Whatever happened to The Exiled (formerly known as Das Tal)?
Do you remember The Exiled? What about Das Tal, its original name? If you answered yes to either question, congratulations, you remember a PvP-centered MMO that was at one point highly anticipated before it came out. The game has been pretty quiet since release and some accompanying struggles with the player count, and the last […]
Into the Echo is a new MMORPG with an emphasis on character individuality
When it comes to most MMORPGs, there will very often be a build meta — a largely agreed upon "best" way to put together a class through very specific equipment choices, skill selections, and talents, and while all players of a game don't have to follow these molds, the in-development MMORPG Into the Echo seeks […]
VR MMO Orbus previews next week's Highsteppe revamp
VR MMO Orbus has a big patch coming next week, when the Highsteppe map and the hub town of Patreayl will get a full revamp and a few side quests too. Ahead of the August 31st release, Ad Alternum Game Studios has posted a cutesy in-character dev blog about the revamp. "Gone is the hodgepodge, […]
Tree of Savior's Hot Week event hands out endgame gear and character boosts simply for hitting level 50
Do you want to be endgame ready in Tree of Savior without doing anything more than hitting an arbitrary level number? Then you'll be delighted by the game's current Hot Week event, which is dishing out a huge list of goodies that effectively let players hit their maximum, including Level Jumping Cards, XP Cards, Class […]
Closers maps out new content, new modes, and system adjustments arriving through April 2022
The anime action MMO Closers is setting its update sights far into the horizon — as far forward as April of next year. A roadmap video from the devs provides a look at several new features and existing feature adjustments that will be heading to the game over the next few months. Starting off with […]
Don't panic, but yes, Phantasy Star Online 2 added sunset provisions to its TOS
You might have noticed that this week's Phantasy Star Online 2 update came with a change to the end user license agreement. SEGA noted that it added a section for the "Shutdown of Online Services," a section detailing the "Binding Arbitration and Class Action Waiver" for North American players, and "[o]ther minor corrections" that "reflect […]
Legends of Runeterra releases Beyond the Bandlewood expansion, Valorant makes some bug fixes
Riot Games' titles that aren't a MOBA have seen some new updates. The largest one arrived to the online CCG Legends of Runeterra, which released its Beyond the Bandlewood expansion, adding nine new champions, new keywords, and an event pass among other things. One of the expansion's key mechanics that was detailed previously is the […]
Gamescom 2021: New World open beta Sept. 9, plus DokeV, Valheim, Halo Infinite, Riders Republic news
[We're updating with the highlights below, including the New World info!] Gamescom 2021 is officially kicking off today as a free virtual event as the pandemic drags on. The Geoff Keighley-helmed opening night live event for the show is promising a slew of non-MMORPG titles – "Call of Duty: Vanguard, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, […]
RuneScape outlines plans for a new Treasure Hunter system and the end of the Hearts of Ice currency
The Treasure Hunter lootbox monetization scheme in RuneScape is going to be seeing some changes very soon. Starting tomorrow, August 26th, Jagex will be trialing a Gifts of the Creator promotion, which will let players who spend a Key choose from one of three goodies: a Medium Lamp, a Medium Star, or 3 Mini Protean […]
South Korea plans to abandon its 10-year-old 'Cinderella law' gaming curfew for kids
If you can stretch your brain back a decade, you might remember a flurry of articles in the western press about a gaming curfew South Korea imposed on minors. At the time, we (under the original Massively banner at the time) were calling it the "nighttime shutdown" or "Cinderella law" as it essentially blocked teenagers […]
EVE Online is implementing a new plan for 'skill plans' this fall
CCP Games isn't finished tinkering with EVE Online's skill system: This week, it announced its plans for your plans – your skill plans, that is. The feature is expected to roll out in September and "allow you to create, share, and interact with purposely created lists of skills within the client" as part of a […]
Digimon Masters Online developer is working on a new MMO based in the Digimon universe
Are you ready to discover both a new game and an old game? Then allow us to fill you in! First we'll start with the new: It's called Digimon Super Rumble, an in-development MMO based on the Digimon franchise. According to details from a Digimon series fan forum, the game is being built in Unreal […]
