WRUP: Testing your HQ (ham quotient) edition
1. Do you like ham? a. Yes, I enjoy ham. b. I like ham more than the usual amount c. I like ham less than the usual amount. d. I do not like ham. e. Ham ham ham ham ham ham ham ham ham ham ham ham ham ham ham ham ham ham ham ham […]
The Daily Grind: What are your fall MMO plans?
After a brief August lull in the crazy launch cycle that's been 2021, we're looking to ramp back up again with a lot of fall releases. There's Elyon, New World, FFXIV: Endwalker, SWTOR: Legacy of the Sith, LOTRO: Gundabad, Book of Travels early access, and more. Personally, I feel overstimulated when I look at everything […]
Betawatch: Book of Travels postponed its early access yet again
Come on now, Book of Travels, we know you're shy but it's time to start putting yourself out there. The game has once again delayed its early access launch, this time opting not to give any date whatsoever but instead adopting a "when it's ready" approach to future dates. It's perhaps not surprising given prior delays, […]
Final Fantasy XI interviews Yosuke Saito and prepares an equipment boosting campaign
The features on Final Fantasy XI's wide-ranging anniversary site We Are Vana'diel have continued to show up in bits and pieces, and the latest installment is worth a gander for everyone. Producer Akihiko Matsui is joined by former Dragon Quest X producer Yosuke Saito, discussing the genesis of these online games, Saito's own experiences as a […]
War Thunder will add new vehicles, guided bombs, and fire control systems for ships in September
Maybe you're seeking some multiplayer vehicular combat alternatives in light of a certain developer's behavior. Perhaps, then, you should keep your eyes on Gaijin Entertainment's War Thunder, which is planning a new update in September that's bringing new vehicles and new gameplay mechanics. The Direct Hit update will introduce a number of new vehicles including […]
Atlas gets turtle dragon tank ships and buffed spider mounts
Turtle ships are a thing in Grapecard's early access someday-MMO Atlas as of this week. What's a turtle ship? One heck of a tanky boat. It's not really a turtle, unfortunately. "Not only is she a tank, fully decked out in armor and ready to take a beating, but she also offers some new utility […]
The Stream Team: Watch a bard beginning and win a Neverwinter mount and companion bundle
Music is one of the greatest things in the universe — so says Massively OP's MJ. So it is understandable that a new music-making class in Neverwinter would entice her! The new bard has lured MJ away from her beloved assassin, and she is eager to play it. Today her bard life begins, but she […]
World of Warcraft patch 9.1.5 removes conduit energy and finally makes covenants freely swappable
We have previously noted that the overall design philosophy for World of Warcraft patch 9.1.5 appears to be focused on things that players have been asking to receive for quite some time but that Blizzard has heretofore refused to deliver. But today's new developer update confirms that patch 9.1.5 will be going up on the PTR […]
5v5 point defense brawler Kingshunt is hosting an open beta demo this weekend
Here's one we haven't seen come up in a little while: the team-based 5v5 point defense game of Kingshunt, which we first caught wind of back in July. The game calls itself a "unique PvP title [that] blends components of tower defense, brutal melee combat, and real-time strategy" that shares some DNA with point defense […]
Dark Age of Camelot is running a third round of its fast-leveling catch-up event
Earlier this year, Broadsword's classic MMO Dark Age of Camelot struck gold with its Catch Up in Caledonia event, which essentially helped players level quickly through the game's PvE to get to its more popular three-way RvR endgame. This past spring, the studio said the event drew "thousands" of characters, enough to justify running the […]
Destiny 2 offers an overview of 'Void 3.0' subclass features arriving with The Witch Queen
The news continues to gush forth from Destiny 2 as the devs at Bungie talk up additional features coming with The Witch Queen expansion's launch. In the studio's weekly newsletter, fans get a look at what is being called "Void 3.0," which effectively does a lot of reworking to the Void subclasses for players. The […]
GDC 2021: War stories from World of Warcraft
Just before the news about the state litigation against Activision-Blizzard broke last month, Senior Software Engineer Joseph Cochron and Principal Software Engineer Kurtis McCathern gave a talk at GDC 2021 called War Stories from Azeroth, discussing some of the technical issues the team's struggled with from The Gates of Ahn'Qiraji event to Warlords of Draenor. While […]
Star Citizen casts a spotlight on CIG's video editor and showcases Nyx planetary features in latest video
If it's Friday, it's another episode of Star Citizen's weekly video digest! This episode, we start off with another Origin Story highlight from one of CIG's team members, which grants some screen time to video editor Justin Chambers, who discusses his love of editing and movies that all started with a video his parents bought […]
Shroud of the Avatar adds two new adventures for Episode 2 access holders in latest release
