The Scream Team: Finding ghosts in Phasmophobia
What's better than a ghost hunt for Halloween? Not much! And since her favorite genre is horror, Massively OP's MJ has found a perfect holiday treat: an online co-op psychological horror. Phasmophobia sounds just perfect for her! She's slipping into the new early access game with friends to collect evidence of the paranormal. Join us […]
Betawatch: Spooky scary Bless Unleashed closed betas
Yes, I know, Bless Unleashed isn't scary… except for the specter of the original Bless that hovers in the background. Oooh, there's a closed beta coming up! Spooky ghost voice! You can get a key for it, if you dare! Did that part do it for you? Nope? Well, that's all we got. Other beta […]
The Yellow King has introduced hardcore mode, Mac and Linux versions, and a new dungeon
Back in February of this year, we reported on the early access release of The Yellow King, a self-described Lovecraftian horror rogue-lite MMO. We figured that there's been more than enough time between then and now for updates, and sure enough, there's updates a-plenty. For a few months, anyway. Some of the headlining updates include […]
Afrofantasy MMORPG The Wagadu Chronicles just funded on Kickstarter for almost $200K
Twin Drums and its fans have done it: The Wagadu Chronicles just fully funded on Kickstarter to the tune of €163,910 (around $191,400 US) thanks to 2,659 backers. Its original ask was $117K US, which it more than exceeded; the Kickstarter funding is meant to increase the development budget and rope in player "feedback and […]
Guild Wars 2 postpones November Steam launch indefinitely to focus on End of Dragons expansion and living world
Just three months ago, ArenaNet told Guild Wars 2 players the game was bound for Steam with full crossplay in November. You might have forgotten that, what with the fact that the studio announced End of Dragons during the same event, and that kinda stole the show. Also it's 2020, so that August event feels […]
Naïca releases a gorgeous pixel art trailer ahead of its equally pixelated open beta
The open beta for Naïca starts on November 10th. We've covered that before, of course, along with all of the things that the game will offer to players even within the limited confines of its open beta scope on the continent of Lazul. But today there's something else to admire ahead of that open beta […]
Book of Travels previews its early access landmass and elaborates on its chapter-based update system
The self-described tiny multiplayer online title Book of Travels is slowly unfurling its plans for early access, and this time around it wants to show you the part of the game's world that will be open once early access — aka "Chapter Zero — kicks off. The area in question is a sizeable chunk of […]
Netdragon's Eudemons Online just hit Steam with a new server and promo
Long-running free-to-play MMO Eudemons Online is following in the footsteps of several other MMOs this year and has set up shop over on Steam. "In this mythic world, you can choose to be a Warrior, a Mage, a Paladin, a Vampire, a Necromancer, a Shadow Knight and a Ranger. Over one hundred distinct Eudemons are […]
The Stream Team: Trick-or-treating in Trove
One of the most iconic parts of Halloween is trick-or-treating. And Massively OP's MJ looks forward to it every year, in all its many forms. In Trove, that just so happens to involve smashing and bashing monsters in dungeons. (Don't try that at home, folks!) Tune in live at 3:00 p.m. as MJ embarks on […]
WoW slots Classic's Naxxramas for December 1, previews Shadowlands' Bastion in new video
If you're looking for big news about World of Warcraft Classic… well you're not likely to get it for a while, in spite of the teasing during last night's investor call. Blizzard's not gonna stomp all over Shadowlands for nothing. But you're definitely going to get some medium news, as Blizzard announced that Naxx will […]
Warframe continues the Great Ensmallening with focus on texture size and visuals
In case you're wondering just what the heck an "ensmallening" is, it's an effort by Warframe to reduce the game's overall file size and improve its performance over the course of three phases. The first phase arrived to PC players in September, and now the next phase is on the horizon for PC players with […]
Ultima Online previews New Legacy's updated weather and climate systems
Back in September, Broadsword announced a bold new initiative for the 23-year-old Ultima Online: It's called New Legacy, and it's essentially a new-player shard with a new ruleset that simplifies and streamlines onboarding for the game. It's not just another fresh start or classic server, and in fact, it's expected to have seasonal timelimits, at […]
The MMO Cartographer: In the Echo of Echo of Soul
How much would you pay to play a game that has been shut down as a free-to-play game and then re-released as a buy-to-play game? Your answer is probably something along the lines of, "Nothing! Why would anyone pay for that? Why does this keep happening?" And that is the correct answer. But for me, […]
Torchlight III adds pet costumes, spooky fort decorations, and legendary items in the newest update