PlanetSide 2's playable robots re-emerge as a free faction on PS4
Everyone knows the acronyms of PvE and PvP, but what about PvB? We'll call that "Player vs. Bots," and it's especially relevant in PlanetSide 2 this week as the robotic fourth faction, the NSO, has come roaring back into the game's PS4 edition in a powerful way. While unlocking the NSO is free to all […]
Perfect Ten: 10 MMOs that waved goodbye without ever making it to launch
If you've somehow missed this fact, then I hate to be the one to inform you of it, but it's time you learned: MMOs shut down. Yes, sometimes even beloved games that are good and neat shut down after years of operation. This is a sad reality, but it is also a reality of the […]
Black Desert celebrates two years on console and 2000 days on PC with free stuff
So hey, want some free stuff? Pearl Abyss has a bunch of goodies queued up for Black Desert fans, even beyond the Margoria expansion in the mobile edition earlier this week, and yes, at least for console, it includes free stuff. Console players on PlayStation and Xbox are being treated to a bundle of free […]
World of Warships apologizes for issuing promo code that personally attacked a content creator
Even while under the public microscope for aggressive and possibly predatory monetization schemes and the near-collapse of its influencer program, Wargaming is making few moves to quietly slink out of the spotlight. The latest controversy started when a Russian-language World of Warships community contributor named Turry accused Wargaming developers of not playing the game they […]
Swords of Legends Online drops two more raids tomorrow, teases fall roadmap
We hope you like raids because Swords of Legends Online has kind of a lot of them. Since its launch, it's pushed out three raids in patches, and this week, it's releasing two more: the Ruins of Nuowu and Ice World. Ruins of Nuowu in the Shanghuai Grassland asks players to battle the Plaguebringer and […]
Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis gets ready to usher in the fall with Sonic the Hedgehog
Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis may be the latest and greatest in this long-running franchise, but does it boast pumpkin spice swords and crisp fall days? It may just (who knows?) when its autumn event kicks off on September 1st, transforming the landscape with colorful leaves. Also coming at the top of next month […]
The Daily Grind: Do you like interrupt mechanics in MMO combat?
MMO combat isn't all that complicated, for the most part. Hit bad guys with the end of your Pain Stick, don't stand in the fire, and if you see a cast bar happening, you flail about looking for your interrupt ability that you totally forgot you even had. I'm of mixed feelings about interrupt abilities […]
California lawsuit now alleges Activision-Blizzard HR literally 'shredded' evidence
So who had "Activision-Blizzard gets caught shredding possible evidence in an ongoing lawsuit" on the ol' Blizzard scandal bingo card? Yes, we're back to coverage of the ongoing disaster trainwreck over at Activision-Blizzard, the subject of a lawsuit filed in July by the California Department of Fair Employment & Housing alleging that the company has […]
Stardew Valley's lone developer announces a $40K speedrunning competition on September 4
Yes, the words "speedrunning," "competition," and "Stardew Valley" are being used together in a headline. That's because Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, the farming/life sim RPG's lone developer, has unveiled plans for the first official Stardew Valley Cup. Also, let's not forget that this game does indeed have an esports scene already. This competition collabs with YouTuber […]
Dual Universe focuses on player-created content, including a racing circuit
As Dual Universe strives to meet its goal of launching sometime in the middle of next year, fans are keeping a close eye on the progress of its beta. In the latest newsletter, Novaquark isn't focusing so much on what it's doing to improve the game as what the community itself is adding to the […]
The Elder Scrolls Online's Year One Celebration event grants new rewards for visiting old zones on August 26
Sometimes it's good to circle back around to old regions in an MMORPG and reminisce on your character's advancement through the area on to bigger and better things, and now players of Elder Scrolls Online will have a little extra incentive to have a nostalgia trip with the Year One Celebration event that grants goodies […]
Massively OP Podcast Episode 336: Bards and battleships
Justin and Bree discuss World of Warships, Roblox, World of Warcraft, Guild Wars 2, Elyon, and Neverwinter, with adventures in LOTRO, FFXIV, GW2, and SWG Legends, plus mailbag topics on repurposing nostalgia and transplanting MMO systems.
