https://massivelyop.com MMORPG news and opinions Mon, 12 Feb 2024 13:18:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.1 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/12/wisdom-of-nym-what-the-hey-is-up-with-final-fantasy-xivs-xbox-pricing/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/12/wisdom-of-nym-what-the-hey-is-up-with-final-fantasy-xivs-xbox-pricing/#comments Mon, 12 Feb 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=479454 In another theoretical timeline, there’s a place where Final Fantasy XIV really would have stepped in it when it subtly noted that the game’s subscription on Xbox would require also subscribing to Game Pass. This is, in and of itself, not all that unusual; it’s pretty normal for games that require a subscription online. But […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/12/wisdom-of-nym-what-the-hey-is-up-with-final-fantasy-xivs-xbox-pricing/feed/ 14 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/12/first-impressions-nightingales-survival-and-realmwalking-blend-could-make-it-a-stand-out-in-the-sub-genre/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/12/first-impressions-nightingales-survival-and-realmwalking-blend-could-make-it-a-stand-out-in-the-sub-genre/#comments Mon, 12 Feb 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=479144 Our regular readers know that the survival sandbox sub-genre is suddenly getting very crowded in very short order, which means that the upcoming gaslamp survivalbox Nightingale has to make some noise in order to be heard above the din. I was granted the opportunity to dive into an early build of the game for a […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/12/first-impressions-nightingales-survival-and-realmwalking-blend-could-make-it-a-stand-out-in-the-sub-genre/feed/ 5 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/12/daybreak-games-dimensional-ink-is-the-latest-games-studio-hit-with-layoffs/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/12/daybreak-games-dimensional-ink-is-the-latest-games-studio-hit-with-layoffs/#comments Mon, 12 Feb 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=479423 The culling of games industry employees continues through the beginning of this year: A list compiled by Kotaku that outlines the over 6,400 layoffs that have occurred across the industry so far has some additional sad news from our corner of gaming, as Daybreak Games’ DC Universe Online sub-studio Dimensional Ink has been hit by […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/12/daybreak-games-dimensional-ink-is-the-latest-games-studio-hit-with-layoffs/feed/ 7 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/10/lotro-legendarium-how-to-walk-away-from-lotro-for-a-while/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/10/lotro-legendarium-how-to-walk-away-from-lotro-for-a-while/#comments Sat, 10 Feb 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=479021 Even when you love an MMORPG a whole lot, it’s rarely feasible to play it as steadily and at the same intensity over the long duration of its lifespan. Life happens, burnout creeps in, and sometimes you simply need a break or a change of scenery. So you make the decision to walk away from […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/10/lotro-legendarium-how-to-walk-away-from-lotro-for-a-while/feed/ 10 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/09/runescapes-jagex-is-apparently-being-sold-yet-again-this-time-to-a-private-equity-firm-for-over-1b-2/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/09/runescapes-jagex-is-apparently-being-sold-yet-again-this-time-to-a-private-equity-firm-for-over-1b-2/#comments Fri, 09 Feb 2024 16:30:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=479243 Rumors from earlier this week that suggested RuneScape company Jagex was once again for sale have now been proven correct, thanks to a formal press release from the parties involved. Luxembourg-based private equity firm CVC Capital Partners, Austin-based private equity firm Haveli Investments, and UK-stationed Jagex have indeed announced that CVC has “agreed to acquire” […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/09/runescapes-jagex-is-apparently-being-sold-yet-again-this-time-to-a-private-equity-firm-for-over-1b-2/feed/ 4 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/09/working-as-intended-a-guide-to-city-of-heroes-homecomings-best-player-crafted-portal-bases/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/09/working-as-intended-a-guide-to-city-of-heroes-homecomings-best-player-crafted-portal-bases/#comments Fri, 09 Feb 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=478317 A few years ago, I was wandering around in City of Heroes when someone advertised a cool base in chat. All I had to do was head over to a supergroup base portal, type in the code flashed in text, and be welcomed into this person’s custom base. I was expecting something akin to the […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/09/working-as-intended-a-guide-to-city-of-heroes-homecomings-best-player-crafted-portal-bases/feed/ 