https://massivelyop.com MMORPG news and opinions Sun, 16 Apr 2023 20:27:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.1 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/16/mmo-week-in-review-lotros-character-customization-expansion/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/16/mmo-week-in-review-lotros-character-customization-expansion/#respond Mon, 17 Apr 2023 00:00:51 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=435771 Lord of the Rings Online characters will soon be able to adopt a whole new look as Standing Stone Games announced this week that it’s expanding character customization rather dramatically, with a much wider range of faces, hairstyles, skin tones, eye colors, body types, and discrete sliders for all sorts of body parts…. for humans, […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/16/mmo-week-in-review-lotros-character-customization-expansion/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/09/mmo-week-in-review-new-world-apparently-evaded-amazon-games-layoffs/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/09/mmo-week-in-review-new-world-apparently-evaded-amazon-games-layoffs/#respond Mon, 10 Apr 2023 00:05:50 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=434778 Amazon Games was the latest victim of the broader Amazon corporation’s latest round of mass layoffs this week, specifically the San Diego branch whose top office John Smedley vacated earlier this year. Curiously, Amazon Games’ VP says that “the New World team in Irvine will grow as [execs] shift some resources to further support its […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/09/mmo-week-in-review-new-world-apparently-evaded-amazon-games-layoffs/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/02/mmo-week-in-review-super-adventure-box-season/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/02/mmo-week-in-review-super-adventure-box-season/#respond Mon, 03 Apr 2023 00:00:34 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=433545 April Fools’ Day is more like April Fools’ Week in MMOs, and nowhere is it more elaborate than in Guild Wars 2, which reopened Super Adventure Box this week – with a tease for a new map after years of waiting. Meanwhile, E3 skidded to a hard cancel, we peeked in on Diablo IV’s second […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/04/02/mmo-week-in-review-super-adventure-box-season/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/26/mmo-week-in-review-carn-dum-diablo-iv-and-ccps-blockchain-gamble/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/26/mmo-week-in-review-carn-dum-diablo-iv-and-ccps-blockchain-gamble/#respond Mon, 27 Mar 2023 00:00:41 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=432580 With Blizzard’s Diablo IV open beta wrapping up tomorrow, the multiplayer world is certainly wrapped up in excitement and/or queues; our own previewers found the experience a bit of a mixed bag. On the MMORPG front, we were treated to Lord of the Rings Online’s Return to Carn Dûm update, speculation on a WoW Classic […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/26/mmo-week-in-review-carn-dum-diablo-iv-and-ccps-blockchain-gamble/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/19/mmo-week-in-review-diablo-iv-will-see-you-in-hell/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/19/mmo-week-in-review-diablo-iv-will-see-you-in-hell/#comments Mon, 20 Mar 2023 00:00:10 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=431594 Diablo IV rolled into its paid beta this weekend, stuttering with queue and performance issues that Blizzard rushed to amend. We’ll have two impressions pieces coming this week, so stay tuned! Meanwhile, Elder Scrolls Online launched the Scribes of Fate DLC, Star Citizen continued its server struggles, and we remembered WildStar and RIFT. Read on to […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/19/mmo-week-in-review-diablo-iv-will-see-you-in-hell/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/12/mmo-week-in-review-finding-wayfinder-farewelling-ghostcrawler/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/12/mmo-week-in-review-finding-wayfinder-farewelling-ghostcrawler/#respond Mon, 13 Mar 2023 00:00:55 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=430322 While its NDA remains in place, multiplayer co-op title Wayfinder did let media and players take a peek behind the curtain this week, and we interviewed the Airship Syndicate team from an MMO player’s perspective, poking at the group size, customization, and monetization systems that have MMO players curious. Meanwhile, Greg Street departed Riot and […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/12/mmo-week-in-review-finding-wayfinder-farewelling-ghostcrawler/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/05/mmo-week-in-review-returning-to-cantha/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/05/mmo-week-in-review-returning-to-cantha/#comments