MMOs
Ongoing coverage on MMOs.
Latest coverage
Jagex wants classic British point-and-click MMO RuneScape to be bigger than World of Warcraft
Jagex CEO Jon Bellamy aims for RuneScape to become the world's biggest MMO within five years, surpassing World of Warcraft. This ambitious goal involves growing the RuneScape franchise to encompass at least three major titles, including Old School RuneScape, RuneScape, and the upcoming RuneScape: Dragonwilds, to attract a combined multi-million player audience.
MMOs You’ve Never Heard Of: Zeverland, Blossom & Decay, and Astral Frontier Online
This article highlights three lesser-known multiplayer online games: Zeverland, a co-op survival crafting MMO from Quantum Quirks that recently held a pre-alpha test; Blossom & Decay, a browser-based open-world simulation MMO by Konspiracy Games with ARPG combat; and Astral Frontier Online, a solo-developed MMORPG utilizing Unity assets and SpacetimeDB's backend, currently in alpha.
Immutable spotlights five blockchain games worth playing this July 2026
Immutable has released its July 2026 rankings of notable blockchain games, featuring both established franchises and independent titles. Ubisoft's "Might and Magic Fates" marks the return of a classic series as a free-to-play trading card game on Immutable, while "Illuvium" tops the list with its interconnected four-game franchise. The rankings also highlight indie titles like the roguelike "Exaverse" and the voxel MMO "ChainersGame," alongside the established competitive card game "Gods Unchained."
The MOP Up: Crimson Desert adds a cross-save feature across all its platforms
Crimson Desert has implemented a cross-save feature across PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, and Epic Games Store, allowing players to use a single save file across different platforms. The article also rounds up other smaller MMO news, including updates for RIFT, Star Trek Online, EverQuest II, and Mimesis surpassing two million copies sold.
Raids just landed in solo 'simulated MMO' Erenshor
The simulated MMO Erenshor has received its Planar March update, which introduces raids and 21 new bosses. Solo developer Brian of Burgee Media described this as the biggest day for the game since launch. The game, available on Steam, has a 'very positive' rating and allows players to form raid teams with NPC simplayers.
Question time: How long have you been playing MMOs?
This opinion piece discusses the perceived age of MMO players and the evolution of MMO design towards seasonal structures and midcore content. It highlights the longevity of games like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy 14, contrasting them with the shorter lifespans of newer titles like New World. The author, who has played MMOs since middle school, invites readers to share their own experiences and how long they've been engaged with the genre.
Betawatch: Stars Reach reboots its servers, SpiritVale hits early access
Stars Reach has rebooted its servers with refreshed character customization, while SpiritVale has officially launched into early access. Several other games, including MapleStory Classic World and Arkheron, are also undergoing beta testing or preparing for future launches.
Cozy MMO Spirit Crossing just added new starter housing plots and a nifty mood system
Spry Fox has released patch 15.2 for their cozy MMO Spirit Crossing, introducing new starter housing plots and a mood system inspired by Star Wars Galaxies. The update also includes improvements to Waystations, a new system for meeting social players, avatar hiding for blocked users, economic balance adjustments, and a hair dye system.
Zenimax Online Studios leadership included in widespread Xbox job cuts, as concerns around Elder Scrolls Online's longevity persist
Zenimax Online Studios, the developer of The Elder Scrolls Online, has seen several senior leadership members and 379 employees impacted by widespread layoffs at Xbox. This follows similar cuts last year and raises concerns about the longevity of the MMO, though the studio insists it remains committed to the game. A new leadership team will be formed from remaining staff over the coming months.
Anime MMO Nostale drops its Guardians of Dimensions patch with four new specialists
The anime MMO Nostale has released its Act 10.2: Guardians of Dimensions update, introducing four new player specialists: Archilles for Swordsmen, Admiral Yi for Archers, Merlin for Mages, and Thor for Martial Artists. The patch also includes 50 new quests, a 15-player raid, and a summer event featuring Captain Pete O'Peng.