11 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/lunar-new-year-events-around-the-mmorpg-world-2024-edition/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/lunar-new-year-events-around-the-mmorpg-world-2024-edition/#comments Thu, 08 Feb 2024 19:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=478235 Would you believe that this is only our third year with enough MMORPG Lunar New Year events that a roundup is necessary? A decade ago, these events were rare, and twice that, they were almost unheard of – in the west, of course. Now, every multiplayer title is anxious to add another festival to the […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/lunar-new-year-events-around-the-mmorpg-world-2024-edition/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/skull-bones-soft-launch-is-underway-for-preorder-players-ahead-of-next-weeks-formal-release/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/skull-bones-soft-launch-is-underway-for-preorder-players-ahead-of-next-weeks-formal-release/#comments Thu, 08 Feb 2024 17:30:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=479016 Ubisoft’s long, long delayed pirate “co-op pirate open world action RPG” MMO Skull & Bones has finally set sail with a soft launch into a no-wipe open beta as of late last night. Never again will I have to write a title about a Skull & Bones delay and try to figure out how many […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/skull-bones-soft-launch-is-underway-for-preorder-players-ahead-of-next-weeks-formal-release/feed/ 23 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/into-the-super-verse-whats-wrong-with-city-of-heroes-incarnate-system/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/into-the-super-verse-whats-wrong-with-city-of-heroes-incarnate-system/#comments Thu, 08 Feb 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=479049 It hasn’t been all that long since I said that what City of Heroes needs to focus on right now is not endgame content, and I stand by that. In fact, there’s arguably a whole other column to be written about where the game really does need more content and more stuff to do, although […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/into-the-super-verse-whats-wrong-with-city-of-heroes-incarnate-system/feed/ 16 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/disney-invests-1-5b-into-epic-games-with-plans-to-create-a-huge-disney-universe-in-fortnite/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/disney-invests-1-5b-into-epic-games-with-plans-to-create-a-huge-disney-universe-in-fortnite/#comments Thu, 08 Feb 2024 14:30:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=479082 Seeing Disney’s various IPs in Fortnite isn’t exactly news by this point, but it appears as if there will be a whole lot more of the House of Mouse’s characters within the games platform, and it’s all being powered by a $1.5 billion investment by Disney into Epic Games. “We’ve entered into a strategic relationship […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/disney-invests-1-5b-into-epic-games-with-plans-to-create-a-huge-disney-universe-in-fortnite/feed/ 11 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/ftc-files-a-complaint-against-microsoft-following-activision-blizzard-layoffs/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/ftc-files-a-complaint-against-microsoft-following-activision-blizzard-layoffs/#comments Thu, 08 Feb 2024 13:30:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=479046 When Microsoft outlined its plans for what would happen following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, one of the things that the company stated was that there would not be layoffs as the acquisition would be treated in a strictly vertical fashion. Of course, this was perhaps an obvious prevarication even before the raft of 1900 […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/ftc-files-a-complaint-against-microsoft-following-activision-blizzard-layoffs/feed/ 17 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/07/perfect-ten-the-mmo-franchises-that-cant-count-past-two/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/07/perfect-ten-the-mmo-franchises-that-cant-count-past-two/#comments Wed, 07 Feb 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=478922 Back in the day, there was a running joke about how Capcom had shown with Street Fighter that the company could not count higher than two. We had a few dozen different iterations of Street Fighter 2, and then when the developers finally decided to make a new game, it was a prequel, so it […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/07/perfect-ten-the-mmo-franchises-that-cant-count-past-two/feed/ 13 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/06/runescapes-jagex-is-apparently-being-sold-yet-again-this-time-to-a-private-equity-firm-for-over-1b/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/06/runescapes-jagex-is-apparently-being-sold-yet-again-this-time-to-a-private-equity-firm-for-over-1b/#comments