While Torchlight III isn't really going to put on any sort of large-scale social event owing to the fact that it's not an MMO, the multiplayer ARPG still is keen on celebrating the Halloween season with its Gear 'N' Goblins update, which has added a variety of thematically appropriate goodies for players to revel in. […]
Massively-on-the-Go: Gotta cash'em all in Pokemon Go
In the last few editions of the Massively-on-the-Go column, I've been covering the deluge of events and updates Pokemon Go has received quite suddenly (not including recently announced Animation week from Nov 6-12), followed by Mega-Evolution updates looking at how Megas are being used, being perceived by fans, and how Niantic has (not) listened to […]
Judge enforces a Dutch government order for EA to remove FIFA lockboxes or face over $11M in fines
This has been a long and drawn-out battle, so let us review: Back in 2017 when the outrage against lockboxes was at its highest point after EA's flagrant cash grab in Star Wars Battlefront II, the gambling authorities of Belgium and the Netherlands were leading the charge against the practice, outright labeling the scheme as […]
WoW Factor: Shadowlands has a release date… again
I really thought I had written a column when World of Warcraft properly announced the launch date for Shadowlands. Alas, I apparently did not. But I obviously did write about when the expansion was delayed for an indefinite length of time opining about how this was a good thing for the game as a whole, that it could […]
Fallout 76 takes you on a tour of underground player housing
Player housing fanatics already have plenty of freedom in Fallout 76, but it's going to get even better when the Steel Dawn update drops in December. That's because the game's going to be adding instanced underground housing called "shelters" with relaxed building restrictions and a lot more ability to go nuts and create a customized […]
Path of Exile's patch delay stems from lessons learned launching opposite WoW Classic
Earlier this week, Grinding Gear Games told Path of Exile players that it was delaying the release of the 3.13 update and league to January, largely to get the heck out of the way of Cyberpunk 2077's new launch date in December. You, uh, didn't love that decision, apparently, so GGG's Chris Wilson has penned […]
Inside Star Citizen brings back Count Disco to talk new HUD styles and engineer gameplay prototyping
364 days out of the year, Star Citizen's regular video series features creative producer Jared Huckaby talking pretty frankly about the features the team at CIG is working on. On Halloween, however, Huckaby takes on his seasonal alter-ego Count Disco and absolutely yucks it up, and this year's thematic episode of Inside Star Citizen is […]
Lord of the Rings Online is seeking a new senior game producer
The Lord of the Rings Online team is looking to grow by at least one significant role, as Daybreak posted a job listing for Standing Stone Games in search of a senior game producer for the MMORPG. "The Senior Game Producer manages the development and operation of our long-standing Lord of the Rings Online multiplayer […]
The Daily Grind: What does the future of (World of) Warcraft look like?
Usually, Activision-Blizzard investor calls are boring as heck and I wish I didn't have to sit through all the Call of Duty and Candy Crush primping just to hear the Blizzard stuff, especially when some of the news is bad, as it was yesterday with news of Blizzard dropping another 2M MAUs, down 21% in […]
The Stream Team: A night of Dungeons and Dragons Online Night Revels
Night Revels are upon us in DDO, and Massively OP's MJ is ready for the reveling. This year will be the first time the new D&D night group goes through together. (Though MJ hopes the spirit of the previous holiday group will haunt her!) How far will this team make it through the event? Tune […]
Massively Overthinking: Doing crimes and getting punished in MMORPGs
A couple of weeks before Dual Universe's snafu banning beta players for taking advantage of a developer's poorly permissioned structure, I saw the game's founder, J.C. Baillie, posting on Twitter about thievery in MMOs. "Regarding theft in @dualuniverse: the vision is that players should be given ways to retaliate within the game, with player-driven police […]
Closers goes down for maintenance until November 5, TERA Console announces work on a DPS meter
The MMOs Formerly Associated with Bluehole, aka TERA Console and Closers (seriously, it's a bit of a Gordian knot, which we've helped cut through for you), have had a couple of important updates recently that we want to share with you. We'll start with Closers, which has officially gone down for extended maintenance until Thursday, […]
Final Fantasy XI starts a new series of winter campaigns on November 11
Winter is coming in Final Fantasy XI. Wait, sorry, that's not quite right; winter is coming in the real world, and that's being reflected with the new winter campaigns FFXI is kicking off on November 11th. This starts with the time-honored tradition of increasing the drop rate for seals and crests, as well as adding new spoils to […]
Activision-Blizzard Q3 2020: Blizzard MAUs fell to 30M as overall ActiBlizz revenues hold steady
It's time for another round of Activision-Blizzard financials as today covers Q3 2020. It's been a weird couple of years for the company as 2019 saw mass layoffs, the Blitzchung boycott, a weak BlizzCon, and plunging YOY revenues for five straight quarters in May 2019, August 2019, November 2019, February 2020, and May 2020. Q1 […]
