground Europe) kicked off its 183rd campaign this past week, the studio is running a spin-off game through its early access paces. Called WWII Online Chokepoint, this "represents the future of WWII Online in the form of a standalone game. With an all-new team at CRS working on it […]
Final Fantasy XIV aims to vex you with its Gold Saucer event
Whether you're part of the parade of new people coming into Final Fantasy XIV these days or an experienced player who is twiddling thumbs waiting for Endwalker to arrive, it never hurts to have something extra to do during the summer months. To spice up the already electric atmosphere of the MMO, Square Enix is […]
The Stream Team: Checking out the ninth anniversary hubbub in Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis
It's time to party like it's… whatever year it is in Halpha! It's been nine years since Phantasy Star Online 2 arrived to the west, and MOP's Chris is keen to check out a little bit of the celebratory goings-on in New Genesis. Tune in today at 12:00 p.m. EDT for some anniversary event fun! […]
PAX East 2021: MMO community building – on a budget
Any community managers or indie devs in the audience? This year at PAX East 2021, a few well-known community managers – Linda "Brasse" Carlson of SOE/Trion fame, Margaret Krohn of SOE and Ashes of Creation fame, plus Stephen DuCrest from GREE and Skycrest Games – participated in a discussion described at building communities on a shoestring budget. […]
One Shots: A back warmer for cramps
When you're rocking some bad back pain or a spite of cramps, it certainly helps to have something warm to rest against. Loosens up the muscles, you know. I mean, you could go with an electric heating pad or a hot water bottle, but if you've got a friendly dragon-griffon at the ready, nothing is […]
The Daily Grind: What routine tasks do you frequently forget in MMOs?
If you never played it back in the day, Final Fantasy XI was often a game of chores. Did you remember to get food? Did you bring your prism powder and silent oil? Did you get your spells for your next couple level-ups? Of course you didn't. Of course someone in your leveling party forgot […]
TennoCon 2021: Waframe introduces cross-platform play, shows off mobile
For five TennoCons, Warframe players have asked about cross-platform play. They want it. They need it. Well, it turns out the sixth time's the charm! The first big reveal during TennoCon 2021's TennoLive Broadcast was a double whammy, showing off not only a live demonstration of Warframe on mobile but also cross-platform play. So which […]
Ubisoft faces sexual harassment lawsuit from French game workers union
Ubisoft's uncovered problem with widespread sexual harassment is (rightfully) not a finished matter. The Solidaires Informatique, a French game workers union, has officially filed a lawsuit against Ubisoft, representing victims of the 2021 scandal and accusing several members of management, CEO Yves Guillemot, and the company as a whole of fostering "institutional sexual harassment." The […]
Elite Dangerous attempts to explain its balancing act between sharing details and communicating too much
A common refrain among players of Elite: Dangerous is that developer Frontier Developments isn't communicative enough – a pain point that the studio says it's attempting to address. However, the communication that has been provided to this point is apparently not good enough for some, which has drawn forth a lot of discussion on the […]
PvP sandbox Fractured is blindsided by 'rampant' player killing in alpha tests
With a growing studio and another major alpha test on the horizon, Fractured is taking things to the next level in 2021. Level 2, to be precise. You get some new skills, a bump in stats, and a hat that earns you a free mug of ale in any tavern you visit. In any case, […]
LOTRO Legendarium: What returning to LOTRO feels like
I don't think that I have ever rage-quit Lord of the Rings Online, but I certainly have put it down often enough. That's pretty typical for any player who's been engaged with a decade-and-a-half-old MMORPG. Sometimes I enjoy a good run of a year or more of consecutive play; sometimes my stints are barely a […]
Crowfall quietly adjusts its API to prevent bots from reporting player numbers
Yesterday saw Crowfall put out a tiny patch that didn't really do much on its face beyond changing a resource respawn and preventing some graphics adjustment settings from being changed in certain situations. That alone wouldn't really be newsworthy except for the feature that the patch notes don't detail: a stealthy change to the game's […]
WRUP: Horse mage sampler edition
Level 1: Horse Bolt: Fire a bolt of concentrated horse from your horse wand to deal between 15-38 horse elemental damage. This damage increases as you level and is affected by horse resistance. Level 15: Horse Heal: Use your horse wand to fill your target with the energy of horses, healing the target for 65-97 […]
The Daily Grind: What's the most useful MMO tidbit you've learned recently?