Mon, 06 Mar 2023 01:15:39 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=429588 The first episode of Guild Wars 2’s post-End-of-Dragons not-a-living-story season rolled out this week, sending players back to Cantha with the crew to solve a mystery in Gyala Delve. Meanwhile, Destiny 2’s Lightfall expansion released, we got a look at upcoming MMO sandbox Pax Dei, Bless Global failed its Steam crypto racket, and we explored […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/03/05/mmo-week-in-review-returning-to-cantha/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2023/02/26/mmo-week-in-review-throne-liberty-new-worlds-seasons-and-a-pile-of-mmo-birthdays/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/02/26/mmo-week-in-review-throne-liberty-new-worlds-seasons-and-a-pile-of-mmo-birthdays/#comments Mon, 27 Feb 2023 01:05:44 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=428431 Amazon made two huge announcements that stole the MMO show this week: First, it’s publishing NCsoft’s Throne & Liberty in the west, and second, it’s converting New World into a seasonal MMO with the Fellowship and Fire update launching in late March. Meanwhile, players are celebrating loads of anniversaries right now for RIFT, Dungeons and […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/02/26/mmo-week-in-review-throne-liberty-new-worlds-seasons-and-a-pile-of-mmo-birthdays/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2023/02/19/mmo-week-in-review-up-tempo-guild-wars-2/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/02/19/mmo-week-in-review-up-tempo-guild-wars-2/#respond Mon, 20 Feb 2023 01:00:29 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=427351 ArenaNet surprised fans this week with the announcement that it’s essentially retiring the concept of Guild Wars 2’s living world seasons going forward, switching instead to quarterly updates with smaller but more frequent expansions – and if you saw the NCsoft’s financials over the last year, you’ll immediately understand why the studios want to start […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/02/19/mmo-week-in-review-up-tempo-guild-wars-2/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/02/12/mmo-week-in-review-blizzards-bewildering-business-briefing/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/02/12/mmo-week-in-review-blizzards-bewildering-business-briefing/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2023 01:00:46 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=426456 Blizzard dominated headlines this week as Blizzard counted its best quarter for monthly active players across all of its online games since it started reporting MAUs back in 2018, along with spiking revenues, largely thanks to Overwatch 2, or so we are left to assume without a breakdown. The studio did acknowledge that World of […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/02/12/mmo-week-in-review-blizzards-bewildering-business-briefing/feed/ 6 https://massivelyop.com/2023/02/05/mmo-week-in-review-ffxivs-cheaters-ncsofts-layoffs/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/02/05/mmo-week-in-review-ffxivs-cheaters-ncsofts-layoffs/#respond Mon, 06 Feb 2023 01:45:09 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=425545 Cheaters did their best to spoil this week in MMOs as Final Fantasy XIV was ensnared by a scandal over players using forbidden plugins to claim a world first title. The quarrel spilled over into the broader MMO community and prompted frustration from Yoshi-P – and punishment for the perpetrators. Meanwhile, we checked in on […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/02/05/mmo-week-in-review-ffxivs-cheaters-ncsofts-layoffs/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/01/29/mmo-week-in-review-necrom-refractions-and-blizzards-latest-blunder/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/01/29/mmo-week-in-review-necrom-refractions-and-blizzards-latest-blunder/#respond Mon, 30 Jan 2023 01:00:47 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=424369 Elder Scrolls Online kicked off the end of January with its reveal of Shadow Over Morrowind, the Necrom chapter, and the Scribes of Fate DLC. Meanwhile, Blizzard’s rep took another massive dent with the unjust ousting of WoW Classic’s Brian Birmingham, Star Trek Online released its Refractions update, and Dungeons & Dragons Online announced a […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/01/29/mmo-week-in-review-necrom-refractions-and-blizzards-latest-blunder/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/01/22/mmo-week-in-review-the-netease-blizzard-fireworks-show/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/01/22/mmo-week-in-review-the-netease-blizzard-fireworks-show/#respond Mon, 23 Jan 2023 01:00:06 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=423383 