Apex Legends Season 7 brings a new map, new character, its first vehicle, and its Steam launch
The newest season of Apex Legends is fast approaching, and with it comes a whole bunch of new things for fans of the shooter to enjoy: a new floating city map known as Olympus, a new character by the name of Horizon who has the ability to control gravity, and the introduction of the shooter's […]
Netmarble's mobile TERA Origin to close down in Japan
Oh you can give me all the big wet lavender anime eyes you want, banner girl, but your game is doomed. DOOMED, I say! The doom in question here is heading toward TERA Origin, a mobile spin-off of the TERA franchise that you probably never knew even existed. Netmarble got the rights to develop the […]
Pathfinder Online adds new structures for Combat Alchemists and rebalances an Escalation
When I saw the words "Combat Alchemist" in the latest patch notes for Pathfinder Online, I immediately brought to mind someone charging into battle furiously stirring a cauldron of ingredients to throw at their foes. Obviously that's not the case, but the update does have something new for Combat Alchemists in the form of three […]
The Elder Scrolls Online details the challenges and rewards of the Vateshran Hollows
Facing off against deadly foes in single combat, traversing new landscapes, and earning your way to improved rewards. That might sound familiar to players of The Elder Scrolls Online, but the developers promise that the Vateshran Hollows from the upcoming Markarth DLC isn't just the Maelstrom Arena in a new form. While the nature of the […]
The Stream Team: Halloween happenings in Lord of the Rings Online
With the Haunted Burrow and an entire Halloween zone, LOTRO really is one of the best places to spend the spooky holiday. Add in being a Hobbit, and you know it's the best! Massively OP's MJ is reveling in the Middle-earth revelry. Join us live at 2:00 p.m. for hauntings in… What: Lord of the […]
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands will launch November 23
All right, let's give this a shot one more time. World of Warcraft: Shadowlands now has a release date… you know, again. On November 23rd, players will be starting their trips into the afterlife, forming relationships with Covenants, investing in Soulbinds, and possibly singing "Holiday Road" while dancing among the fields of the dead souls littering these […]
Desert Oasis: Is Black Desert's lore actually a time-travel narrative?
In the last edition of Desert Oasis, I wrote about an absolutely dismal week in Black Desert that ultimately ended with my taking a sabbatical from the game's endless grind. But despite my break, I'm still playing the game at much more leisurely pace — stopping and smelling the roses, as they say. But as […]
Diablo II creator David Brevik promises multiplayer 'very soon' for ARPG It Lurks Below
It Lurks Below, the current solo project of Diablo II and Marvel Heroes mastermind David Brevik, has seen a lot of improvement since its early access launch back in 2018. A massive Badlands update last year added playable Orcs and multi-classing, and Halloween has even come to the 2-D action RPG this year. But there's […]
Perfect Ten: 10 MMOs that you can play on the Nintendo Switch
Nintendo hasn't held the title of "serious gamer console" in a while, with specs that lack the sheer graphical and processing muscles of the Xbox and PlayStation. Yet it's always surprised the gaming community at large by being incredibly popular and including a lot more titles than one might have thought. Titles like MMOs and […]
Anthem offers a look at Javelin skill trees, build customization, and Artifacts in a dev blog
It's been some time since the last dev blog came out of the rebooting Anthem, but BioWare studio director Christian Dailey is back with a fresh post that's all about customizing your Javelin by way of skill trees, mods, and Artifacts. Effectively, Mods and Artifact slots will be replacing Components, while all characters will have […]
Vague Patch Notes: The wax and wane of MMOs and genres
I started writing for Massively-that-was in October of 2009. That was 11 years ago. Oh… oh my word, no, that was so long ago. More than a decade. I have been doing this job for too long. My life is pointless and meaningless, this is a nightmare, how do I get out of this horror show […]
EVE Online's World War Bee 2 refreshed its hold over two Guinness World Records
It's officially official: EVE Online broke another Guinness World Record. Two of them, in fact, and it already held them, but now it holds them both even harder thanks to the ongoing World War Bee 2 conflict that players have been waging for the last four months. It's renewed its claim over the titles for […]
Final Fantasy XVI launches a website with lore details and a message from producer Naoki Yoshida
So we still don't know whether the upcoming Final Fantasy XVI is going to have anything like multiplayer in it, hence why it's still peripherally in our wheelhouse. We do know that Final Fantasy XIV director Naoki Yoshida will be producer for the title, we know that it's coming to PS5, and now we know […]
Grab a Bless Unleashed Steam PC closed beta key from Round8 and MOP!
