World of Warcraft
News, coverage and analysis tracking World of Warcraft across the outlets.
Latest coverage
Vague Patch Notes: Let’s talk about MMORPG balance
This analysis delves into the critical concept of game balance, particularly within MMORPGs, emphasizing its necessity for a healthy and engaging player experience. It uses examples from games like chess, World of Warcraft, and Final Fantasy XI to illustrate how imbalances can negatively impact gameplay and player enjoyment, arguing that while achieving perfect balance is complex, its pursuit is essential for game design.
World of Warcraft brings the Siege of Orgrimmar to Mists of Pandaria Classic
World of Warcraft is launching the Siege of Orgrimmar raid for its Mists of Pandaria Classic expansion. This update allows players to confront Garrosh Hellscream. The phase also includes the Timeless Isle, a new PvP season, and Proving Ground challenges.
Texturetown is a Frankenstein's MMO created by remixing Club Penguin, Pirates of the Caribbean Online and other dead MMOs
Texturetown is an experimental MMO created by LA-based academic Aidan Strong, remixing assets from defunct children's MMOs like Club Penguin, Pirates of the Caribbean Online, Toontown, and Fusionfall. The game uses altered code, audio, text, and textures to evoke disjointed nostalgia for abandoned online spaces of the early 2000s.
Riot’s League of Legends MMO picks up former World of Warcraft lead designer Brian Holinka
Brian Holinka, former lead designer for World of Warcraft, has joined Riot Games as a principal game designer for their in-development League of Legends MMO. This follows Riot's recent hiring of other experienced MMORPG talent, indicating a strong focus on building a significant presence in the genre.
After a week of playing on nothing but Panther Lake laptops, it's safe to say that Intel has its gaming mojo back
Intel's new Panther Lake mobile processors, specifically the Core Ultra Series 3, show significant promise for gaming on thin and light laptops. Despite past struggles, these chips, featuring integrated Arc B390 GPUs, deliver impressive frame rates in demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Path of Exile 2 at 1080p, even performing comparably to discrete GPUs like the Nvidia RTX 4050. Performance remains consistent on battery power, and while ray tracing is not viable, features like XeSS offer a good balance of visual quality and performance.
Riot hires another World of Warcraft veteran to get its League of Legends MMO over the line as we approach 6 years since…
Riot Games has hired former World of Warcraft veteran Brian Holinka as principal game designer for its upcoming League of Legends MMO. Holinka, who previously served as lead PvP designer and lead combat designer for World of Warcraft, joins other former Blizzard employees working on the project. Riot co-founder Marc Merrill recently reaffirmed the company's commitment to developing the MMO.
The League of Legends MMO adds another World of Warcraft vet to its team
Riot Games has hired Brian Holinka, former lead combat designer for World of Warcraft, as a principal game designer for its upcoming League of Legends MMO. This move follows the addition of other former Blizzard and World of Warcraft veterans to the development team, indicating continued progress on the long-in-development MMORPG.
TurtleWoW devs form Moonwhisper Games, announce plans to develop an original MMO
The developers behind the now-shuttered TurtleWoW rogue server have formed a new studio called Moonwhisper Games. The company plans to develop an original MMORPG with its own intellectual property, world, and story. Further details are expected as the studio lays its groundwork.
After being shut down by Blizzard, one of WoW's biggest private servers is saying screw it, we'll make our own…
Following a shutdown by Blizzard Entertainment, the developers behind the World of Warcraft private server TurtleWoW have announced they are forming a new studio, Moonwhisper Games, to create their own MMO. The team cited their years of experience building and managing MMO experiences as preparation for this ambitious undertaking.
The Daily Grind: Do you want people to stare at your character while you’re AFK?
This opinion piece discusses player preferences within MMORPGs, specifically questioning whether players desire their characters to be admired while AFK. It uses World of Warcraft's raid-centric design as a point of comparison for player motivations and endgame engagement.
The team behind Turtle WoW is starting fresh with a new MMO: "We know this is an enormous undertaking"
The developers behind the defunct Turtle WoW private server have formed a new studio, Moonwhisper Games, to create an original MMORPG. Despite acknowledging the immense challenges of developing an MMO from scratch, the team aims to build a new world and IP, leveraging their years of experience managing communities and creating content for the genre.
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.
WRUP: 2027 anime adaptations that will cross over with various MMORPGs edition
The Massively OP staff and community share their weekend gaming plans, with a focus on MMORPGs and other titles. Players are looking forward to titles like Pokopia, Guild Wars 2, Final Fantasy XIV, and World of Warcraft, among others. The discussion also touches on personal anecdotes and a bonus question about pet photography.
You can win tickets to Diablo's Infernal Symphony, celebrating 30 years of Blizzard's ARPG
Blizzard Entertainment is celebrating 30 years of Diablo with a special concert event, 'Diablo: The Infernal Symphony,' in London. The event will feature music from across the entire Diablo franchise. This article announces a giveaway for two tickets to the concert, with the giveaway open to UK residents aged seven and older.
Storyboard: The tiers of unseen places in MMORPGs
This article analyzes the concept of 'unseen places' in MMORPGs, categorizing them into three tiers: known but unseen, known of but not known, and unknown and unseen. It argues that only the 'known but unseen' areas are suitable for robust roleplaying within the game's established lore, while the other categories risk venturing into fan fiction territory.
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is 2026's top new release by revenue to date | Newzoo charts
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream topped Newzoo's revenue charts for new releases in 2026 and overall console revenue in April, attributed to Nintendo's install base. New titles like Pragmata and Windrose also saw strong debuts, though displacing established live-service games remains challenging.
Massively Overthinking: How much effort do you put into your MMO characters’ backstories?
The Massively OP staff discusses the varying levels of effort they put into creating backstories and personalities for their MMORPG characters. While some players craft elaborate narratives, others prefer simpler concepts or let personalities emerge organically through gameplay, with some games like Palia naturally encouraging more in-depth role-playing.
Vague Patch Notes: You cannot balance an MMO for fun
This article argues that 'fun' cannot be directly balanced in Massively Multiplayer Online games, as it is a subjective and vague concept. While numbers and rewards can be tweaked, true fun is personal and cannot be universally achieved through game design adjustments. The author uses examples from World of Warcraft and other MMOs to illustrate the complexities of balancing player enjoyment with game mechanics.
Perfect Ten: Video games that spun off from MMORPGs
This article highlights ten video games that originated as spin-offs from MMORPGs, exploring various genres and platforms. Examples include Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes, RuneScape Dragonwilds, and EVE Online's Gunjack, showcasing how established MMO IPs have been adapted into different gaming experiences.
World of Warcraft housing expert recreates The Burning Crusade's iconic login screen on their in-game PC
A World of Warcraft player has recreated the iconic login screen for The Burning Crusade expansion within the game's new player housing system. The detailed recreation features a miniature PC setup, including a monitor displaying the login screen, a tower, keyboard, and desk lamp, all crafted using in-game items.
