How do you pick one big story in a week like this? You don’t: You just roll with all the big ones. This week, we learned Bethsoft is working on a new Fallout game, Fallout 76, with a rumored online and/or MMO component, which set the internet on fire.
ZeniMax then freaked its community out when players discovered spyware had been patched into Elder Scrolls Online; the studio apologized, saying it was added in error and will be removed this week, never having been activated or used.
And then there was Bless Online, which soft launched into early access with server outages, downtime, dupes, and refunds from folks upset over the game’s lack of endgame content. Stay tuned for our own hands-on with the game’s first week, and then read on for the very best of this week’s MMO news and opinions.
THIS WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Bless Online players riot and request refunds over missing endgame PvP, cash shop shenanigans, and duping as Steam reviews plummet - If you thought the Bless Online community was in meltdown after two days of early access headaches, wait until you see the reaction to the actual MMO once people started…
ZeniMax apologizes for Elder Scrolls Online spyware, says it was ‘erroneously added’ and will be removed - [AL:ESO]Hey who here loves - nay, adores - officially sanctioned spyware? Lots of hands staying in laps, we see. You all sure? You aren't secretly clamoring for studios to monitor…
Bless Online Steam reviews climb to ‘mixed’, Neowiz addresses duping bug but doesn’t ban anyone - It doesn't appear that the second wave of Bless Online sales that began yesterday for the game's early access launch will top the peak of the early access headstart. Steam…
Champions Online is discontinuing its subscription too - [AL:Champ]Back in May, PWE surprised Star Trek Online players by effectively discontinuing the game's optional monthly subscriptions, replacing them with a starter pack that allowed everyone to permanently unlock most…
Bless Online struggles with downtime on its first day, offers refunds and plans for the future - If you thought that everything was going to go great for Bless Online's headstart yesterday, what with the lack of preloading and everyone trying to buy it on Steam at…
Bless Online producer apologizes for early access mess, promises content and dupe fixes are on the way - It's safe to say that Bless Online's early access soft launch is not going to plan. As we've been reporting, the Neowiz MMORPG has been suffering from crashes and downtime…
Ascent: Infinite Realm posts new armor concept art, promises no gender-locking for classes - Bluehole has been rolling out plenty of Ascent: Infinite Realm teasers over the last couple of weeks. Today's concept art reveal features armor for the Mystics (crowd-control DPSers), Elementalists (ice and…
Hands-on: The Jurassic World Alive ARG shows promise, but not for MMO fans - Ludia's Jurassic World Alive isn't being marketed as an MMO, but it is an augmented reality game that involves roaming in the real world for virtual dinosaurs so you can battle them…
How the best devs are ‘fleeing in droves’ to escape the abusive games industry - My only nephew is something of a math prodigy, and the fact that he wants to be a game designer when he grows up (and has even been to game…
Amazon posts and retracts a July 2018 release date for Fallout 76 - This past week's announcement of Fallout 76 -- Bethesda's newest entry in the post-apocalyptic series -- has just about everyone in the gaming community buzzing. And while we're sure to…
Grab Guild Wars 2’s expansions for 30% off this week – Bless refugees, they’re talkin’ to you - [AL:GW2]You might think that it's a little weird to assume folks who bought Bless and refunded it have never tried Guild Wars 2, but that isn't stopping the Guild Wars…
Worlds Adrift starts work on countering PvP griefing, but tells players to get better - Who would have ever thought that the tranquil-looking Worlds Adrift would become a raucous griefer's paradise? Apparently not the developers, who were, we guess, hoping that a sense of noble…
Perfect World is showing two new games at E3: Mobile sandbox MMORPG ReEvolve and battle royale FarSide - Perfect World is up to some stuff at E3 this year. Some good stuff, by my estimation. The company sent 'round PR on two of its upcoming games today: a…