Tue, 06 Feb 2024 15:30:26 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=478840 Stop me if you’ve heard this one: RuneScape company Jagex is for sale yet again. Back in September, we first caught the rumor that Jagex’s current presumptive owner, the Carlyle Group, was considering selling Jagex off, seeking in the neighborhood of $1.2B US in the trade. Apparently, that’s now firmed up to be a lot […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/06/runescapes-jagex-is-apparently-being-sold-yet-again-this-time-to-a-private-equity-firm-for-over-1b/feed/ 9 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/05/microsoft-will-require-final-fantasy-xiv-players-to-subscribe-to-xbox-game-pass-in-order-to-play-the-game/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/05/microsoft-will-require-final-fantasy-xiv-players-to-subscribe-to-xbox-game-pass-in-order-to-play-the-game/#comments Mon, 05 Feb 2024 21:00:28 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=478737 It’s tucked away in the announcement that Final Fantasy XIV’s beta on the Xbox Series X|S starts on February 21st, but the announcement does confirm that players will be required to pay a monthly subscription to Xbox Game Pass in order to subscribe to the game. That means that at minimum, you will be paying […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/05/microsoft-will-require-final-fantasy-xiv-players-to-subscribe-to-xbox-game-pass-in-order-to-play-the-game/feed/ 78 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/05/final-fantasy-xivs-open-beta-for-xbox-xs-starts-february-21-heres-how-to-get-in/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/05/final-fantasy-xivs-open-beta-for-xbox-xs-starts-february-21-heres-how-to-get-in/#comments Mon, 05 Feb 2024 14:30:48 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=478666 This time it’s for real instead of a mistakenly early announcement: The Xbox X|S open beta test for Final Fantasy XIV has locked down a start date of Wednesday, February 21st, along with information on how players of the console can get into the test. Joining in on the open beta is a matter of […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/05/final-fantasy-xivs-open-beta-for-xbox-xs-starts-february-21-heres-how-to-get-in/feed/ 4 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/02/into-the-super-verse-early-sos-pose-a-perplexing-problem-in-city-of-heroes-homecoming/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/02/into-the-super-verse-early-sos-pose-a-perplexing-problem-in-city-of-heroes-homecoming/#comments Fri, 02 Feb 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=478282 Last week, I talked a bit about how to gear yourself up in City of Heroes. Just yesterday, Bree gave an example for how to make money so you can fund yourself in doing so (and it ain’t remotely hard). All good stuff. But today, I want to talk about something else that we sort […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/02/into-the-super-verse-early-sos-pose-a-perplexing-problem-in-city-of-heroes-homecoming/feed/ 35 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/02/first-impressions-palworld-copied-all-the-right-homework-to-graduate-as-its-own-enjoyable-game/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/02/first-impressions-palworld-copied-all-the-right-homework-to-graduate-as-its-own-enjoyable-game/#comments Fri, 02 Feb 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=477793 You know how the back of a box of Hamburger Helper or other boxed dinner mixes encourage you to toss in extra ingredients to “make it your own”? That’s a lot like what Palworld has done in my view: taken the base dinner mix that it created in Craftopia – itself a game that cribs […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/02/first-impressions-palworld-copied-all-the-right-homework-to-graduate-as-its-own-enjoyable-game/feed/ 7 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/01/casually-classic-when-will-wow-classic-stop-adding-expansions/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/01/casually-classic-when-will-wow-classic-stop-adding-expansions/#comments Thu, 01 Feb 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=477396 This spring, the era of Wrath Classic will officially come to an end when the Cataclysm Classic pre-patch hits ahead of the summer launch. With no current option to stay in Wrath’s setting and design, the WoW Classic community has to choose whether to bail, go forward into the next expansion, or jump to one […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/01/casually-classic-when-will-wow-classic-stop-adding-expansions/feed/ 24 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/01/vague-patch-notes-why-we-drift-away-from-mmorpgs-we-still-love/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/01/vague-patch-notes-why-we-drift-away-from-mmorpgs-we-still-love/#comments Thu, 01 Feb 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=478104 Why did I stop playing Star Trek Online? Was it because there was some change made to the game that