The MOP Up: Genshin Impact puts on a global concert
There's no doubt among fans that Genshin Impact has an amazing soundtrack, so there should be a whole lot of people happy to hear that Maestro Dirk Brossé and the Flanders Symphony Orchestra is putting on a global concert with the score on October 3rd. "The concert will feature Genshin Impact music originally composed and […]
Aura Kingdom's 80th patch introduces The Whipmaster
Gamigo's been busy this week, just not in the games our readers likely wish were getting love. Aura Kingdom has patched in with the studio is calling a "major update" as of yesterday, the game's 80th patch, which rolls out new dungeons, a new mode for Gaia Sanctuary, a touch-up for PvP, and a new […]
The Stream Team: Opening fire on facehuggers and zapping xenomorphs in Aliens Fireteam Elite
The time has come to join the fireteam and try to battle back the xenomorph menace as MOP's Chris heads into Aliens: Fireteam Elite to see what this multiplayer co-op shooter has to offer. The bug blasting starts today at 12:00 p.m. EDT! What: Aliens: Fireteam Elite Who: Chris Neal When: 12:00 p.m. EST on […]
Warframe's latest dev stream highlights the Ghoulsaw weapon, Nidus Prime, and update 30.7 features
Warframe has held yet another info-filled developer livestream that offers a number of interesting previews for fans of the multiplayer action title. Most of the stream focused on a variety of things coming in update 30.7, which will include the return of the Plague Star event that will let players put together the Ghoulsaw weapon, […]
One Shots: Fantasy updrafting
The way I see it, MMORPGs encourage us past our timidity and fear to be bold. So fight that dragon! Get a selfie with an angry skeleton! And jump off a cliff while putting full faith that your fantasy wings will compensate for that extra bagel you had for breakfast! Hikari is soaring above yet […]
The Daily Grind: What inspires you to try an MMO again?
Working around MMOs means that you have a certain amount of impetus and opportunity to try out games you played in the past, often including games that you thought were a bit lackluster before. My personal feelings toward The Elder Scrolls Online, for example, were changed from the game I'd played just before launch; when […]
Massively on the Go: Tricks abound in Pokemon Go for September and Season of Mischief
And you thought Christmas was bad! We're getting ready for Halloween already in Pokemon Go, and not just for the monthly events. The new season starts September 1st, and the Season of Mischief reveal, which was more visual than usual, laid out plans for Mischief Pokemon Hoopa to start off the three month season on […]
Halo Infinite's head of creative explains why gameplay previews weren't available at Gamescom
If you were following along on our Gamescom Opening Night coverage and are a fan or follower of the shooter Halo Infinite, you probably note that the game only had that cinematic introduction to its campaign but no actual gameplay. That's because the devs at 343 Industries are heads-down working to make the game's December […]
Lord of the Rings Online's super-speedy progression server moves into Moria on September 1
After just two months of blitzing through Shadows of Angmar content, Lord of the Rings Online's Shadowfax legendary server will unlock the Mines of Moria expansion on September 1st. Shadowfax was launched alongside its slower cousin Treebeard back on June 30th. The plan for this server was always to offer both faster leveling and expansion […]
New World tells of the sad history of its zombies and phantasms
"Not alive. Certainly not dead. Their existence is a constant agony." No, we're not talking about Waffle House employees here, but rather the Lost of New World. In a new lore video, Amazon explains how a magical fog that flows around the game's island has kept some people living long, long past their expiration date. […]
The Game Archaeologist: Jeff Butler on EverQuest, EverQuest Next, and Vanguard
As an MMO historian, I have to applaud the work of former SOE developer Shawn Lord in his huge interview series with the people who worked on these titles. A recent three-hour beast of a video caught our attention as Lord interviewed Jeff Butler on a wide range of MMOs, including EverQuest, Vanguard, and EverQuest […]
Guild Wars 2 teases next End of Dragons elite spec reveal, promises more info on skiffs
It's telling how hungry Guild Wars 2 fans are for more information about End of Dragons that a silhouette of a kneeling figure clutching a broadsword is sending them into a speculative frenzy. Apparently, this will be the next elite spec revealed for the expansion, and everyone's trying to figure out in advance what it […]
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 […]
