Throne & Liberty
News, coverage and analysis tracking Throne & Liberty across the outlets.- Amazon ‘continues to explore a compelling new game experience’ for Lord of the RingsAmazon's head of games, Jeff Gratis, stated that the company continues to explore a new game experience for The Lord of the Rings IP, despite earlier reports suggesting the MMORPG's cancellation. While the development team for the previously announced Lord of the Rings MMO was reportedly cut, Amazon has not officially confirmed its cancellation and remains committed to exploring the intellectual property.
Amazon has cancelled The Lord of the Rings MMO, but promises it "continues to explore a compelling new game experience" set in Middle-earthAmazon has cancelled its previously announced Lord of the Rings MMO, though the company states it is still exploring a new game experience set in Middle-earth. The MMO, a partnership between Amazon Game Studios and Embracer Group, had been in early development and faced numerous setbacks including layoffs and a shift in company focus. While the MMO is officially shelved, Amazon remains committed to the intellectual property.
Amazon pressured one of its teams to develop an AI game, they scrambled to make it work - then got laid off anywayDevelopers at Amazon Game Studios were laid off in October 2025, following a company-wide push to integrate generative AI into game development. Project Trident, an AI-powered third-person action game, was cancelled despite internal promise and adherence to the AI mandate. The layoffs affected multiple teams, including those working on New World and The Lord of the Rings MMO, as Amazon shifted its strategy away from big-budget internal development.- Throne and Liberty teases the arrival of The Frozen Divide update soon™Amazon Games is teasing the upcoming "The Frozen Divide" update for the MMORPG Throne and Liberty. While details are scarce, fans speculate it may introduce a new region called Nyx. Further information is expected soon.
- WRUP: Jason Jason is our new town name editionThis week's "What Are You Playing" roundup features staff and community members discussing their weekend gaming plans. Titles mentioned include Guild Wars 2, Palia, Red Dead Online, Final Fantasy XIV, World of Warcraft, and Age of Mythology: Retold. A bonus question asks which fast food restaurant they would hypothetically control for petty reasons.
- Throne and Liberty’s latest patch changes Floating Elf Gardens as Amazon addresses battlegroundsThrone and Liberty's latest patch has altered PvP in Floating Elf Gardens by lowering the victory score and changing how points are acquired. Amazon also issued a statement addressing ongoing battlegrounds issues, noting that a recent debuff to healing was reverted due to not producing the desired outcome. The team promises substantial new content is forthcoming.
A Surprising 17-Years-Later Sequel Is Coming West This YearNCSoft announced that Aion 2, a sequel to the 2008 MMORPG, will receive a global release on PC via Steam later this year. The game, built on Unreal Engine 5, faced criticism for its microtransactions upon its South Korean and Taiwanese launch. NCSoft has apologized and vowed to make changes for the international release, with more details expected in May.- The MOP Up: Trove looks to the stars for its latest contestThis week's MMO roundup includes Trove's "Space Innovation" decoration contest, Marvel Rivals' new season and creative director's vision, and sales milestones for Crimson Desert. Updates and patches were also detailed for The Elder Scrolls Online, Hearthstone, Throne and Liberty, Dark Age of Camelot, Magic Online, MechWarrior Online, and League of Legends.
- MMO Week in Review: EQ Legends’ beta, Ashes of Creation’s dramaThis week's MMO news roundup covers the upcoming closed beta for EverQuest Legends and ongoing legal drama surrounding Ashes of Creation. Several other titles like AdventureQuest Worlds Infinity, Dune Awakening, and Temtem Pioneers also saw significant updates or funding news.
- WRUP: You gonna cry editionThe Massively OP staff discusses their weekend gaming plans, with mentions of Guild Wars Reforged, Lord of the Rings Online, Warframe, Final Fantasy XIV, Throne and Liberty, World of Warcraft, and New World. A bonus question prompts readers to share the dumbest thing they've done to win a low-stakes challenge.
- Throne & Liberty’s delayed spring 3.28 patch is finally live with a new PvP map and two dungeonsThe delayed spring update for Throne & Liberty is now live, introducing new content for western players. The update includes a new PvP map called Floating Elf Harden, two new co-op dungeons (Hellfire Crucible and Deathless Queen's Lair), a brooch equipment slot, PvP stat rebalancing, and a new battle pass. Dungeons have been reclassified into Epic, Elite, and Normal tiers, with currency rewards adjusted accordingly.
- Throne and Liberty delays global update a week, players resort to peeping the Korean patch notesAmazon has delayed the global update for the MMORPG Throne and Liberty by a week, citing a need to ensure a smooth release. While the Korean version received its patch as scheduled, global players are left waiting for official patch notes, leading to frustration and speculation within the community.
- Vague Patch Notes: Cringe is goodThis opinion piece argues that 'cringe' elements in game marketing, such as those seen in Amazon's promotional videos for Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty, are actually good and effective. The author suggests that genuine enthusiasm and a lack of shame, even if job-related, foster authentic connection and enrich the player experience, contrasting it with negative behaviors.
- Perfect Ten: MMOs whose sequels struggled to landThis article analyzes ten massively multiplayer online games whose sequels failed to achieve the same success as their predecessors. It explores reasons for these failures, including development issues, player migration, and market competition, highlighting titles like MapleStory 2, Overwatch 2, and EverQuest II.
- Throne and Liberty talks about server merge impact, a new accessory, and upcoming PvP and PvE contentAmazon's associate franchise lead Tico discussed the impact of recent server merges in Throne and Liberty, promising adjustments based on player feedback. The April 2nd update will introduce new co-op dungeons, updates to existing content, a new PvP battlefield, and a new brooch accessory. A player survey will also launch in early April to gather further feedback.
- Amazon hit MMORPG Lost Ark with layoffs, including key members of the community teamAmazon has reportedly laid off more staff from its publishing team for the MMORPG Lost Ark, including key community and marketing lead Roxx and producer Henry Stelter. This follows earlier layoffs and the shutdown of New World's development. Despite a significant decline in concurrent players since its launch, Lost Ark still maintains a player base that many MMORPGs would envy.
"You cannot think of game development without thinking about AI" – Ex-NCSoft president Songyee Yoon on investing in the AI futureFormer NCSoft president Songyee Yoon, now founder of Principal Venture Partners, discusses the essential role of AI in modern game development, from predicting player churn to generating NPC dialogue. She emphasizes the need for AI-native companies and addresses concerns about an AI bubble, advocating for transparency and respect for human creativity and intellectual property rights in AI's evolution.- Throne and Liberty kicks off the Starbloom Festival alongside balance changes on its latest patchThrone and Liberty has launched its Starbloom Festival event, featuring daily logins for Starbloom Coins, Morph Races, Oremong Hide and Seek, and gift chest collection. The latest patch also introduces balance changes, extending the duration of Shield Health Reduction/Healing Reduction abilities for multiple weapons, and includes server merges for the Americas, Europe, and Japan.
- Throne & Liberty invites players to celebrate their favorite morphs with Morph MadnessThrone & Liberty is hosting a "Morph Madness" event where players can vote for their favorite in-game morphs through various categories like Dash, Glide, Swim, and Special. Players can participate by racing with their preferred morph in Starbloom Festival races or by submitting fanart and screenshots on social media to help their chosen morph advance through an elimination tournament.
- Throne and Liberty kicks off a Double Archboss event and a new Tower of Greed season while reducing website localizationThrone and Liberty has launched a Double Archboss event, running until March 12th, and a new season for the Tower of Greed. However, website localization efforts have been reduced to English, Japanese, and German, impacting players who use other languages for game information.