World of Warcraft players got an extra dose of fireworks for Lunar New Year this week as NetEase clapped back at Blizzard, which apparently offered to extend the Chinese WoW license at the very last minute and then pouted when NetEase said no, having already laid off the team and destroyed its Warcraft orc statue. […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/01/22/mmo-week-in-review-the-netease-blizzard-fireworks-show/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/01/15/mmo-week-in-review-ffxiv-6-3-smed-and-the-end-of-the-repopulation/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/01/15/mmo-week-in-review-ffxiv-6-3-smed-and-the-end-of-the-repopulation/#respond Mon, 16 Jan 2023 01:00:32 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=422500 Final Fantasy XIV’s Gods Revel, Lands Tremble released this week, introducing a new dungeon, trials, storyline, and island sanctuary expansions in the first big update of 2023. Meanwhile, John Smedley announced his departure from Amazon Games Studio, The Repopulation’s stewards threw in the towel on the game, Skull and Bones admitted to a sixth public […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/01/15/mmo-week-in-review-ffxiv-6-3-smed-and-the-end-of-the-repopulation/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2023/01/08/mmo-week-in-review-new-years-worries-for-wow-eso-and-lost-ark/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/01/08/mmo-week-in-review-new-years-worries-for-wow-eso-and-lost-ark/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2023 01:00:51 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=421499 The first week of the year may be quiet for MMOs, but we’re not: This week, we bottled hype for Final Fantasy XIV’s impending patch, went back to Classic Guild Wars, and aired our concerns for World of Warcraft, Elder Scrolls Online, and Lost Ark. Meanwhile, we delivered the first of two 2023-kickoff roundtables (including […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/01/08/mmo-week-in-review-new-years-worries-for-wow-eso-and-lost-ark/feed/ 3 https://massivelyop.com/2023/01/01/mmo-week-in-review-hello-to-the-mmos-of-2023/ https://massivelyop.com/2023/01/01/mmo-week-in-review-hello-to-the-mmos-of-2023/#respond Mon, 02 Jan 2023 01:00:19 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=420810 The last week of the year is never huge on news, but we still had some bright spots – chief among them being the revelation that Throne and Liberty is now shooting for a global launch on both PC and console in the first half of next year. Meanwhile, we discussed WoW’s endgame problems, grumped […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2023/01/01/mmo-week-in-review-hello-to-the-mmos-of-2023/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2022/12/25/mmo-week-in-review-gamigo-wows-roadmap-and-xiv-6-3/ Mon, 26 Dec 2022 01:00:48 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=420179 The week before Christmas is often a dumping ground for news studios need to offload before they go on break, and this week was no different, in good ways and bad: We got a huge dumpster fire out of Gamigo and its now-dead stewardship of Fractured Online, but we also got big announcements from World […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/12/22/massively-overthinking-eoty-2022-favorite-stories/ https://massivelyop.com/2022/12/22/massively-overthinking-eoty-2022-favorite-stories/#comments Fri, 23 Dec 2022 01:00:03 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=414789 It’s tradition for us to pick out one big story or narrative arc that defined the year and slap it with an award label, but we actually write around 6000 articles every year, and it’s pretty likely you didn’t read all or even most of them. Hence this annual Massively Overthinking, in which I’m asking […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/12/22/massively-overthinking-eoty-2022-favorite-stories/feed/ 3 https://massivelyop.com/2022/12/18/mmo-week-in-review-metzen-the-wow-trading-post-and-the-new-eso-strategy/ https://massivelyop.com/2022/12/18/mmo-week-in-review-metzen-the-wow-trading-post-and-the-new-eso-strategy/#comments Mon, 19 Dec 2022 01:00:33 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=419492 World of Warcraft continued making waves all week: Blizzard announced a new trading post feature that doesn’t sound half bad, Chris Metzen returned as a “creative advisor,” and work on a new Chinese publisher apparently continues. Meanwhile, we checked in on Elite Dangerous, raised eyebrows at Elder Scrolls Online’s dramatic roadmap pivot, and continued our rollout […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/12/18/mmo-week-in-review-metzen-the-wow-trading-post-and-the-new-eso-strategy/feed/ 3 https://massivelyop.com/2022/12/11/mmo-week-in-review-blue-protocol-blizzard-and-the-black-desert-ball/ Mon, 12 Dec 2022 01:00:46 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=418594 Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards played host to a number of big announcements for MMO fans this week, including the news that Amazon is launching Blue Protocol in the west next year and Diablo IV is on track to launch in June, plus we’ve got our eye on Nightingale, Wayfinder, and Dune Awakening. Meanwhile, the […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/12/04/mmo-week-in-review-catching-an-early-dragonflight/ Mon, 05 Dec 2022 01:00:22 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=417249 World of Warcraft’s Dragonflight expansion officially launched this week, setting players up for a holiday season of flying dragons and new zones to explore. We’ve already dived in ourselves with impressions of the new expansion’s storytelling, dragonriding, crafting, combat, content, and the future. Read on to catch up with the very best of this week’s […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/11/27/mmo-week-in-review-crowfall-closes-camelot-collects-coin/ Mon, 28 Nov 2022 01:00:26 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=416034 One game enters, one game exits, another game… malingers. Camelot Unchained, Kickstarted almost 10 years ago, announced that it’s received another $15M in outside investment this week, the same week that Crowfall’s new owners took the game offline for purported revisions and players put together a timeline of Star Citizen’s beleaguered development history. Meanwhile, there’s […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/11/20/mmo-week-in-review-corporate-greed-was-chinas-wow-killer/ https://massivelyop.com/2022/11/20/mmo-week-in-review-corporate-greed-was-chinas-wow-killer/#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2022 01:00:10 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=415248 The second Dragonflight prepatch wave in World of Warcraft was rather overshadowed this week by the not unexpected but still disturbing news that Blizzard and NetEase have dismantled their core partnership, leading to the demise of all but one of Blizzard’s MMOs and multiplayer titles in China. Meanwhile, Lord of the Rings Online released Before […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/11/20/mmo-week-in-review-corporate-greed-was-chinas-wow-killer/feed/ 7 https://massivelyop.com/2022/11/13/mmo-week-in-review-last-stand-in-lions-arch/ Mon, 14 Nov 2022 01:00:13 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=414024 Guild Wars 2 finished out its season one reboot with a bang this week thanks to the release of episode five, which tasks players with saving Lion’s Arch itself. Meanwhile, SWTOR announced Showdown on Ruhnuk, FFXIV revealed patch 6.3, we took a look at Marvel SNAP, Crowfall is going into what looks like a sunset, […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/11/06/mmo-week-in-review-a-fresh-start-for-new-world/ https://massivelyop.com/2022/11/06/mmo-week-in-review-a-fresh-start-for-new-world/#comments Mon, 07 Nov 2022 01:00:55 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=413302 New World took off again this week with the launch of its fresh start servers, pushing Amazon Games to open dozens of new servers for players returning – or taking advantage of the half-off sale to join in for the first time. Meanwhile, Blue Protocol awoke from its slumber, LOTRO delayed its Beyond the Shadow […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/11/06/mmo-week-in-review-a-fresh-start-for-new-world/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2022/10/30/mmo-week-in-review-halloween-brimstone-sands-and-the-dragonflight-prepatch/ Mon, 31 Oct 2022 00:00:57 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=412043 It’s Halloween here in MMO land, which means it’s damn near impossible to avoid candy corn, pumpkins, and spoopy jokes. But if you try hard, you can: This week we checked out New World’s Brimstone Sands and steeled ourselves for the incoming fresh start, poked our noses into Crowfall, got retweeted by Elvira thanks to AQ3D, […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/10/23/mmo-week-in-review-to-brimstone-sands-with-65k-friends/ Mon, 24 Oct 2022 00:00:27 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=410992 New World is officially back on the map this week with the launch of Brimstone Sands that brought queues and new servers as players returned to the year-old MMO. Embers Adrift also became the latest Kickstarted MMO to fully launch, though our previewer admitted that its mechanics won’t be for everyone. Meanwhile, Halloween is in […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/10/16/mmo-week-in-review-embers-adrift-vs-the-hot-messes-of-elyria-and-aria/ https://massivelyop.com/2022/10/16/mmo-week-in-review-embers-adrift-vs-the-hot-messes-of-elyria-and-aria/#comments