made it no longer fun to play? Did it come as a result of some drama at the endgame, some major flaw? I bought the game nearly at launch, but I left. Why did I […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/01/vague-patch-notes-why-we-drift-away-from-mmorpgs-we-still-love/feed/ 42 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/30/the-soapbox-casuals-and-soloers-need-challenging-mmo-content-too/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/30/the-soapbox-casuals-and-soloers-need-challenging-mmo-content-too/#comments Tue, 30 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=477243 In a recent press Q&A around the announcement of Elder Scrolls Online‘s Gold Road chapter, Zenimax creative director Rich Lambert appeared to dismiss the idea of offering more challenging open world content, instead pointing to dungeons as a more difficult alternative. I’m going off an indirect quotation, so I’m not going to read too much […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/30/the-soapbox-casuals-and-soloers-need-challenging-mmo-content-too/feed/ 27 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/29/psa-valheims-discord-and-two-iron-gate-discord-accounts-have-apparently-been-hacked/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/29/psa-valheims-discord-and-two-iron-gate-discord-accounts-have-apparently-been-hacked/#comments Mon, 29 Jan 2024 23:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=477644 Bad news bears for survival sandbox Valheim tonight, as apparently hackers have taken over the game’s Discord – as well as some of the developers’ own accounts. Just after 4 p.m. EST, Iron Gate’s Jens Hellström tweeted, “Our official discord server is under attack. Don’t click any links, don’t click any files etc etc. […] They […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/29/psa-valheims-discord-and-two-iron-gate-discord-accounts-have-apparently-been-hacked/feed/ 7 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/29/johanna-faries-is-the-new-president-of-blizzard-following-mike-ybarras-ouster/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/29/johanna-faries-is-the-new-president-of-blizzard-following-mike-ybarras-ouster/#comments Mon, 29 Jan 2024 19:42:53 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=477607 Following last week’s layoffs, it didn’t seem likely that the potentially frozen throne at the head of Blizzard Entertainment would remain vacant for long. As of today, Microsoft has announced Johanna Faries as the new president of the subdivision, with a full letter from Faries explaining that she looks forward to starting he new role […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/29/johanna-faries-is-the-new-president-of-blizzard-following-mike-ybarras-ouster/feed/ 67 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/29/interview-survival-mmo-age-of-water-on-monetization-sandbox-play-and-q1-early-access-launch/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/29/interview-survival-mmo-age-of-water-on-monetization-sandbox-play-and-q1-early-access-launch/#comments Mon, 29 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=477474 Way back at the end of 2020, we first caught wind of a new sandbox called Age of Water: Developed by Three Whales Studio under Gaijin Entertainment’s inCubator guidance, the MMO was already floating a unique identity as a Waterworld-esque survival MMO (I believe MOP’s Chris referred to it approvingly as “Moist Crossout” in homage […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/29/interview-survival-mmo-age-of-water-on-monetization-sandbox-play-and-q1-early-access-launch/feed/ 5 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/26/tamriel-infinium-the-history-of-elder-scrolls-games-before-and-after-elder-scrolls-online/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/26/tamriel-infinium-the-history-of-elder-scrolls-games-before-and-after-elder-scrolls-online/#comments Fri, 26 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=476366 There’s nothing quite like that feeling when you first dip your toes into a particular game only to discover that it’s part of a massive franchise that’s been going on for decades. I have no doubt that there are plenty of Elder Scrolls Online players who are ignorant of the series’ long history on the PC — Skyrim memes […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/26/tamriel-infinium-the-history-of-elder-scrolls-games-before-and-after-elder-scrolls-online/feed/ 16 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/25/vague-patch-notes-early-access-is-just-game-development-as-performance-art/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/25/vague-patch-notes-early-access-is-just-game-development-as-performance-art/#comments Thu, 25 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=476951 I was reminded recently about Valheim. I do not own the game and thus have not played it; I cannot tell you if it is a good game in its current state, whether it is severely lacking content, or how one can reach Bodylande. But I can tell you