EA's 'patent pledge' openly shares tech patents in an effort to increase game accessibility
Everyone, regardless of physical or medical issues, should be allowed to enjoy gaming, and Electronic Arts is attempting to facilitate as much by openly sharing five tech patents with all game devs, promising in a so-called "patent pledge" that studios using these listed tech patents will not face any legal repercussions from EA. "Through our […]
Black Desert Mobile sets sail on the Great Ocean with today's expansion
The mobile version of Black Desert requests your oars, as it's finally getting the Great Ocean expansion today. Readers will recall that the expansion rolled out as Margoria back in 2017 on PC, but mobile players can finally get their feet wet too. "The Great Ocean is a new region players can discover after they […]
Multiplayer co-op shooter Aliens Fireteam Elite officially launches
It's been a very weird and winding road to get to this point, but Cold Iron Studios' long-teased co-op shooter Aliens: Fireteam Elite has now officially launched, arriving as a buy-to-play title to PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC via Steam. "Set in the iconic Alien universe, Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a […]
DC Universe Online takes you to the House of Legends tomorrow
Where do you go to hang out when you've got a pair of spandex tights, unlicensed superpowers, and a desire to hobnob with fellow caped crusaders? If you're in DC Universe Online, you're going to want to book it over to the brand-new House of Legends, which will go live tomorrow. This definitely sounds like […]
Choose My Adventure: A quick spot of building and crafting in Trove
I have to admit, this one didn't take long at all to get through. I sort of assumed that building things in Trove was a generally simple affair, owing to the big boxy voxels that this game's world operates on, but I also wasn't really expecting the building segment to be… well… so quick. For […]
Book of Travels has delayed its early access launch for the fourth time
Ah dangit, there goes our other August launch: Might and Delight has delayed Book of Travels for the fourth time. MOP readers will remember that the game was crowdfunded back in 2019 and set early access for last fall, then delayed to Q2 of this year, then to Q3 and more specifically to August 9th for the "chapter […]
Neverwinter's Jewel of the North is live on console with the Bard and level squish
Jewel of the North has officially launched in Neverwinter's Xbox One and PS4 versions as of today – yes, the same update that went live for PC at the end of July. As readers will recall, the release includes the epic new Bard class and a complete overhaul of the game's leveling systems. "The game's […]
LOTRO Legendarium: Ranking LOTRO's Rhovanion zones from worst to best
A while back, I amused myself by ranking all of the Eriador zones in Lord of the Rings Online. It was a fun exercise and one that I wanted to continue by looking at further regions of the game. So today, I want to do the same for Rhovanion. If you can't easily wrap your […]
Bless Unleashed suggests Xbox players who duplicated cash shop currency may be 'required' to buy it back
Evidently there was some dirty pool going down in the Xbox version of Bless Unleashed. The game's official Twitter account noted that there were players on the platform who were duplicating things found in the game's founder's packs, including items and Lumena, the game's cash shop currency. A number of accounts were temporarily suspended but […]
Final Fantasy XIV sets the entire Aether data center to congested
The massive influx of players in Final Fantasy XIV has continued unabated, prompting another update from producer and director Naoki Yoshida regarding the situation. Yoshida once again apologizes for the congestion issues and notes that the team is still working on larger-scale solutions like adding new servers… but in the interim, he also notes that […]
Guild Wars 2 counts 16M accounts, drops fall roadmap, teases End of Dragons fishing and skiffs
Remember how excited everyone was to get the Guild Wars 2 summer roadmap out of ArenaNet earlier this year? Prepare to get excited all over again because as of this morning, the studio's released a fall and winter roadmap, including an infographic and anniversary details. Communication, we dig it! First, the roadmap itself. We already […]
Destiny 2 Witch Queen expansion leaks ahead of today's stream [Updated]
[We're updating at the end with confirmation.] Bungie is gearing up for a big stream for Destiny 2 today, with plans to reveal The Witch Queen, one of a pair of expansions it's been teasing since 2020. It was originally set to launch this year, then pushed into 2022, and we didn't know a whole lot […]
The Daily Grind: Do you have a 'white whale' in MMOs?