Mon, 17 Oct 2022 00:00:22 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=410113 This week in MMOs, we had a pile of bad news: Legends of Aria’s blockchain version changed its token and its name, and Chronicles of Elyria crowed over the dismissal of the lawsuit its backers had lodged against it – both stories that give MMO crowdfunding a bad name. But in happier news, Embers Adrift, […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/10/16/mmo-week-in-review-embers-adrift-vs-the-hot-messes-of-elyria-and-aria/feed/ 4 https://massivelyop.com/2022/10/09/mmo-week-in-review-overwatch-boo/ https://massivelyop.com/2022/10/09/mmo-week-in-review-overwatch-boo/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=408665 It’s obviously not an MMO, but take two for the MMO once planned as Project Titan didn’t go to plan this week. Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 struggled with DDOS attacks, stability issues, and queues, then came under fire for monetization excesses and security overreach, the latter of which it rolled back. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy XIV announced […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/10/09/mmo-week-in-review-overwatch-boo/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2022/10/02/mmo-week-in-review-the-launch-of-dual-universe/ Mon, 03 Oct 2022 00:30:30 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=407890 The MMORPG genre welcomed a new game this week – a Kickstarted one, no less – as Dual Universe officially opened its doors for an official launch. World of Warcraft also made a big splash this week, not only releasing Wrath of the Lich King for WoW Classic but also announcing a November 28th launch […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/09/25/mmo-week-in-review-lotros-mini-expansion-star-citizens-500m-and-ultima-onlines-25th-birthday/ Mon, 26 Sep 2022 00:10:04 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=406666 This week in MMOs, Lord of the Rings Online opened preorders for its fall mini-expansion, Before the Shadow, which offers a new leveling experience for newbies and new content for highbies. Meanwhile, Ultima Online turned 25 years old, Star Citizen hit $500M crowdfunds, Black Desert hosted another Heidel Ball, and we geared up for Dual […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/09/18/mmo-week-in-review-tower-of-nightmares/ https://massivelyop.com/2022/09/18/mmo-week-in-review-tower-of-nightmares/#comments Mon, 19 Sep 2022 00:00:08 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=405883 No, that’s not a Halloween haunted house; that’s the name of Guild Wars 2’s latest living world episode, which launched this past week. Also launching this past week? Fractured Online (into early access), Elite Dangerous 4.0, Star Trek Online Ascension, and ArcheAge’s new fresh start servers. We also took a peek into Temtem, gaped at the […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/09/18/mmo-week-in-review-tower-of-nightmares/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2022/09/11/mmo-week-in-review-ascent-finite-air/ Mon, 12 Sep 2022 00:00:49 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=404908 Yet another eastern MMO heavily revised and then ported westward morphed into a temport this week as Kakao announced it’ll sunset Elyon, fka Ascent Infinite Air, at the end of the year. Meanwhile, Star Trek Online landed Wil Wheaton, Temtem officially launched, EVE Online announced Uprising, and WoW Classic struggled with monstrous queues and oopsed […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/09/04/mmo-week-in-review-the-preamble-to-wrath-classic/ Mon, 05 Sep 2022 00:30:50 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=403813 With figurative summer reaching its conclusion, MMOs had another big week: World of Warcraft Classic launched the pre-patch for Wrath of the Lich King, WoW’s retail version began beta for Dragonflight, New World announced a major revamp, Bless Unleashed announced its impending console sunset, and we weighed in on Final Fantasy XIV’s Buried Memory. Read […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/08/28/mmo-week-in-review-buried-memory-dune-awakening-and-10-years-of-guild-wars-2/ Mon, 29 Aug 2022 00:02:48 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=402998 Gobs of MMOs timed their releases and previews for Gamescom this week, and none of them disappointed: Most notably, Guild Wars 2 rolled out its Steam launch and anniversary, Final Fantasy XIV launched 6.2 Buried Memory, and Lord of the Rings Online took the wraps off Before the Shadow. And of course, Gamescom itself heralded […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/08/21/mmo-week-in-review-garriotts-nft-game-the-lotr-rights-and-guild-wars-2-on-steam/ Mon, 22 Aug 2022 00:00:15 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=402015 It was a busy – and