Massively Overthinking: Would you play your favorite MMO without its IP?
Nonameplease recently posed us an interesting topic, inspired by a thread on the Star Trek Online subreddit. "It seems most people don't think the game itself is good enough to play without the Trek skin on it," Nonameplease wrote. "It would be interesting to see what other franchise based games people think are or are […]
Meet the Japanese esports team that's composed of players age 66 to 73
If you think that the twitch motor control and quick thinking of esports play means that people of a certain age are out of their depth, then you might want to reconsider that line of thinking when you check out the story of the Matagi Snipers, an esports team from Japan whose members all range […]
Conan Exiles brings patch 2.6's NPC AI improvements and building piece pickup features to PTS
The next patch for Conan Exiles is almost here, but first it has to go through some testing. What kind of testing, you might be asking? The kind that's currently on the PTS, which seeks to "polish rough edges" players have found in the 2.5 update. Of note is special focus to thrall and NPC […]
Shroud of the Avatar fixes loot imbalances and puts an end to slippery overworld maps
There are a number of descriptors MMORPG devs would like to hear about their game world's maps. Things like "gorgeous," "lush," "expansive," or "interesting." One descriptor that devs probably don't like to hear is "slipperier than a syrup-covered pig sliding downhill." That was apparently something of an issue in Shroud of the Avatar (though likely […]
Minecraft Dungeons is now available on Steam
Who wants to play Minecraft Dungeons on the PC but doesn't want to go through the Windows store in any way? The latter part of that is a commendable and defensible sentiment no matter what. The good news is that you'll be able to do just that with the title releasing on Steam today, giving players […]
Final Fantasy XIV is why Final Fantasy XI didn't get a PlayStation 3 port
If you're wondering why you never got a version of Final Fantasy XI to play on the PlayStation 3 (back in the years when the PS3 was a relevant console), it turns out that ties back to Final Fantasy XIV. A new interview on the former game's anniversary site We Are Vana'diel features an interview with producer […]
Riot hires Witcher 3's lead quest designer for its MMO, imposes stiffer AFK penalties in League of Legends
This news post is basically a grab bag of tidbits from Riot Games' projects. That's the lede. That's all the lede you're getting. I'm very sleepy, and I'm incapable of being clever right now. Let's get to it. We'll lead off with a pretty intriguing one: Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz, the lead quest designer for The Witcher […]
Playable Worlds' lead QA engineer on the industry's problematic 'godlike status' for devs
Playable Worlds, the outfit headed up by MMO designer Raph Koster and promising both a sandbox MMORPG and the metaverse, has a developer profile up this week that gives insight into both the industry and the MMO company itself, specifically when it comes to QA. Lead Quality Assurance Engineer Davina Armstrong explains that she's been […]
Survival MMO Fractured Veil just hit $100K funded on Kickstarter
Remember Fractured Veil? We covered it earlier this year when developer Paddle Creek was hunting for testers. The game is being billed as an "open-world online survival game" set in post-apocalyptic Hawaii and flagged MMO on Steam, and it's just hit its funding goal on Kickstarter with less than two weeks to go. "Join up […]
LOTRO is once again giving away 26 quest packs and selling eight more for cheap
With Gundabad fast approaching this fall, Standing Stone Games is rolling out the red carpet for Lord of the Rings Online players who might be missing some earlier content. Today, the studio has reupped the massive giveaway it began in 2020, with a single code that grants 26 quest packs, and it's put eight expansion […]
Perfect Ten: Ranking the Guild Wars 2 professions from best to worst
There are a lot of times when this column is not in any way a ranking, when it is just a list of things usually in a particular order but not exactly set up with number one being the best or highest ranked or anything. Then there are times like this week, when I was […]
New World's latest trailer invites you to 'carve a new destiny'
We're now just six days away from the launch of Amazon's New World, with the hype charging waaaaay up as the MMORPG genre is getting what could well become the biggest launch we've had in literally years. The studio has dropped yet another trailer this week as part of its "Legends" series on the "supernatural […]
WoW Factor: World of Warcraft replacing sexualized artwork misses the point
So World of Warcraft has been on a bit of a tear with replacing achievement names, artwork, and so forth recently. At the time I'm writing this, the latest changes are renaming the Twin Consorts to the Twin Empyreans and the Big Love Rocket being renamed to the X-45 Heartbreaker. This has, naturally, prompted a lot […]
