Massively of the Go: Pokemon Go's April events bring snakes, trash, and mysteries
Pokemon Go's St. Patrick's Day "had no effect" on at least one snake: Snivy! But fortunatelt, the Gen 5 pokemon is getting its own Community Day April 11th, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time. Frenzy Plant doesn't really do much to make its final evolution stand out in PvE or PvP unless you're […]
The Stream Team: Celebrating seven years of SMITE
SMITE commemorates its seventh birthday today, and Massively OP's MJ is ready to celebrate with the gods! And the fact that pets are invited makes it all the better. Part of the festivities is the new Talons of Tyranny event, which includes pet skins of fluffy kitties and pups. Obviously there is no way for […]
Spellbreak is adding 5v5 point control mode, ranked match league, and 12 weeks of story quests in April 8 update
There's a new chapter coming to the spell-shooting battle royale title Spellbreak, and this time it's bringing a new mode that isn't another variation on battle royale. Chapter 2: The Fracture is headlined with Dominion mode, a 5v5 point control battle where teams accrue points for keeping control of three different zones and taking down […]
Path of Exile will showcase its April 16 Ultimatum expansion and Path of Exile 2 in April 8 livestream
It's almost time once more for another round of expansion hype for Path of Exile. Developer Grinding Gear Games has put out an announcement of an announcement in trailer form, confirming that the game's soon to come Ultimatum expansion will be detailed in a livestream on April 8th. Players can look forward to new content […]
Elder Scrolls Online has three weeks of events planned thanks to its 7th birthday and April Fools'
It's hard to believe that almost seven years ago, Elder Scrolls Online finally lurched out of the gates into the hands of PC players. Though that launch was rocky, the game has come such a very long way in terms of quality and popularity, winning multiple awards from our staff and readers since then. So […]
ArcheAge's Akasch Invasion patch is live with the new Gunslinger skillset
As promised, ArcheAge and ArcheAge Unchained are getting a blast of new content today in the form of the Akasch Invasion. "With the new update Akasch Invasion, gamigo's online role-playing world of ArcheAge will receive a new ranged skillset, a breathtaking new zone with lore packed quests, and a challenging new raid that requires all factions […]
So, how did Magic Legends' soft launch go?
PWE's Magic Legends has been out in the wilds of soft launch open beta for two days now, so it's time for a check-in. And you know the Community gif with Donald Glover and the pizza and the fire? Yeah, the Reddit looks about like that right now. Multiple members of our own staff have […]
Desert Oasis: The problem with Black Desert's season servers – and how to fix it
Black Desert's had some exceptional growth over the past year. What I've always liked about this game is that it's never tried to be what it's not. It's always been a grindy MMORPG where killing mobs is the primary way of getting stronger. So most of its major content updates include more grindspots and better […]
Grab a Mortal Online 2 key for this weekend's beta stress test!
So, who wants to play some Mortal Online 2 beta this weekend? Yep, the folks behind MMO sandbox Mortal Online have been working on Mortal Online 2 for the past year and change, and now, studio Starvault is finally ready for a big ol' stress test, which means it wants you! "The purpose of this […]
Vague Patch Notes: The fine art of shutting yourself up (so you can enjoy MMOs again)
This week, an unusual thing happened to me: I didn't really want to write this column. This may not sound all that unusual to you, but I assure you it is unusual. I enjoy my job for the most part (every so often there's something more depressing to write about and those days are less fun), […]
Final Fantasy XIV updates its Death Unto Dawn preview site with images and lore teasers
The next patch for Final Fantasy XIV is approaching quickly on April 13th, and players already have some new things to chew on from the latest update to the special preview site for the patch. A batch of new screenshots have just been uploaded along with previews of the next bits of the main story and […]
Star Citizen adds the Tumbril Cyclone MT to patch 3.13, puts ships on the back burner as players map out future tech updates
Patch 3.13 of Star Citizen is just around the corner (maybe), with the current roadmap outlining features like Stanton system polish, mining sub-components, new delivery missions, and a reputation UI among other updates. Another item has been recently added to the list: the arrival of the Tumbril Cyclone MT, a version of the Cyclone ground […]
Elder Scrolls Online sends a clean-up crew to the Flames of Ambition dungeons
Just because a dungeon is all new and sparkly doesn't mean that it's at its best. After all, any MMORPG veteran knows that the freshest content is usually the buggiest — and in the most need of developer attention. And so it is with Elder Scrolls Online's first DLC of the year, Flames of Ambition. […]
Lord of the Rings Online publishes post-Wildwood fixes, struggles with customer service slowdown
If every content update for an MMO is the star of the stage, than the inevitable follow-up bundle of fixes is the understudy waiting in the wings. After last week's Wildwood release, Lord of the Rings Online is putting out Update 29.0.1 to squash bugs and revert a UI animation change. Also, a cameo from […]
The Daily Grind: Which MMO has your favorite combat animations?
