World of Warcraft
News, coverage and analysis tracking World of Warcraft across the outlets.
Latest coverage
MMO Week in Review: Lost Ark and Throne & Liberty are going home
Amazon has announced it will cease publishing duties for the MMORPGs Lost Ark and Throne & Liberty, returning them to their respective studios, Smilegate and NCsoft. The article also touches on updates and developments for other MMOs including EverQuest Legends, World of Warcraft, Ashes of Creation, and Star Wars The Old Republic.
The MOP Up: RIFT’s Razorback Roundup is back, yeehaw!
This week's MMO news roundup includes the return of RIFT's Razorback Roundup event, updates for Marvel Rivals and Uncharged Waters Origin, and news from various games like Wizard101, Fiesta Online, and Gloria Victis. Gamigo announced upcoming releases, while War Thunder reported on bans, and Myth of Empires: Throne secured a publishing deal.
David Brevik, creator of Diablo, reveals the 'worst ending' to any game he's played: 'But I really…
David Brevik, creator of Diablo, discusses his gaming history and current library in this interview. He shares his thoughts on the 'worst ending' in Eye of the Beholder and his enduring love for games like EverQuest and Marvel Heroes, which he still plays on fan-made servers.
One Shots: There’s always something good behind every RPG waterfall
This week's One Shots column highlights community screenshots from various MMOs, including Guild Wars 2, World of Warcraft, and Final Fantasy XIV. Players shared images featuring in-game waterfalls, character costumes, and humorous moments, with a call for submissions for future features.
Blizzard pulls out the nerf hammer for new World of Warcraft Midnight Season 2 class tuning
Blizzard Entertainment has released a new round of class tuning changes for World of Warcraft ahead of the Midnight Season 2 launch. The update targets significant outliers in both high and low performance tiers, with adjustments to tier sets and baseline abilities for various classes including Demon Hunters, Mages, Priests, and Warriors. These changes aim to rebalance gameplay and will go live on August 18th alongside the new season.
WRUP: You’re on the air with Benny, Mark, and the Grongler edition
This weekly roundup features Massively OP staff and community members discussing their gaming plans. This week's participants are looking forward to updates in Guild Wars 2, Final Fantasy XIV, and Warframe, while also planning to play games like MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, Palworld, and Lord of the Rings Online. Bonus discussions include anticipation for Ace Combat 8 and Aion 2.
WoW's haunted: Players report that their disconnected friends' characters are starting to play the game on…
Players of World of Warcraft are reporting an unusual phenomenon where disconnected characters appear to continue moving and fighting independently. This behavior, observed after the 12.1 patch, has led to speculation about a new disconnect protection feature or a game bug. Blizzard Entertainment has not yet officially commented on the matter.
Blizzard takes rare World of Warcraft mount from players as the MMO's latest crack down on real-money transactions…
Blizzard Entertainment has issued a new wave of bans in World of Warcraft, targeting players involved in real-money transactions, particularly in the EU. The crackdown has also led to the removal of the rare Mythic L'ura mount from accounts, even from players who did not directly violate policies but were in guilds with offending members.
Massively Overthinking: How important is an auction house in MMORPGs?
MMORPG developers and players discuss the critical importance of auction houses and asynchronous trading systems. While some older MMORPGs succeeded without them, modern titles often rely on these features to facilitate player economies and trade, with their absence significantly impacting player experience and engagement.
Stop Killing Games has joined a lawsuit against Sony's move to digital-only sales: 'You won't have any…
The consumer group Stichting Massaschade & Consument, supported by Stop Killing Games, is suing Sony over its move towards digital-only game sales. They argue that eliminating physical discs by 2028 will create a monopoly for Sony, allowing them to dictate game prices and usage rights, removing the second-hand market and alternative purchasing options.
Videogame lawyer says it's become 'just boilerplate' this year to include no-AI clauses in contracts:…
Videogame lawyer Haley MacLean states that 'no-AI' clauses are becoming standard boilerplate in contracts due to concerns over generative AI's reliance on copyrighted material. She explains that while companies are eager to use AI for cost-saving, legal ownership of AI-generated assets is complex, potentially leading to future lawsuits as legislation catches up.