Sea of Thieves' fourth season is live, sending sailors to the Sunken Kingdom
Sea of Thieves' fourth season has officially set sail this morning, and it's packed with new content, including the Sunken Kingdom and its Siren Shrines with loot and lore for the victors. "Valuable relics lie at the heart of each Shrine, but beware – the Sirens are sure to make their presence known to any […]
Diablo II Resurrected has officially launched with yet another live-action trailer
Diablo II: Resurrected is officially live as of now as the remastered version of the original 2000 roguelike from Blizzard North. Resurrected, of course, was helmed largely by Activision's Vicarious Visions, which was brought under the Blizzard Entertainment banner earlier this year. Blizzard is now helmed in part by Jen Oneal, who formerly ran Vicarious […]
The Cycle plans closed beta on September 30 and previews rewards for veteran players
The development track for PvPvE shooter The Cycle has been a nebulous thing for a while now. Originally set to launch on Steam last year but missing the mark and promising a Q3 release for this year that's possibly uncertain, the game has been otherwise running public alpha tests over the course of the last […]
Fortnite might not be back on Apple's app store for five years – or longer
You know how kids' soccer teams line up after a match to give each other high-fives and "good games" in a show of sportsmanship? Apple is the one kid who's hanging back, has his arms crossed, and is scowling with barely contained anger following the recent Epic vs. Apple ruling on an anti-monopoly case. In […]
Amazon on New World: 'We really wanted to make sure that this time we get it right'
The multi-million-dollar question of the hour is whether or not Amazon finally can pull off a successful launch of a major game. The studio has great cause to hope with New World, however, especially considering that over 900,000 players poured into the recent beta to experience it. Amazon Games Vice President Christoph Hartmann told Games […]
The Daily Grind: What MMO content are you looking forward to in the last months of 2021?
This is going to be a busy end of the year, isn't it? We've got expansions coming out for Final Fantasy XIV and Lord of the Rings Online, and we've got New World and Elyon both aiming at launch at long last. And that's just the stuff that springs to mind off the top of my head; I'm sure […]
Vampire survivalbox V Rising discusses crafting, castles, and your insatiable thirst for blood
V Rising has been on our radar for a few months now; it's a multiplayer survival sandbox that's trying to make vampires cool again – and might actually pull it off. With its beta still on the horizon later this year, Stunlock Studios has put out another dev update, this one about the feel of […]
Life Beyond shares a video tutorial all about its new weapon upgrade system
A couple of weeks ago, the survival sandbox Life Beyond added the ability to upgrade gear. If you're curious just how exactly that works or wanted to get a look at the feature without actually playing the game, developer Darewise has you covered with a new tutorial video. The tutorial and the system itself is […]
Profane takes a jog over all sorts of different terrain to show off footfall VFX in latest Twitter thread
When you're dashing through an MMO's world, how carefully are you staring at your feet? Probably not very closely, if we had to guess. That said, little details like footfalls making some sort of effect or impact on the ground are a nice little flavor touch, and Profane is making sure that little detail isn't […]
Dual Universe brings updates to shields, construct cores, and docking with the launch of the Ares update
A lot of the talk coming out of Dual Universe has been focused around its Ares update — how it's changing shields and construct core stress as well as warping and docking. All of the talk is over now and the time for experiencing these updates is now, as the Ares update has gone live. […]
World of Warcraft brings Brewfest around once more in both retail and The Burning Crusade
Do you feel like celebrating right now in World of Warcraft? No, not so much? Can't imagine why. Let's try a different question: Do you feel like drinking until you can convince yourself to celebrate right now in World of Warcraft? Because that coincides nicely with the fact that Brewfest is back for players to while away […]
Neverwinter brings back the Harvester of Nightmares to consoles and offers a balance patch to Wizards
You might think that someone called the Harvester of Nightmares might actually be a halfway decent guy in Neverwinter. Ominous name, sure, but maybe he harvest nightmares from people who are just having a bad dream. But no, it turns out that he's more like the causer of nightmares which he will subsequently harvest, and that means […]
Starbase previews moon base building and moon mining features in a video