When the time comes, almost every MMO has a moment when it's time for you to start cracking heads instead of chatting and socializing. Some games feature almost nothing else, others treat combat only as a measure of last resort. But today, the question isn't about the mechanics of fighting things but the visuals. It's about how […]
The Stream Team: LOTRO puts a spring (festival) in your step
Spring is here, and that means so is the spring festival in LOTRO, and Massively OP's MJ welcomes both the season and the celebration. She's eager to check out the new things, including a new festival boss at the Bee's Big Business. Join us live at 8:00 p.m. to add a spring festival to your […]
Multiplayer survival shooter Generation Zero teases base building and base defense in April 27 update
It was only a matter of time before those pesky human survivors in multiplayer survival FPS Generation Zero got all organized and started harboring thoughts about resisting their robot invaders. The game's next major update, which is being appropriately called Resistance, is arriving to PC, PS4, and Xbox One players on Tuesday, April 27th. Other […]
Fall Guys serves up new courses, four-player mode, and '80s neon kitsch in latest season
It's time to see if you're a true survivor. The newest season for multiplayer platformer royale Fall Guys is officially live, and it's got all of the '80s neo-futuristic styling you could handle, with a wide variety of thematic cosmetics and seven new neon-soaked obstacle courses including Hoverboard Heroes, Short Circuit, and Power Trip. In […]
Trove's Crack the Court update is live with a new delve biome, hovercycles, and UI mod tweaks
If you follow Gamigo's Trove social media, you've been watching the studio chatter about Cracking the Court all week as it was put through its paces on the PTS – but now the update is live for everyone. Crack the Court is essentially a brand-new delve-centric biome based on the existing Fae Wilds tilesets. Players […]
Whatever happened to Riders of Icarus?
Riders of Icarus launched in 2016 as a rather unique title chiefly due to its mount and pet mechanics that gave everyone tameable, usable mounts that served as both transportation and companions. Despite that and its graphical flair, the game has had a somewhat turbulent history, and it appears to have gone into a somewhat […]
Atlas decides to ignore themes, plans multiple maps, ship customization, and Wonders building for summer
Remember back when the devs of Atlas admitted that the piratical survival sandbox was missing a strong overall theme? Well it would appear that concerns over theming are being tossed aside according to one of the answers in the game's latest community Q&A. "We are planning to lean into things we have and reinforce them […]
SMITE marks its seventh anniversary with a four month-long event, new battle pass, and 15 days of gifts
It's the seventh birthday of SMITE, and that means a whole lot of partying going on in the MOBA. The headline attraction of the game's anniversary is the four month-long Talons of Tyranny event that features purchasable skins, a variety of new quests, and the transforming Forgotten Gods Chacc skin as a collections reward. On […]
RuneScape eyes March 29 for its next update as account repairs continue, OSRS introduces a fishing skill boss
RuneScape continues to wrestle with its weeks-long repair of accounts after the MMORPG's login servers had a spectacular meltdown that has forced Jagex to delay its usual weekly update cadence and roll forward with a so-called Account Integrity Beta. On the subject of the next update, that's been rescheduled once more to Monday, March 29th, […]
Fallout 76's Q&A session talks about social features, pets, and field trips
A yearly forecast is always good for some renewed excitement, and Fallout 76 is taking advantage of any and all eyeballs on its post-apocalyptic offerings by answering follow-up questions from the community. Tuesday's Reddit AMA mainly focused on filling in gaps left with the 2021 roadmap. The studio team hinted at more server settings for […]
Elite Dangerous has an estimated 500K monthly active players according to stockbroker report
It's no secret that an expansion's announcement is generally a driving force for bringing players into MMOs and multiplayer games, and that certainly appears to be the case for Elite: Dangerous, which is reportedly experiencing some strong monthly active player counts — an estimated 500K of them, to be exact. The numbers come from a […]
Black Desert cancels spring season server, plans 'growth server' for newbies instead
There's a ton of Black Desert PC info rolling out this afternoon. First up: Seasons are about to go away for spring break, literally. With the conclusion of the winter season on March 31st, Olvia toons will become regular toons and Olvia will convert to a special server for newbies and returnees, intended to help […]
Choose My Adventure: What Wizard101 taught me about 'kiddie' MMOs