that the game has now been […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/25/vague-patch-notes-early-access-is-just-game-development-as-performance-art/feed/ 20 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/25/microsoft-lays-off-approximately-1900-employees-at-activision-blizzard-zenimax-and-xbox/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/25/microsoft-lays-off-approximately-1900-employees-at-activision-blizzard-zenimax-and-xbox/#comments Thu, 25 Jan 2024 14:36:18 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=477049 We’ve updated this story at the bottom with some of the latest news that has come forth about the scope of the layoffs and the cancellation of projects. It looks as if Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick isn’t the only one being shown the door by Microsoft: The company announced in an internal memo that […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/25/microsoft-lays-off-approximately-1900-employees-at-activision-blizzard-zenimax-and-xbox/feed/ 127 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/25/the-day-before-studio-claims-to-be-the-target-of-misinformation-and-a-hate-campaign-in-a-statement/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/25/the-day-before-studio-claims-to-be-the-target-of-misinformation-and-a-hate-campaign-in-a-statement/#comments Thu, 25 Jan 2024 14:00:59 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=476964 When Fntastic’s survival shooter The Day Before officially shut down its servers, we had assumed it would be the last headline to come out of the mismanaged game. However, the studio had one last Hail Mary of insanity to throw at the world, as it put out a defensive statement that tries to claim that […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/25/the-day-before-studio-claims-to-be-the-target-of-misinformation-and-a-hate-campaign-in-a-statement/feed/ 18 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/24/perfect-ten-the-10-most-utterly-bizarre-final-fantasy-xiv-npc-names/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/24/perfect-ten-the-10-most-utterly-bizarre-final-fantasy-xiv-npc-names/#comments Wed, 24 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=476751 A lot of times when I write these columns, I have either a point to make or a higher concept that I am touching upon. This is not one of those times. This is a time when I simply want to share something that is interesting to me about Final Fantasy XIV, and that is […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/24/perfect-ten-the-10-most-utterly-bizarre-final-fantasy-xiv-npc-names/feed/ 21 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/22/wisdom-of-nym-impressions-of-final-fantasy-xivs-petite-patch-6-55/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/22/wisdom-of-nym-impressions-of-final-fantasy-xivs-petite-patch-6-55/#comments Mon, 22 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=476429 There’s an odd thing that keeps going back and forth in my head when I look at last week’s patch 6.55 for Final Fantasy XIV, and that’s a simple but also complicated question: Would things have been better if the patch had also contained Aloalo Island? Certainly there’s no indication that there was ever really […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/22/wisdom-of-nym-impressions-of-final-fantasy-xivs-petite-patch-6-55/feed/ 15 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/20/lotro-legendarium-digging-into-lotros-2024-roadmap-from-u39-to-the-baharbel-expansion/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/20/lotro-legendarium-digging-into-lotros-2024-roadmap-from-u39-to-the-baharbel-expansion/#comments Sat, 20 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=475795 Oh boy — it’s roadmap time for Lord of the Rings Online! As we’ve been seeing over the past few years, Standing Stone Games has become way better at pushing out these year-planning letters in January, now with easy-to-grok infographics. So it is with 2024, as we received the MMO’s roadmap this past week from […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/20/lotro-legendarium-digging-into-lotros-2024-roadmap-from-u39-to-the-baharbel-expansion/feed/ 6 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/20/city-of-heroes-homecoming-opens-testing-of-new-arsenal-powersets-epic-power-pool-revamp-tf-diversity-and-more/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/20/city-of-heroes-homecoming-opens-testing-of-new-arsenal-powersets-epic-power-pool-revamp-tf-diversity-and-more/#comments Sat, 20 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=476236 It’s finally here, and by here we mean on the Brainstorm beta server: City of Heroes Homecoming’s first big patch since April 2023 (and obviously its first since announcing it had secured a license to operate from NCsoft two weeks ago) is finally up for public testing. We’d had teases, but now we have full […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/20/city-of-heroes-homecoming-opens-testing-of-new-arsenal-powersets-epic-power-pool-revamp-tf-diversity-and-more/feed/ 