Care to build your own Moon Zero Two? Eventually you'll be able to in Starbase, though it will most likely be more utilitarian and less a location for go-go dancers and soft heist caper intrigue, as outlined in a recent preview video from the devs. The video focuses on the moons that orbit Eos, each […]
Revelation Online's Demonic War update shifts to an October release window
Wait, didn't we hear about the Demonic War update for Revelation Online before? Yes, yes we did; back in May 2021, when the update was eyeballing a summer release date. Now that we're past the summer months, it's pretty obvious that the update didn't arrive, but that's because it's now looking at an October 2021 […]
The Stream Team: A return to raiding in Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers
It's been a long time — a number of years to be precise — since MOP's Chris has done any of the raid level content in Final Fantasy XIV, but now he feels it's high time to hop back into the raiding that this particular MMORPG can offer. Join him at 2:00 p.m. EDT for […]
The Elder Scrolls Online previews the Deadlands DLC exploring the realm of Oblivion
Johnny Cash told us all that love is a burning thing that makes a fiery ring. Also a burning thing is the realm of the Deadlands, which is burning away in the next eponymous DLC in The Elder Scrolls Online. It's a hot time as the overarching Gates of Oblivion storyline concludes, but even if you're […]
Elyon begins preregistration ahead of its October 20 free-to-play launch
So Krafton-Bluehole's upcoming MMORPG Elyon's been a bit of a tangle these last few months. After changing its name and its theme, it rolled into beta this past summer, earning praise for its gameplay and customization but criticism for humdrum setting and world. It was then supposed to launch at the end of September, rocking […]
Amazon is publishing Glowmade's new 'creative online co-op experience'
What else does Amazon Games have cooking besides New World, Lost Ark, and that unnamed game from Smed? Apparently, it's also publishing a game from English games studio Glowmade, whose developers have worked on everything from Fable and Little Big Planet to Battlefield and Horizon Zero Dawn. "Amazon Games today announced that it is expanding its third-party publishing […]
Massively on the Go: How to actually have fun in Pokemon Unite as a new player
The mobile version of Pokemon Unite has landed as of today, and those of you who do not have a Nintendo Switch but wish to play will finally be able to do so. Thanks to crossplay, you Switch-less folks can play with the rest of us, but you may be a tad underpowered at first. No, […]
Elite Dangerous brings AA turrets and bug fixes to Odyssey, quality of life to Horizons, and Powerplay changes to all
Today is the day when Elite: Dangerous sees some rather sizeable updates, whether players are in Horizons or in Odyssey. On the Odyssey front, Update 7 is going live, introducing some new anti-air turrets as well as rocket wielding Enforcers to combat zones, the ability for players to redirect Apex taxis, and new social hub […]
Flameseeker Chronicles: Test driving Guild Wars 2 End of Dragons' Vindicator, Bladesworn, and Catalyst elite specs
It's time again for another End of Dragons elite specialization beta! It's an exciting time for Guild Wars 2 players, who are learning what elite specs they will be playing as and alongside in this highly anticipated expansion. This time around we have the Revenant's damage-support hybrid Vindicator spec, the Warrior's totally-not-a-Final-Fantasy-XIV-Gunbreaker Bladesworn spec, and the Elementalist's […]
Final Fantasy XIV players memorialize Stephen Critchlow, the voice behind Count Edmont de Fortemps
The Final Fantasy XIV community is in mourning this week as English actor Stephen Critchlow has passed away at the age of 54. Critchlow was well known for his theater and TV work, but MMO gamers will know him best as the performer for FFXIV's Count Edmont de Fortemps and the narrator for Heavensward; MOP's […]
Dungeons and Dragons Online to revamp epic destinies 'from the ground up'
You know that when an MMO developer tells you to "buckle up" before explaining changes coming in a patch, we're in for a wild ride. And so it is for Dungeons and Dragons Online, which is preparing to overhaul its higher-level character progression "from the ground up." The game's epic destinies, which function as a […]
Rumor: Leaked file list suggests Star Citizen's Theaters of War is being made into a standalone game
Allow us to provide a bit of context before we get to the news: This is all about Theaters of War, a 20v20 mixed arms PvP mode that was first revealed at CitizenCon 2019. The vast majority of the talk about Theaters of War was its inclusion as a new mode into Star Citizen itself, […]
New World posts the names of its 176 launch day servers
With less than a week to go before New World's September 28th launch, there isn't much time left for interested players to make plans for the first day of release. And since it's always quite helpful to have a list of servers beforehand for the purpose of player and guild coordination, we're pleased to see […]
The Daily Grind: Do you enjoy fully 'mapping' MMO zones?