My brief time in Wizard101 has pointed out to me a rather deep-seated assumption I had held about the game. Granted, I had said before that the game obviously was doing something right considering it has what looks to be an active and dedicated playerbase, but seeing something advertised and talked about as something "for […]
Former Daybreak and H1Z1 vets Anthony Castoro and Jace Hall raise $9M for a 'genre-defining metaverse'
The last time we heard the name Jace Hall, it was just about two years ago, when the version of H1Z1 esports he was heading up for Daybreak was on fire over a collapsing playerbase, imploding league, staff layoffs, the bizarre Daybreak ownership fibs, and allegations of financial shenanigans. In the tumult, Hall stepped down […]
Perfect Ten: The wide umbrella of MMOs and online gaming subgenres
Let's be realistic here, "MMO" as a term covers a whole lot of different game styles. I know this is a particular topic that I've touched on before, but the reality is that the whole reason behind calling a game specifically an MMO is that it allows for a whole lot of different games to […]
Final Fantasy XIV's Naoki Yoshida talks about the importance of consoles and story fatigue in new interview
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is bringing an end to the story of Hydaelyn and Zodiark, the central narrative that's run through the game from relaunch until now. (This would be why the title is Endwalker and not Spinning-our-wheels-walker.) Why end it now? In a new interview on Gamesradar, producer and director Naoki Yoshida likens it to dealing […]
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Classic datamining reveals group finder and collector's edition perks
Is the beta for the first WoW Classic expansion live yet? Yes! Really, people can log in and try out The Burning Crusade all over again. That means datamining has started up, and while players are finding that the leveling appears to be slower than normal, the dataminers are finding new strings related to automatic matching within […]
SWTOR's Dark Descent live on the PTS with its first galactic season – and it's got a new companion
Last week, BioWare took the wraps off Star Wars The Old Republic's 6.3 update, The Dark Descent, which is slated for "spring 2021." And now, you can go muck around in it yourself, as it's dropped on the PTS in all its glory. As we previously covered, the update is notable for its new Flashpoint, […]
Ex-World of Warcraft dev Chris Metzen is making a new Dungeons & Dragons world
World of Warcraft fans who miss seeing the wild and fuzzy face of Chris Metzen are granted visiting privileges this week to check out what the former MMO lead is up to these days. After founding a new company called Warchief Gaming last year, Metzen finally announced his first post-WoW project: a Dungeons & Dragons […]
The Daily Grind: When's the last time you felt pleasantly lost in an MMO?
I've been reading a lot of player analysis about what WoW Classic offers that retail doesn't, and several times I've seen the sentiment that gamers enjoy not having explicit directions or omnipresent travel options at their fingertips. The phrase I saw that stuck with me was when one player said that she felt "pleasantly lost" […]
The Stream Team: Blasting to the past through EverQuest II's Chronoportals
Sure sure, there's still an expansion to play through in EQII, but how is Massively OP's MJ supposed to pull herself away from all the annual live events? And here's yet another: For one week, Norrathians of the second kind get to celebrate life as a Norrathian of the first kind. We're talking EQII's special […]
Nintendo taps Niantic for more mobile MMOARGs, starting with Pikmin
Niantic's best-performing AR game is based on a game IP, so it won't surprise you that Nintendo's tapped Niantic specifically to make more mobile AR games. As with The Pokemon Company venture, Niantic will be handling a PKMN game, this one called Pikmin, a colorful Nintendo IP about a tiny man using alien creatures to […]
WoW Classic's Burning Crusade beta has finally begun
After a false start yesterday, it's finally go time for World of Warcraft Classic's march to The Burning Crusade. Blizzard opened the doors for the beta today, meaning the first opt-in beta testers should be getting their invites and downloads now. The Burning Crusade Classic beta test has begun! Over the course of the test, […]
Five pioneering game titles that laid the groundwork for MMORPGs
The easy (and tired) joke to make is that WoW was the first MMO, but there were plenty of ambitious multiplayer games that predate even Ultima Online and EverQuest. In fact, readers of our own Game Archaeologist know the list of proto MMOs is long indeed, and now some of them have been outlined in […]
Massively OP Podcast Episode 314: Blizzard's a hot mess
Justin and Bree discuss LOTRO's Wildwood, Astellia, SWTOR's next big thing, Magic Legends, and the Activision-Blizzard layoffs, with adventures in WoW Classic, Elder Scrolls Online, SWG Legends, and City of Heroes, plus mailbag topics on the hot mess known as Blizzard.