So a bit of good news: Shroud of the Avatar has added some new Adventure scenes with Release 93. The bad news: This content is only offered to those who bought early access to Episode 2 content once again, so unless you're among those invested in the game to the point that you're buying early […]
Fallout 76 project lead Jeff Gardiner has departed Bethesda
The launch of Fallout 76 was pretty rocky, but over time the title has managed to turn around its reputation and receive at least tacit approval from players along the way. So it is perhaps bittersweet to know that the project lead on the game, Jeff Gardiner, has left Bethesda (and concurrently his role on the […]
Vague Patch Notes: Why the depth of an MMORPG's world matters
The world doesn't need first impressions from me when it comes to Elyon. Why not? Well, for one thing, basically anything and everything I would have said about my impressions of the beta were already said quite directly by MOP's Chris. The game has some fun crunchy systems for customizing your skills and the game's mechanics; it […]
Recently downgraded DokeV shows off its open world gameplay
We won't lie: It was a bit of a bummer to report that Pearl Abyss reduced the scope of the fantastically cute DokeV from an MMO to some sort of open-world multiplayer title. That said, we still are interested to see how this game pans out, especially in light of its gameplay revelations from this […]
Final Fantasy XIV kicks off its anniversary fiction with Tales from the Twilight
Today marks the eight-year anniversary of Final Fantasy XIV's successful relaunch, and that means celebration. The obvious in-game celebration is the Rising event, of course, but there's more to celebrate beyond that with the first of the game's traditional anniversary stories going live today. This first one concerns Hien of Doma, taking a look at how […]
Overwatch's McCree isn't the only Blizzard character getting a rename
Yesterday, we reported on Blizzard's announcement that it'll be changing the name of Overwatch's character McCree, who was named after Jesse McCree, one of the developers removed from the studio following the uproar generated by the Activision-Blizzard sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit and scandal. As we noted, the change will require a change in development […]
Daybreak CEO Ji Ham takes over as Enad Global 7's acting CEO
It has not even been a year since EG7 Global acquired Daybreak Game Company for $300 million, and now the parent corporation is promoting one of Daybreak's leaders to its own C-suite. EG7's board announced that "effective immediately" it is removing current CEO (and EG7 co-founder) Robin Flodin and replacing him with Daybreak CEO Ji […]
The Daily Grind: What's the best way to maintain immersion in an MMO?
Klei Entertainment's Kris Ruff once tweeted about game design term I've never heard before but whose description I most definitely recognized when another dev recently elevated it back into my feed: empathy degradation. Essentially, Ruff was describing the whittling away of immersion and the "illusion of life" for the player, particularly when it comes to […]
Massively Overthinking: The worst chat in the MMORPG genre
The first rule of MMORPGs is turn off global chat. Think about that for a sec. This is a genre that is expressly multiplayer and social, where one of the best parts is that we're supposed to be able to connect to people all over the world. And we tell our newbies to turn off […]
World of Tanks collabs with Swedish metal band Sabaton for a music video and in-game event
It's time once again for World of Tanks and a band to come together to mesh online vehicular battling and music. In a similar vein to the game's collaboration with Korn, the Swedish metal band Sabaton will once again be featured in WOT (having done so twice before) in both in-game event form and music […]
Destiny 2 elaborates on adjustments coming to Trials of Osiris on September 10
A number of things were unleashed upon Destiny 2 fans during the game's showcase presentation, including the next expansion, the launch of the Season of the Lost, and the game's 30th anniversary pack among them. One the things that were touched on briefly was a revamp coming to the Trials of Osiris PvP activity, which […]
EverQuest II opens fresh content for Kaladin, EverQuest begins Stone Cold Summer
Daybreak's MMOs are getting love this week. Not only did PlanetSide 2 get a big patch, DC Universe Online get a new episode, and Aliens Firetime Elite finally launch, but the studio has updated EverQuest and EverQuest II in varying degrees. To wit: EverQuest II has updated with a random assortment of bug fixes and […]
SMITE has launched the new hunter Charybdis and kicks off its latest Odyssey major event
We knew that she was coming, and now players of SMITE can become the whirlpool as the hunter character Charybdis officially arrived to the MOBA this past Tuesday. Charybdis wields a ravenous weapon known as the Maw, with an ultimate ability that unleashes a devastating strike that becomes immediately available for another attack if it […]
Blizzard is changing the name of Overwatch's character McCree
Over the course of the last month of the Activision-Blizzard sexual harassment and discrimination scandal, players have wondered aloud whether Blizzard would do anything to address the fact that one of Overwatch's characters, McCree, was named after a now-former employee tangled up in the accusations. Jesse McCree was one of three prominent developers ousted from […]