11 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/19/vague-patch-notes-what-city-of-heroes-homecoming-means-for-the-wider-mmorpg-industry/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/19/vague-patch-notes-what-city-of-heroes-homecoming-means-for-the-wider-mmorpg-industry/#comments Fri, 19 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=476130 As you have probably noticed from the fact that I have been writing about City of Heroes nonstop since the Homecoming server got its official license to operate, I have been thinking a lot about this game and what it means. Obviously, much of that thought has focused on the game itself because let me […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/19/vague-patch-notes-what-city-of-heroes-homecoming-means-for-the-wider-mmorpg-industry/feed/ 9 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/18/into-the-super-verse-what-city-of-heroes-needs-now-is-not-more-endgame-content/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/18/into-the-super-verse-what-city-of-heroes-needs-now-is-not-more-endgame-content/#comments Thu, 18 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=475986 One of the key discussion points about the City of Heroes revival revolves around what the perception of the game is going to be. We haven’t really reckoned with that just yet. As MOP’s Bree and I excitedly watch the game’s servers light up with truly absurd player counts [4200 concurrent on a Wednesday night, […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/18/into-the-super-verse-what-city-of-heroes-needs-now-is-not-more-endgame-content/feed/ 47 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/18/guild-wars-2-studio-says-no-accounts-involved-in-new-social-engineering-claim-were-compromised-by-cs/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/18/guild-wars-2-studio-says-no-accounts-involved-in-new-social-engineering-claim-were-compromised-by-cs/#comments Thu, 18 Jan 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=475962 The Guild Wars 2 Reddit community has been up in arms this week over a gigantic thread started by former ArenaNet partner and content creator Paul “Olrun” Bentz. Olrun essentially alleges that his account has been taken over by a hacker using social engineering tricks on ArenaNet’s customer support, and his attempts to retrieve it […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/18/guild-wars-2-studio-says-no-accounts-involved-in-new-social-engineering-claim-were-compromised-by-cs/feed/ 10 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/16/world-of-warcrafts-seeds-of-renewal-update-is-set-to-go-live-tonight/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/16/world-of-warcrafts-seeds-of-renewal-update-is-set-to-go-live-tonight/#comments Tue, 16 Jan 2024 16:30:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=475590 The epilogue for World of Warcraft: Dragonflight is here… in many ways. Sure, today’s Seeds of Renewal update literally includes an epilogue for the expansion’s story, but it also contains the long-awaited reclamation of Gilneas after the nation fell more than a decade ago in the real world. (There was other stuff going on.) It […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/16/world-of-warcrafts-seeds-of-renewal-update-is-set-to-go-live-tonight/feed/ 4 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/15/vitae-aeternum-the-ups-and-downs-of-new-worlds-revamped-story/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/15/vitae-aeternum-the-ups-and-downs-of-new-worlds-revamped-story/#comments Mon, 15 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=474925 In the early days, I made the argument that New World‘s narrative, while minimal, deserved more credit than it was getting. Since then, however, Amazon Games has poured an immense amount of time and effort into overhauling the game’s story. With the completion of the main story revamp on the horizon, plus two post-launch zones […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/15/vitae-aeternum-the-ups-and-downs-of-new-worlds-revamped-story/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/15/wisdom-of-nym-dreaming-about-final-fantasy-xiv-patch-6-55-during-the-day-long-downtime/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/15/wisdom-of-nym-dreaming-about-final-fantasy-xiv-patch-6-55-during-the-day-long-downtime/#comments Mon, 15 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=475352 Somehow, the final Endwalker content patch has arrived. All right, maybe you could argue that’s just the tiniest bit premature; technically we’ve still got that crossover event coming, that’s a thing to think about, and we might have a little extra stuff here and there which might require a small patch. But for all intents […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/15/wisdom-of-nym-dreaming-about-final-fantasy-xiv-patch-6-55-during-the-day-long-downtime/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/12/hi-rez-just-officially-announced-smite-2-soft-launching-into-beta-this-year-but-smite-will-stay-online/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/12/hi-rez-just-officially-announced-smite-2-soft-launching-into-beta-this-year-but-smite-will-stay-online/#comments