Apart from going through particularly good quest stories, filling out a map is my favorite MMORPG activity. This means slightly different goals depending on the game, but generally, "mapping" is when you fully explore and complete all of the goals, objectives, and vistas in a zone. Guild Wars 2 put this verb in our lexicon […]
Funcom gave a player group its blessing to build a Secret World TTRPG
It hasn't been the best couple of years for fans of The Secret World, thanks to the fact that both games are all but in maintenance mode and the community is still mourning one of its own. But we have a bit of good news for you here: Apparently, Funcom has granted a player group […]
Pokemon Unite mobile update adds squads, addresses pay-to-win items
The mobile version of Pokemon Unite is almost upon us, and TiMi Studio Group is giving us more than just crossplay: The new Galactic Ghost 094 battle pass season has some nice skins from the looks of it, but we're also seeing a feature called "Squads." While there's almost no information about them pre-launch, the press asset […]
Riders of Icarus has apparently sunsetted its only Russian server
Pour one out for Riders of Icarus aka Icarus Online, which apparently sunsetted its Russian server this week. As MMO Fallout first reported, the game had run under Russian publisher 101xp for the last four years; its Steam showing wasn't cause for much celebration, as it clocking with barely a hundred concurrent players the last […]
Diablo II Resurrected has begun preloading – here's when it launches in your timezone
We're fast approaching the launch of Diablo II Resurrected, and Blizzard would really like everyone to focus on that instead of on its ballooning culture and legal problems. This afternoon, the studio posted a complete run-down of what gamers will need to prepare for the launch, including the game itself, which of course is not […]
Massively OP Podcast Episode 339: Kitchen sinks and the Tao of MMOs
Justin and Bree discuss Guild Wars 2, Funcom, Mortal Online 2, WoW Classic, EverQuest II, Star Trek Online, and Final Fantasy XIV, with adventures in Elder Scrolls Online and SWG Legends, plus mailbag topics on the direction of Guild Wars 2 and WoW and what's going on with LOTRO's dead servers.
New World composers Ramin Djawadi and Brandon Campbell discuss scoring the MMORPG
Somebody go find our resident Battle Bard and Jukebox Hero, Justin: Amazon's just dropped a bunch of music-related goodies ahead of next week's New World launch. "After players ventured through the land of Aeternum in our Alpha and Beta tests, we received an overwhelming positive response to the immersive sound effects and beautiful music those […]
Albion Online's Call to Arms 10 arrives ahead of this weekend's season start
PvP players, you've been called to arms, quite literally, with Albion Online's latest update. Call to Arms Patch 10 has arrived as of today, and it's a bit of a prepatory patch, as it sets the stage for both the next season and the next major expansion. "The Energy Surge Season starts September 25, featuring […]
EverQuest II brings back its (renamed) summer event and kicks off the prelude to Visions of Vetrovia
Panda, Panda, Panda! No, that's not a remake of the film Tora! Tora! Tora! but with adorable fluffy bears; it's the new name for the Days of Summer event in EverQuest II to more accurately reflect the fact that the event primarily features the Hua Mein and Yun Zi. In this year's event, players are […]
Fractured invites MMO players to test its fall alpha starting tomorrow
As we've been covering, indie MMO sandbox Fractured is preparing its big fall alpha phase, which kicks off tomorrow, September 22nd, and runs through October 13th. "The update introduces a number of new abilities, world events, an overhaul of its equipment progression system, and much more," Dynamight Studios says. "The three-week Fall Alpha phase gives […]
Elder Scrolls Online tests Deadlands DLC and new armory system
The big fall release for Elder Scrolls Online is on the way — and is in fact being tested as we speak. ZeniMax announced that Update 23 is on the test server right now for players who want to get an advance look or put the patch through its paces. Update 23 will bring a […]
Guild Wars 2 End of Dragons testers can play with the Vindicator, Bladesworn, Catalyst, and DX11 update now
Hear that hum? It's the distant rumbling of the hype train to Cantha, and it's getting a little bit closer with this week's Guild Wars 2 End of Dragons beta event. As of this afternoon and running through September 25th, Guild Wars 2 players – yes, even freemium players – can log in and roll […]