DC Universe Online's House of Legends launches new hub, episode, and allies system
As promised, Daybreak pushed House of Legends to the DC Universe Online live servers this week. It's a freebie episode for everyone. The episode adds the titular new hub in The Bleed, the new allies system, new dailies, updated queue UI, and the updated Superman Classic content. "Answer The Monitor's call and travel to his […]
Fallout 76 outlines what will happen when the Nuclear Winter battle royale mode goes offline
With Fallout 76's Nuclear Winter battle royale mode shutting down this fall, fans of the mode may be wondering what happens next or whether cosmetics that were unique to the mode will be making a comeback. A number of those questions were answered in the game's latest Inside the Vault news post. Cosmetics from Nuclear […]
Grab a Skydome starter pack key courtesy of Gamigo and MOP
Skydome is Gamigo's latest multiplayer title; it's a 4v4 multiplayer hybrid MOBA/tower defense title that just hit early access. To celebrate the release and give players a leg up, the studio is treating our readers to a starter pack key giveaway! Here's what the key unlocks: • Champion Skin Fragments to choose your favourite skin […]
Fortnite hosts in-game Martin Luther King Jr. exhibit, doubles down on Impostors Trials
This might be one of the weirder but more important online gaming promotions we've seen all year: Fortnite is collaborating with TIME Studios for an "interactive experience" in the game that focuses on civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his life's work. "Celebrate the life and work of Nobel Peace Prize recipient […]
Guild Wars 2 sets Festival of the Four Winds for next week as players grump over anniversary sales and birthday gifts
Earlier this week, just ahead of the game's ninth anniversary, Guild Wars 2 dropped a fresh roadmap to get us through the fall. Your eyeballs were probably busy looking for the dates for the various End of Dragons beta events, but you might also have noticed that ArenaNet was planning to roll out its usual […]
The Elder Scrolls Online offers extra rewards for players going back to its original adventures
While there's no shortage of new stuff to do right now in The Elder Scrolls Online, the latest event for the game is asking for players to go back to the old school. No, really, the oldest school available in the game. The new Year One event kicking off today is giving players a chance at […]
Path of Exile players rejoice over new item filter update patch
Path of Exile has had a bit of a controversial summer thanks to the much-needed powercreep-smooshing Expedition expansion and subsequent drop in player numbers. This week's interim update probably won't be a sea change for the title, but it's worth noting all the same. The 3.15.3 update does address gobs of bugs, including bugs with […]
Dauntless adds a new Hunting Ground, new Hunt Pass, and refreshed repeaters in today's update
As a long time Dauntless player, one of the game's most underwhelming weapons has been the ranged repeaters; shooting monsters with a pair of pistols should have been cool, but their modular design and weak damage output made them overall a letdown. So consider me (and perhaps other Slayers) intrigued by the update arriving today, […]
Bless Unleashed PC says it's cracking down on cheaters and RMT
Bless Unleashed's PC updates just keep coming – both the content kind and the administrative kind. First, Round8 has addressed the "large amount of reports related to illegal programs" being made by the community. "As a result, we have further strengthened our monitoring of the use of illegal programs," the studio says. "The use of […]
Steam mysteriously bans two Chinese MMOARPGs
Strange things are apparently afoot in the dark recesses of Steam's MMO section. MMO Fallout reports this week that Valve mysteriously delisted two titles that may be the same game (based on the art assets) and weren't being played by anyone. The titles in question were God of Flame and Legend MMO, both of which […]
Niantic finally reverted the Pokemon GO COVID interaction radius after player boycott
It seems the blowback from the Pokemon GO community in response to Niantic's gym/Pokestop situation had some teeth after all. While the community – and we – had championed for COVID-related changes to stay long before the details appeared, Niantic's nerfing of interaction distance was never something we thought would be among the first bonuses […]
Pearl Abyss downgraded DokeV from an MMORPG to 'open-world action adventure'
Back in 2019, Pearl Abyss announced a slew of new MMOs, including Crimson Desert, Plan 8, and DokeV, the last of which was being called a "collectible MMORPG for all ages" by the studio. Unfortunately, following last night's trailer reveal of the game at Gamescom, the studio made clear that DokeV not only won't be […]
The Daily Grind: Do you regret not backing any MMO Kickstarters?
Let's be real about something – there are a lot of MMO Kickstarters that crash and burn well before getting to the "launch" stage. Some of them implode pretty early in the "concept" stage. But at this point we also can't pretend that no MMOs based on Kickstarter pitches have ever made their way to […]
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 […]