Fri, 12 Jan 2024 16:50:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=474542 Have you ever wanted to play SMITE but with better graphics, improved matchmaking, and more modes and special events? Well, soon you can! Except it will not be an overhaul of SMITE itself: Today, Hi-Rez’s studio Titan Forge has unveiled the MOBA’s sequel, SMITE 2, and it’s neither a season nor a balance pass. It’s […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/12/hi-rez-just-officially-announced-smite-2-soft-launching-into-beta-this-year-but-smite-will-stay-online/feed/ 6 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/12/vague-patch-notes-the-real-question-every-mmo-has-to-answer/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/12/vague-patch-notes-the-real-question-every-mmo-has-to-answer/#comments Fri, 12 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=475101 Why am I here? A lot of times I will slow-roll my column and lead to something unexpected, something that I am sure you are all used to at this point since I have had a weekly editorial column on the site now for five years now. (I don’t actually remember the negotiation between Bree […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/12/vague-patch-notes-the-real-question-every-mmo-has-to-answer/feed/ 3 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/11/into-the-super-verse-rediscoveries-i-made-diving-headlong-into-city-of-heroes-homecoming/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/11/into-the-super-verse-rediscoveries-i-made-diving-headlong-into-city-of-heroes-homecoming/#comments Thu, 11 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=474933 Last week, I wrote about how my game came back. It was a big deal to me to know that City of Heroes was really as back – legally – as it could possibly be. So after the stream we all jumped on, I made a point of getting my game on with a character […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/11/into-the-super-verse-rediscoveries-i-made-diving-headlong-into-city-of-heroes-homecoming/feed/ 44 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/10/end-of-year-eleven-the-mmos-with-the-most-uncertain-futures-in-2024/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/10/end-of-year-eleven-the-mmos-with-the-most-uncertain-futures-in-2024/#comments Wed, 10 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=474783 As I say every single year and several people ignore every single year: This is not a column about the games that are most likely to shut down over the next year. In fact, if that what it were about, it wouldn’t even have the same title. That’s not an uncertain future; that’s a very […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/10/end-of-year-eleven-the-mmos-with-the-most-uncertain-futures-in-2024/feed/ 54 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/09/casually-classic-12-quality-of-life-improvements-coming-with-cataclysm-classic/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/09/casually-classic-12-quality-of-life-improvements-coming-with-cataclysm-classic/#comments Tue, 09 Jan 2024 18:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=474500 I’m in a very strange place in relation to the upcoming Cataclysm Classic. I kind of didn’t want this expansion to happen at all for the Classic servers, and confirmation of its existence at last year’s BlizzCon made me audibly groan. Yet I do want my Wrath Classic Shaman to continue her adventures, and I am slowly warming […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/09/casually-classic-12-quality-of-life-improvements-coming-with-cataclysm-classic/feed/ 10 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/08/unsurprisingly-city-of-heroes-homecoming-saw-a-massive-playerbase-spike-this-past-weekend/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/08/unsurprisingly-city-of-heroes-homecoming-saw-a-massive-playerbase-spike-this-past-weekend/#comments Mon, 08 Jan 2024 15:30:12 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=474547 On Friday, we asked our readers whether they planned to play City of Heroes Homecoming, newly crowned with a formal license by NCsoft. We probably needn’t have bothered because of course you did, along with a sizable number of MMO gamers eager to relive the superhero life from 20 years ago. Homecoming displays its current […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/08/unsurprisingly-city-of-heroes-homecoming-saw-a-massive-playerbase-spike-this-past-weekend/feed/ 18 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/06/final-fantasy-xiv-tokyo-fan-festival-keynote-summary-pictomancer-lady-hrothgar-and-release-ambiguity/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/06/final-fantasy-xiv-tokyo-fan-festival-keynote-summary-pictomancer-lady-hrothgar-and-release-ambiguity/#comments Sun, 07 Jan 2024 04:00:02 