Bless Unleashed has rolled out to Xbox One and PS4 over the course of 2020, and now, the franchise is making its way back to PC one more time with the start of its Steam closed beta test next week. "Steam CBT is officially beginning on November 5! The CBT will run for 5 days […]
Path of Exile pushed its 3.13 patch to January to dodge Cyberpunk 2077's launch
Grinding Gear Games isn't playing any games with the launch of Path of Exile's next league: The New Zealand studio just flat-out delayed it to make sure it won't be wrecked by Cyberpunk 2077's new date. "Yesterday, CD Projekt Red announced that Cyberpunk 2077 will now be released on December 10," GGG wrote last night. […]
The Daily Grind: What non-MMO games scratch an MMO itch for you?
Genshin Impact is multiplayer, but it skews closer to a single-player game during much of the moment-to-moment gameplay. However, I still find that to a certain extent it scratches the same itch as MMORPGs do. Between daily resets and challenges, the whole Battle Pass feature, and many elements of its leveling and structure… it's not […]
The Stream Team: Black Desert brings Halloween to Florin
Black Desert Online's Halloween quests in Florin have started today, and Massively OP's MJ is eager to participate. It appears a curse has turned villagers into dolls! Other mysteries also abound, and there is also a holiday shop full of goodies as well. And what's this about Mischievous Jack? Tune in live at 9:00 p.m. […]
PSA: Astellia Online is handing out seven-day codes to try it out for free
Have you been curious to try out Astellia Online especially after it showed off its pretty new upcoming region? Well you're in luck, as one of the game's community managers has slapped a coupon code for seven free days of play time on the official forums (which, incidentally, is also on the game's home page), […]
Lineage 2 Revolution's Anthara's Rage 'expansion pack' brings new scenarios, characters, and content over the next three months
We're in the age when MMOs forget what an expansion pack is, apparently, and while Lineage 2 Revolution is calling its next content releases an "expansion pack," it's also at least three months' worth of content instead of… well, you know. The so-called expansion pack is called Anthara's Rage and it promises original scenarios, characters, […]
Black Desert Mobile kicks off Halloween, Black Desert PC adds more Halloween, naval fame, and a new horse
It's double the seasonal fun in both Black Desert and Black Desert Mobile as the Halloween season comes to the mobile edition and the spooky festivities continue to roll on for PC players. We'll start with mobile, which features GM Spooky visiting in-game locations to hand out seasonal quests for goodies like a Halloween ornament […]
The Wagadu Chronicles adds one last stretch goal with just about two days left on the clock
There's no longer a question mark about the funding target for Afro-fantasy MMO The Wagadu Chronicles on Kickstarter; that happened ages ago, and the project has subsequently blown past one stretch goal after another. With just about 55 hours remaining on the project as of this writing, the developers have put forth one last stretch goal […]
Elder Scrolls Online: Update 28's 'stickerbook' and washing ya damn hands
When The Elder Scrolls Online's Markarth DLC launches next week, the free update 28 launches along with it, and one of its tentpole features is the item set collection system, which has now been profiled in a dev blog on the official site. "With Update 28's Item Set Collection system, you can add almost all […]
Atlas Reactor spinoff title Atlas Rogues now has a trailer to enjoy
The presence of Atlas Rogues – a roguelite spinoff of the sadly defunct Atlas Reactor based on what was apparently an early prototype – is the sort of story you'd have a hard time believing if it didn't already get announced. But it's true, this is a thing that's happening, and the latest press release announcing the […]