drama-filled – week over here in MMORPG land, as the Richard Garriott-fronted crypto MMO got a name and a website that almost immediately vanished from the internet, Embracer scooped up the Lord of the Rings rights, Untamed Isles folded over funding shenanigans, and Blizzard scurried to convince core gamers […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/08/14/mmo-week-in-review-delays-for-nightingale-and-throne-liberty/ Mon, 15 Aug 2022 00:00:40 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=400845 You know the summer’s winding down and we’re deep into Q3 when the delay announcements start rolling in. This week, MMO players learned that NCsoft has delayed Throne and Liberty and Inflexion has delayed Nightingale – both to 2023. Meanwhile, we journeyed back to RIFT, welcomed Tower of Fantasy, got hyped for Path of Exile […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/08/07/mmo-week-in-review-lotro-remastered/ https://massivelyop.com/2022/08/07/mmo-week-in-review-lotro-remastered/#comments Mon, 08 Aug 2022 00:00:51 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=399939 So Lord of the Rings Online had a surprisingly big week, and we don’t just mean the impending Hobbit Lore-masters and C&D against the private server: On Friday, SSG answered calls for more communication by announcing a “remastered” version of the game, gobs of new content including endgame content, 64-bit servers, and a plan for […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/08/07/mmo-week-in-review-lotro-remastered/feed/ 6 https://massivelyop.com/2022/07/31/mmo-week-in-review-smedleyfaire/ https://massivelyop.com/2022/07/31/mmo-week-in-review-smedleyfaire/#comments Mon, 01 Aug 2022 00:00:54 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=398935 Amazon’s New World released its Summer Medleyfaire update this week, prompting its highest player counts of the summer and stanching the playerbase bleed since its launch last year. Meanwhile, Blizzard confirmed September 26th for WoW Classic’s Wrath of the Lich King launch, we got our hands on Multiversus, Chronicles of Elyria admitted to hemorrhaging cash, […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/07/31/mmo-week-in-review-smedleyfaire/feed/ 2 https://massivelyop.com/2022/07/24/mmo-week-in-review-like-clockwork/ https://massivelyop.com/2022/07/24/mmo-week-in-review-like-clockwork/#comments Mon, 25 Jul 2022 00:00:14 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=397789 Guild Wars 2’s Clockwork Chaos episode released this week, reintroducing the polarizing villain Scarlet Briar to a whole new generation of living world players. Meanwhile, SWTOR lost its creative director, New World is merging down to a handful of servers, Blizzard accidentallied Wrath Classic’s launch day, Minecraft banned NFTs, LOTRO made us babysit Elrond’s kids, […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/07/24/mmo-week-in-review-like-clockwork/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2022/07/17/mmo-week-in-review-soulframe-dragonflight-and-unity/ Mon, 18 Jul 2022 00:00:47 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=396626 Warframe’s Digital Extremes stole the MMO show this week, not with Warframe but with Soulframe, the company’s next MMORPG. Meanwhile, World of Warcraft began Dragonflight’s alpha, LOTRO lost its producer, Guild Wars 2 posted its summer roadmap, Heroes of the Storm admitted its maintenance mode, Star Citizen showcases a folding chair, and Unity made enemies […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/07/10/mmo-week-in-review-that-billboard/ https://massivelyop.com/2022/07/10/mmo-week-in-review-that-billboard/#comments Sun, 10 Jul 2022 22:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=395791 The now-infamous Final Fantasy XIV ERP-club billboard was live only a few days, but that was more than enough to prompt the MMORPG community to bubble over in astonishment – and irritation – that anyone would even try it. Meanwhile, we got a launch window for Skull and Bones, celebrated The Secret World’s birthday, counted […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/07/10/mmo-week-in-review-that-billboard/feed/ 6 https://massivelyop.com/2022/07/03/mmo-week-in-review-rip-tera/ https://massivelyop.com/2022/07/03/mmo-week-in-review-rip-tera/#comments Mon, 04 Jul 2022 00:00:44 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=394728 The western MMO fanbase said farewell to TERA this week as Bluehole forced Gameforge to shut it down for good, making it one of the larger MMOs to sunset in the last few years. Meanwhile, Blizzard bought out Spellbreak studio Proletariat to buff up World of Warcraft, Guild Wars 2 waded into controversy with its […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/07/03/mmo-week-in-review-rip-tera/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2022/06/26/mmo-week-in-review-wows-salvaged-expansion-cadence/ https://massivelyop.com/2022/06/26/mmo-week-in-review-wows-salvaged-expansion-cadence/#comments Mon, 27 Jun 2022 00:00:37 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=393940 Blizzard raised eyebrows this week by putting a launch window on World of Warcraft’s Dragonflight expansion that is much sooner than anyone expected given how late it was announced – and potentially too ambitious to boot. That, plus the WoW Classic Wrath of the Lich King beta, wasn’t quite enough to distract from the Activision-Blizzard board’s […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/06/26/mmo-week-in-review-wows-salvaged-expansion-cadence/feed/ 2 https://massivelyop.com/2022/06/19/mmo-week-in-review-dragonslayer/ Mon, 20 Jun 2022 00:00:23 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=392864 Neverwinter released its Dragonslayer module this week on both PC and console, getting the universe one step closer to fulfilling somebody’s monkey’s paw wish that every MMORPG launch an expansion with dragon in the name. Meanwhile, Activision-Blizzard continued its quest to be the most odious villain in gaming, Gazillion’s CEO apologized (kinda) for the Marvel […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/06/12/mmo-week-in-review-high-adventure-in-eso-high-isle/ https://massivelyop.com/2022/06/12/mmo-week-in-review-high-adventure-in-eso-high-isle/#comments Mon, 13 Jun 2022 00:00:12 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=391805 Elder Scrolls Online released High Isle this week, sending MMORPG players on PC into its yearly chapter to confront pirates, brigands, cultists, and worst of all, aristocrats on vacay. Meanwhile, we got a fresh peek into Diablo IV, Diablo Immortal continued alienating gamers, and Fallout 76’s development was even messier than we thought. Read on […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/06/12/mmo-week-in-review-high-adventure-in-eso-high-isle/feed/ 3 https://massivelyop.com/2022/06/05/mmo-week-in-review-do-you-guys-not-have-wallets/ https://massivelyop.com/2022/06/05/mmo-week-in-review-do-you-guys-not-have-wallets/#comments Mon, 06 Jun 2022 00:00:45 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=391025 Welp, Diablo Immortal finally launched, and it’s everything you’d expect from a Blizzard mobile title, which is to say, there’s apparently a decent game under all those layers of grotesque mobile monetization? Sigh. We’ll be digging in more this week. Meanwhile, we got a look at that Marvel MMO we can’t have, Gamigo threw in […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/06/05/mmo-week-in-review-do-you-guys-not-have-wallets/feed/ 6 https://massivelyop.com/2022/05/29/mmo-week-in-review-daybreak-terminates-another-marvel-mmo/ https://massivelyop.com/2022/05/29/mmo-week-in-review-daybreak-terminates-another-marvel-mmo/#comments Mon, 30 May 2022 00:10:33 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=390193 Whether you’re all broken up over Daybreak’s canceled Marvel MMORPG probably depends on a few things, like maybe you’re tired of Marvel, or maybe you figured a company that has literally already canceled a Marvel MMO once was pretty likely to do it twice. Either way, that’s exactly what happened this week. Meanwhile, we took […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/05/29/mmo-week-in-review-daybreak-terminates-another-marvel-mmo/feed/ 4 https://massivelyop.com/2022/05/22/mmo-week-in-review-v-rising-is-looking-for-new-blood/ https://massivelyop.com/2022/05/22/mmo-week-in-review-v-rising-is-looking-for-new-blood/#comments Mon, 23 May 2022 00:00:56 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=389028 V Rising stole the spotlight this week with its early access launch; its vampire theme has captivated sandbox fans. Plus, we poked our noses back into New World, celebrated Final Fantasy XI’s 20th birthday, traipsed around LOTRO’s Yondershire, and gave some serious side-eye to Star Citizen’s latest shenanigans. Read on to catch up with the […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/05/22/mmo-week-in-review-v-rising-is-looking-for-new-blood/feed/ 3 https://massivelyop.com/2022/05/15/mmo-week-in-review-spreadsheets-in-diversity-space/ https://massivelyop.com/2022/05/15/mmo-week-in-review-spreadsheets-in-diversity-space/#comments Mon, 16 May 2022 00:00:38 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=388207 Activision-Blizzard proved we really need a stronger term for “self-own” and “own-goal” in the English language as this week it attempted to demonstrate its commitment to diversity by revealing a creepy and dehumanizing “diversity space tool” that purports to turn real-world traits like age and ethnicity into quantitative scores to supposedly measure diversity in its […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2022/05/15/mmo-week-in-review-spreadsheets-in-diversity-space/feed/ 19