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=474409 If you had been paying attention and looking forward to Final Fantasy XIV’s third and final fan festival ahead of Dawntrail, you probably had three major expectations going into the keynote: You would learn about the new magical DPS job, you would see lady Hrothgar, and you would learn the expansion release date. But you […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/06/final-fantasy-xiv-tokyo-fan-festival-keynote-summary-pictomancer-lady-hrothgar-and-release-ambiguity/feed/ 52 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/05/not-so-massively-its-okay-that-redfall-is-just-okay/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/05/not-so-massively-its-okay-that-redfall-is-just-okay/#comments Fri, 05 Jan 2024 18:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=473614 I rarely let myself get too hyped for unreleased games, but I was keeping one eye on the vampire-hunting online FPS Redfall. When it launched to disastrous user reviews and universal condemnation, I considered giving up on it, but I also remembered that many of my favourite games have been considered terrible by the wider […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/05/not-so-massively-its-okay-that-redfall-is-just-okay/feed/ 10 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/05/2023-mmo-awards-recap/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/05/2023-mmo-awards-recap/#comments Fri, 05 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=472787 As we did in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, today we’re going to recap our annual awards and other articles from the end of 2023. We gave out 21 formal awards over the span of December 2023, in addition to our annual recaps, roundups, listicles, predictions, golden yachties, oddities, community discussions, and […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/05/2023-mmo-awards-recap/feed/ 3 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/04/casually-classic-analyzing-wow-classics-2024-roadmap/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/04/casually-classic-analyzing-wow-classics-2024-roadmap/#comments Thu, 04 Jan 2024 18:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=472708 With another year debuting this week, Blizzard was more on the ball than some MMO studios by already publishing its roadmap for 2024. Two roadmaps, in fact — one for retail World of Warcraft and one for WoW Classic itself. If I recall correctly, WoW Classic didn’t get the full infographic roadmap treatment last year, […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/04/casually-classic-analyzing-wow-classics-2024-roadmap/feed/ 9 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/04/ncsoft-has-officially-granted-a-city-of-heroes-server-license-to-the-homecoming-crew/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/04/ncsoft-has-officially-granted-a-city-of-heroes-server-license-to-the-homecoming-crew/#comments Thu, 04 Jan 2024 16:25:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=473469 City of Heroes fans are in for a treat today – or a shocking surprise they were convinced was never coming, depending on their level of cynicism. Readers will remember that back in 2019, players leaked the existence of functioning City of Heroes rogue server, using code handed to a player by a former Paragon […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/04/ncsoft-has-officially-granted-a-city-of-heroes-server-license-to-the-homecoming-crew/feed/ 68 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/03/end-of-year-eleven-all-the-upcoming-mmos-to-watch-in-2024/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/03/end-of-year-eleven-all-the-upcoming-mmos-to-watch-in-2024/#comments Wed, 03 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=464976 We’ve said it before, but this time we really mean it: The future of MMORPGs looks amazing. Contrary to years when we’ve seen only a handful of longshot projects in development, 2024 suggests a field positively packed with game after game heading our way. Some of these are closer to release, some further away, but […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/03/end-of-year-eleven-all-the-upcoming-mmos-to-watch-in-2024/feed/ 25 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/03/progress-bar-another-go-round-with-cozy-mmo-palia-this-time-on-the-switch/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/03/progress-bar-another-go-round-with-cozy-mmo-palia-this-time-on-the-switch/#comments Wed, 03 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=473472 I’m not much of a console player in general. The controller has always felt limiting to me, especially when compared with the precision of a mouse and keyboard. That doesn’t stop me from loving my Switch, with my only major complaint about the platform being that it doesn’t have many MMOs on it, despite having […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/03/progress-bar-another-go-round-with-cozy-mmo-palia-this-time-on-the-switch/feed/ 3