Diablo III brings a host of follower improvements with March 30 update, kicks off Season 23 on April 2
Having someone follow you around the Hell-blasted landscapes of Diablo III is getting a lot different (and hopefully a lot better) with the arrival of the next update, which will bring a host of previously detailed follower revamps to the live game on Tuesday, March 30th, followed shortly after by Season 23 on Friday, April […]
TERA's console version is adding the Elin Valkyrie on March 25
The next patch for the console version of TERA is only a couple of days away, and it brings with it the option to make your Valkyrie into an Elin. No, really, you can just change your race if you want to with a race change voucher. Or you can make a new Elin Valkyrie. We're […]
Elite Dangerous YouTuber is denied free access to Odyssey's alpha due to 'offensive' content
There are a number of YouTube content creators that have hitched their wagons to Elite: Dangerous. One of them is a YouTuber by the name of Yamiks, whose videos about the game very frequently enter NSFW realms in terms of language and references. It's, ultimately, for this reason that he was bluntly denied a free […]
New World alpha teases its overhauled quest design as AGS expands to Canada
When New World shifted its design balance from being less about PvP to more about PvE last year, many MMO gamers worried about the content: Could Amazon Games pump in enough PvE questing to make it play more like a traditional MMO? When the game launches this summer, we're going to find out for sure, […]
Magic Legends has soft launched into open beta, bringing Magic the Gathering to PC fans
PWE and Cryptic's Magic the Gathering game has been delayed and demoted from its original MMORPG status over the years, but now it's finally here, as the studios are officially soft-launching it as Magic Legends today, Neverwinter-style with a free-to-play open beta. "Today, Perfect World Entertainment, a leading publisher of online games, and Cryptic Studios […]
Rumor: Sony is getting rid of the PlayStation 3, PSP, and Vita stores this year
If there are digital games you've always wanted to get for your now-older PlayStation 3… now might be the right time to do it. A report from The Gamer claims that the digital stores for the PlayStation 3, the PSP, and the PSP Vita will all be shuttered this year according to anonymous internal sources. […]
Flameseeker Chronicles: Lessons Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons can learn from previous expansions
Any expansion announcement for any MMO is always a cause for excitement, but it's been four years since Guild Wars 2 shipped a new expansion, so the announcement of End of Dragons is especially worth celebrating. Can you believe that more time will have passed between the launch of Path of Fire and the launch […]
Ship of Heroes talks up new missions and locations, plans its next open beta event for April or May
The next couple of months could potentially be very interesting ones for followers of the in-development superheroic MMORPG Ship of Heroes. The devs at Heroic Games have put out an update post about their summer plans, which include details about missions, some new location previews, and word of the game's next beta event. Missions are […]
Casually Classic: How World of Warcraft made bad graphics look good
When I returned to World of Warcraft Classic in 2019, I steeled myself to be vastly underwhelmed by the visuals. I'm not a graphics snob, particularly with MMOs, but I know that I had gotten used to the ever-increasing polygon count of retail WoW and how lush and good-looking that client had become. It was […]
Guild Wars 2 nerfs meta-achievement requirements, calling it 'prohibitively costly'
Good news to those of you who have been beating your head against the meta-achievement grind for the Icebrood Saga's Champions chapter in Guild Wars 2 — your life is about to get a whole lot more easy. ArenaNet admitted that the former requirement for players to finish all collections for the meta-achievement was "prohibitively […]
Discord is rumored to be in negotiations for a potential $10 billion sale to Microsoft
Remember when Discord servers weren't basically the foundation of every single video game community online? Those were good times. It also meant that people would be less worried about the news that Discord is apparently in discussions for a potential sale for $10 billion to Microsoft, although the reports on whether or not that's likely […]