No matter how long I've spent playing an MMORPG, there seems to be no end to the new things I can learn about any particular game. The other day I discovered (to my dismay) that there was no apparent way to toggle my character's vitals above my character's head in Lord of the Rings Online, […]
Betawatch: Elyon is planning its next closed beta with an early fall launch
It seems as if it's taken forever for Elyon to really make much movement over here in the west, but don't worry: It's happening. See, the next round of beta signups and preorders are rolling around on July 26th, and there are plans for a full release in early fall! It's actually happening! And what […]
MapleStory provides a preview for the upcoming Neo: Light's Wrath update for July 21
Good news for MapleStory fans, you'll be able to hang out with Seren some more in the upcoming Neo: Light's Wrath update scheduled for July 21st. Somewhat worse news, however, is the fact that Seren is showing up as a boss, so your former ally is going to want to pound your face in. That's […]
World of Warships brings Dutch cruisers to early access in its recent update
Players of World of Warships now have the opportunity to experience some new Dutch hardware with Update 0.10.6, which introduces a series of fresh Dutch cruisers to early access. This variety of ships is described as hard-hitting, heavily armored, maneuverable, but with a shorter range. This new line of ships runs between tiers IV through […]
Realm of the Mad God's biggest patch of the year lands August 17
It's been a while since we poked our head into Realm of the Mad God – the top of the year, in fact. Back in January, in the wake of its 2020 Exalt remaster, Deca Games and Wild Shadow Studios laid out a bold roadmap for the game, which readers will recall is unique in […]
Discord scoops up harassment-detection AI startup Sentropy
Happy Thursday: Here's your weekly argument over toxicity, moderation, and AI, courtesy of Discord, which has apparently purchased a company you've probably heard of once and then immediately forgot. It's a security company that was launched publicly last year thanks to funding from everything from Twitch and Riot Games to Twitter and Reddit founders. Its […]
Champions Online kicks off a limited-time event that grants goodies for hitting max level
How quickly do you think you can hit the level cap in Champions Online? Do you think you can do it in a couple of weeks? Because if you can, you'll be getting an opportunity at a variety of cosmetic rewards from Defender in the game's latest limited-time event. Players who create a new character […]
Netflix hires a new vice president of game development for its game division
In case you had forgotten, Netflix wants to get into the video game industry in some capacity, because being successful in one area of online commerce will naturally translate to other areas of online commerce. What's that you're saying about some river in South America? Hush up. Anyway, the latest part of that push is […]
PAX East 2021: Gaming streamers are frontline workers, not mental health experts
Since PAX East 2021 is virtual again due to that little virus that's been going around for over a year now, it should come to no surprise that it's been prompting topics in gaming spheres. In fact, Take This' Dr. Kelli Dunlap, mental health streamer Mxiety, and Games and Interactive Media MFA candidate Jocelyn Wagner […]
Conan Chop Chop studio finally acknowledges and apologizes for latest delay
Just a few weeks ago, we pointed out that Conan Chop Chop, a Mighty Kingdom game being published by Funcom, was long overdue. The roguelike OARPG was announced in 2019, but the studios delayed the game from September 2019 into 2020 to add full online multiplayer, then delayed to February 2020, then delayed to Q2 2020, […]
Neverwinter gives a quick rundown of the changes coming to professions with its level squish
With the arrival of Neverwinter's level squish with the Jewel of the North update on July 27th, players are going to have to deal with a lot of changes. Maybe even more than they realized because it turns out crafting is changing as well. And no, not just so that players can craft gear for […]
Star Citizen discusses balancing for shields, energy weapons, ships, and thrusters coming in alpha 3.14
While the upcoming alpha 3.14 build of Star Citizen has a number of headline features of its own like the Orison landing area, there are other things of note coming as well – namely, some changes to thrusters, shields, and weapons, and more, which were outlined in a pair of forum posts. Shields are seeing […]
Massively on the Go: How Jackbox Games helped gamers stay social through COVID
For some people, Jackbox Games' Party Packs were a COVID lifesaver. While many of us have a lot of virtual connections thanks to our MMO communities, others don't have much overlap between our virtual and meatspace lives. As we struggled to keep in contact with family members who were drifting further and further into awkwardness […]
Elder Scrolls Online kicks off Pan-Elsweyr Celebration next week
What's the Pan-Elsweyr Celebration? Well, it's ZeniMax's way of smooshing players into the Elsweyr zones in The Elder Scrolls Online, and it's your way of scooping up gobs of loot and event tickets by complying. "The Pan-Elsweyr Celebration in-game event begins Thursday, July 22 at 10AM EDT, and will run until August 3 at 10AM […]
Vague Patch Notes: Hating an MMO isn't the same as having a personality
There was a friend I had at one point who had a particularly annoying habit. Whenever I would bring up something obnoxious that was done in World of Warcraft (which, at the time, was still knee-deep in Northrend and looked like it was just going to continue being fun forever, so, you know… ha), she […]
Swords of Legends Online touts 200K units sold as Gameforge insists NA server can handle player load
As we noted previously, the NA server of Swords of Legends Online had something of a rough start as the MMORPG launched here in the west, as technical issues caused lag, login issues, and other problems. Despite that, Gameforge is crowing happily about SOLO's debut, touting in a statement to MMORPG that it sold 200K […]