Sony has 'zero understanding for what their customers want' says gaming preservation group
Gaming preservation advocate Clemens Istel criticizes Sony and other companies for disregarding customer rights and pushing towards digital-only distribution, potentially leading to games becoming inaccessible. He highlights issues with physical game compatibility and the loss of true ownership, contrasting console practices with the more DRM-free options available on PC.
Lego shut down a Bionicle fangame 8 years in the making—1 year later, its developers are back with something legally distinct and arguably cooler
The Lego Group shut down the Bionicle fan game 'Masks of Power' after eight years of development. The team behind the project has rebranded as Unmasked Games and is now developing a new, legally distinct action-adventure game called Rustbound, which appears to retain elements of the original Bionicle vision.
WoW 12.1 is finally here, and there's a brand new talent tree and instance type
World of Warcraft patch 12.1, titled Curse of Ula'tek, is now live, introducing the new Lair instance type and the Venomous Abyss raid. The update adds an all-new talent tree with effects like Venomwalking, a new dungeon called Altar of Fangs, and new rotations for existing dungeons. Player housing features have been expanded with shareable Blueprint codes, and players can now place pets in their homes.
'One flag for each laid off dev:' Union workers stage unmissable protest for Xbox boss Asha Sharma
Union workers from the Communications Workers of America protested outside Bethesda's office during Xbox CEO Asha Sharma's visit, deploying an inflatable rat and red flags to represent each employee laid off under her leadership. The protest aimed to highlight the human cost of recent mass layoffs within Microsoft's gaming division, which have affected studios like Obsidian, id Software, and ZeniMax Online Studios.
Id Software lead says devs "don't have the incentive to care anymore" with Microsoft threatening another 1,600 Xbox layoffs after latest bloodbath
Id Software lead services programmer Chris Hayes criticizes Microsoft's repeated layoffs, stating that they weaken studios and remove developers' incentive to care about their work. Hayes argues that companies like Microsoft fail to understand the long-term value of experienced teams and the importance of learning from failures, leading to a decline in game quality. This sentiment is echoed by other industry figures concerned about the current climate of studio reductions.
World of Warcraft brings a new zone, new housing updates, and a new prey season with Curse of Ula’tek
World of Warcraft: Midnight has released the Curse of Ula'tek content update, introducing the new Coiled Isle zone with group events, curse surges, a new dungeon, and boss lairs. The update also brings significant housing additions, including new neighborhood endeavors, blueprint saving, pet beds, and new house levels. Additional features include Discord and Battle.net integration, the start of a new prey season on August 18th, UI updates, and class balancing changes.
Blizzard Is Reportedly Xbox’s New Top Studio
Blizzard Entertainment has reportedly been named Xbox's top-performing studio for the past fiscal year, according to internal emails from Blizzard president Johanna Faries. The studio achieved its third-highest revenue in history, driven by strong performance from Diablo 4 and Overwatch, and has seen consecutive years of growth since 2017. This news comes ahead of BlizzCon in September, where further announcements about Blizzard's future are expected.
Blizzard says Diablo and Overwatch ‘drove exceptional performance’ in 2026
Leaked emails from Blizzard boss Johanna Faries indicate that Blizzard Entertainment achieved exceptional performance in fiscal year 2026, marking its third highest revenue year in history and first back-to-back growth since FY17. Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred and Overwatch were highlighted as key drivers of this success, with Overwatch delivering its strongest quarter since 2022.
Blizzard seems to be back on top at Xbox with Diablo 4 and the Overwatch relaunch
Blizzard Entertainment is reportedly experiencing a resurgence under Xbox, with Diablo 4's Lords of Hatred expansion and the relaunch of Overwatch 2 contributing to consecutive years of growth. While Overwatch 2 has returned to its 2022 performance levels, Diablo 4's expansion has been a significant success despite mixed initial feedback. World of Warcraft was notably absent from the positive performance review.