Pearl Abyss shares Black Desert Mobile’s summer roadmap and drops Season 2 today
Pearl Abyss has unveiled the summer roadmap for Black Desert Mobile, focusing on faster progression and improved gameplay. The update includes the launch of Season 2 today, with further additions like Nightmare: Sunken Ruins and a pet revamp later this month. Future content will feature a new region called Ulukita and item streamlining.
This is my 3rd time playing EVE Online's upcoming extraction shooter little brother, and it finally feels like it's coming together—all without the ambitious crossover features it was made for
EVE Vanguard, an upcoming extraction shooter from Fenris Creations, is showing significant improvement and is shaping up to be a compelling standalone experience, even without its planned EVE Online integration. The game offers immediate action, satisfying gunplay, and emergent player behavior, reminiscent of titles like Tarkov. Developers are aiming for a self-sustaining narrative powered by EVE's player corporations, with director Scott Davis emphasizing a caretaker role similar to EVE Online's lead designers.
MapleStory Classic World eyes August for more closed beta testing with sign-ups this week
Nexon announced that MapleStory Classic World will hold its second closed beta testing phase from August 4th to August 12th, with sign-ups beginning on July 16th. This legacy version of the MMO aims to transport players back to the 2005-2009 era of the game, incorporating both classic elements and new content with slower progression.
Villagers and Heroes welcomes you to the Twilight Vale event zone but delays its raid
Villagers and Heroes has launched its new Twilight Vale event zone with Patch 5.71, introducing new mounts, companions, and homestead items. However, the accompanying raid, which players have been anticipating, has been delayed to ensure it receives adequate polish and testing before release.
Road to Headliner is a management sim MMO where players make digital bands and try to top the charts
Road to Headliner is a free-to-play, UI-based MMO management simulation where players create digital bands, record songs using an in-house algorithm, and manage marketing, venues, and tours within 12-week seasons. The game is currently in its third season and is playable on PC browsers and reasonably on tablets, with plans for future mobile support.
Erenshor’s Planar March update is here, introducing EverQuest-style raids to the solo MMO sim
Burgee Media has released the Planar March update for its single-player MMO-like game, Erenshor. This major update introduces EverQuest-style raids, featuring four new raid zones, over 20 boss encounters, new progression systems, and over 120 pieces of gear. The content is designed for solo play, allowing players to build AI-powered raid groups.
RuneScape launches major Player-Owned Housing overhaul as part of its bigger 25-year feature revamps
Jagex has launched a significant overhaul of the player housing system in RuneScape, introducing extensive customization options, new furniture, and social features for up to five players. This update is part of the game's larger 25th-anniversary revamps, which also include raising the Construction skill cap to 120 and adding a new furniture crafting system.
Even though Old School RuneScape was 'not built to have a LAN setup at all,' it just had a live esports tournament with 4,000 attendees: 'We were doubting at times whether we actually can pull it off'
Jagex successfully hosted the Deadman All Stars esports tournament for Old School RuneScape in Chicago, drawing 4,000 in-person attendees and over one million online viewers. Despite the game not being designed for LAN events, the team overcame significant logistical challenges to create a special instanced version of the MMO for the competition, ensuring optimal conditions for players.
War Thunder to put 128-player boots-on-the-ground battles in action in Infantry's "largest map" yet
Gaijin Entertainment is preparing the Infantry update for War Thunder, which will introduce controllable FPS characters and 128-player battles on its largest map yet. A closed beta test for the update is scheduled for July, featuring new troop transport vehicles and significant changes to soldier classes and equipment.
As Elder Scrolls Online fans fear for the MMO, Bethesda reportedly confirms its team is the same size it was when it…
Despite recent layoffs impacting Microsoft's Xbox division, the development team for The Elder Scrolls Online remains at a size comparable to its early successful years. Community figures report that key personnel are focused on the game's future roadmap, suggesting it is not entering maintenance mode. While the layoffs are upsetting, this news offers reassurance about the MMO's continued development.