And no, I don't mean whale in the sense of MMO players who spend way too much money on games. I mean in the original metaphorical sense of a difficult or obsessive goal, the one that got away, the thing you're always chasing and can't quite catch. I feel like I've been chasing the perfect […]
World of Warcraft will add solo island expeditions in patch 9.1.5
While it doesn't actually have a title, it seems that World of Warcraft patch 9.1.5 could be unofficially titled "Here's That Stuff You Wanted, Please Come Back." We already discussed how the development team has revealed that the patch will reverse course on its prior plan and will add more customization options to underserved races; […]
A3: Still Alive's latest update adds a mode that pits three guilds against each other for control of a fortress
The fortress added to the mobile MMORPG A3: Still Alive ain't big enough for three guilds. So that means it's time for all sides to settle this the only way possible: through madcap PvP. The game's latest update has introduced what it's calling a "Server-integrated Guild Battle mode" that will have three guilds of up […]
Exploration-centric multiplayer RPG The Warhorn adds new areas and items, shares a three-stage roadmap
Do you remember The Warhorn? It has been a while since this one returned to our radar since we first covered it in January 2019; it's an early access multiplayer RPG that leans in on exploration, puzzle solving, and village building and management. The devs at Pigeons Interactive first reckoned early access would wrap up […]
SoulWorker kicks off a collab event with light novel series KonoSuba in recent patch
Are you at all familiar with the light novel series KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! Legend of Crimson? If you are, then you might want to also become familiar with the anime action MMO SoulWorker because the game's most recent update kicked off a collab event with the IP. From now until September […]
RuneScape adds an Elder Gods-themed Yak Track and unveils next part of the Elder God Wars dungeon
This week in RuneScape, it's almost entirely all about Elder God Wars-related things. This week's newsletter leads off with the newest Yak Track, which offers a variety of Elder Gods-themed cosmetics, animations, and pets that players can chase after, as well as a 25% boost to all skill XP and a little narrative to follow […]
ArcheAge Unchained links up former fresh start servers' PvP, auction halls, and more
As we all know, that "fresh character" smell can't last forever — and neither can a fresh start server. ArcheAge is famous for rolling these brand-new servers out of the door, but have you ever wondered what happens to them after they've been around for a while? Other than being abandoned for the latest new […]
Space Punks updates talent trees, revamps the main hub, and introduces gear upgrading in recent patch
When I took a livestreamed first look at Space Punks, the early access multiplayer looter shooter from developer Flying Wild Hog and publisher Jagex, I came away a bit underwhelmed by the amount of content in the game's initial build, which was extremely shallow — particularly for the $30 asking price. As of recently, however, […]
10-year-old Allods Online is (briefly) selling another batch of 'collector's editions'
It is always a little weird to see an MMORPG release a collector's edition well after the launch of a game, but hey, marketers have to justify their salary somehow! And so we come to Allods Online, which last week announced two new collector's editions that'll be sold through tomorrow. Basically, these are two relatively […]
Final Fantasy XI offers players a shot at the Shadowlord's swords
Is it fair that the Shadowlord in Final Fantasy XI gets to have cool swords you don't have immediate access to? No. It is not fair at all. You should rectify this unfairness by getting a shot at his swords, which is actually the center of the event starting on August 30th. Players who take […]
Fight or Kite: How Guild Wars 2's Harbinger, Willbender, and Virtuoso stack up in PvP
Guild Wars 2 has always been my go-to home for MMOs. There's just so much the studio did right when designing the game. But over the last few years, my time in game began to fall off. I just wasn't super interested in a lot of what ArenaNet was doing. The hype had faded – […]
Vampire MMO Shadow's Kiss shows off upcoming Steam page and confirms soft launch date revisions
Do you remember Shadow's Kiss? If you don't, just know that it's a mature horror-themed vampire MMO that we first started covering in 2016, when it first arrived on Patreon for funding and then hit Kickstarter a year later, landing its funding goal from the very start and ending with 300% funding and a number […]
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV's cash shop and the existential horror of monetization
The fact that there's a cash shop in Final Fantasy XIV is something that is absolutely impossible to discuss in a value-neutral fashion. Simply mentioning it is going to inspire people in one camp to point out that the game already has a monthly subscription fee so the cash shop is wholly inappropriate, while the […]
Elder Scrolls Online's Waking Flame DLC and update 31 are live on PC, Mac, and Stadia
Dungeoneers, Elder Scrolls Online's latest DLC is yours for the buying, as Waking Flame is live on PC, Mac, and Stadia for 1500 crowns or free with your sub. As we've been covering since the DLC's announcement back in June, this pack includes two PvE dungeons that tie into the Gates of Oblivion arc and […]
