Darkfall

A toast to the wild west weirdos of the MMO goldrush—from the game that unleashed pandora's lootbox, to a deeply strange mess based off a 1996 science fiction novel

This article reflects on the unique and often strange MMOs from the genre's goldrush era between 2005-2015, highlighting games like Zhengtu Online, which pioneered lootboxes, and The Matrix Online, an ambitious early example of live service elements. It contrasts these experimental titles with the more risk-averse nature of modern game development, suggesting that such creative and peculiar games are unlikely to emerge today.