Path of Exile’s Incursion update is live today - [AL:POE]Going live today for PC players of Path of Exile is Incursion, the MMOARPG's latest expansion, featuring the promised skill revamps and the choose-your-own-adventure modes of the new dungeon. Xbox…
Choose My Adventure: Final Fantasy XI makes me feel like dancing - Some weeks you have more time or less to do stuff. I managed to get a fair chunk of time in for Final Fantasy XI for my first week with…
Leaderboard: How do you decide whether to refund an MMO or wait it out? - I'll be happy if I never have to type the phrase "Steam refunds" ever again, after this week of Bless Online coverage. Nevertheless, the idea of trying out a game…
Blade & Soul pits players against the Grand Celestial Emperor in June 20th’s Celestial Dawn update - [AL:BaS]Blade & Soul is just refusing to slow down its wild content rollout, and it'll continue down that path this June with Celestial Dawn. Due out on June 20th, the…
EverQuesting: Seven must-dos with your free EverQuest II level 100 - [AL:EQ2]We are smack-dab in the middle of the free level 100 giveaway in EverQuest II for all existing accounts. If you haven't made your character yet (perhaps you are having…
How a server explosion – and two epic devs – help keep Classic Guild Wars alive - Sometimes things going wrong lead in good directions. According to a new interview on Kotaku, there are actually two developers keeping Guild Wars afloat at the moment - the original…
Chapter two of Elite Dangerous’ Beyond content lands June 28 with new missions and Thargoid developments - Elite Dangerous fans, hope you got all your grinding in during last weekend's event because the next big thing is just on the other side of that moon over there…
Shroud of the Avatar’s release 54 today brings new house recipe, nested containers, and companion buffs – but not brewing - Fifty-four! That's the number stamped on today's Shroud of the Avatar release, going live at 11:30 a.m. EDT this morning. The monthly update includes two adventure scenes, an uncloned town,…
Star Wars: The Old Republic is tuning up its warzone experience - [AL:TOR]When July rolls around, Star Wars: The Old Republic is planning some changes to its warzones. Significant ones, at that. The development team wants to make matches shorter, maps more…
Hyperspace Beacon: The sorry state of roleplay in Star Wars: The Old Republic - [AL:TOR]Since the server merges, the Star Forge server has unofficially become the roleplay server for Star Wars: The Old Republic. And roleplaying's fight to remain a relevant way to enjoy this…
Leaderboard: What type of multiplayer do you think Fallout 76 will have? - After what was nearly an interminable teaser stream, Bethsoft finally announced this morning that it's working on Fallout 76, another entry in a beloved franchise and another chance to trot…
Perfect Ten: MMO features that help players express individuality - When you play a single-player game, you automatically feel quite special and unique. You are, after all, the very centerpiece that the entire game revolves around and caters to. Your…
World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth looks at Magni and slashes tank threat generation - Players who feel like tanking is too straightforward in World of Warcraft will definitely have to do more stuff in Battle for Azeroth. Whether or not that's more fun is…
EA eschews lootboxes and premium passes with Battlefield V - If you haven't heard the word, EA may be hopping off the lootbox train -- at least for the time being. The mega-publisher took a huge publicity and community relations…
The Survivalist: How Aberration saved ARK - It's no secret that plenty of people have felt disappointed by Studio Wildcard, disillusioned by decisions and direction. I was among that crowd. It reached a point where I had to…
The next episode of Guild Wars 2’s living world season has apparently been delayed - [AL:GW2]You might have noticed it's Tuesday, and there's been no big trailer drop for the next Guild Wars 2 living world episode. That's behind schedule if expected, given datamining, but…
EVE Online dives ‘Into the Abyss’ with today’s update - [AL:EVE]Ready to dive into a new style of PvE gameplay in EVE Online? Today's patch for the Into the Abyss update sends players into the eponymous abyssal deadspace to seek…
ESA president argues ‘video games never take money from a player and leave them with nothing’ - GamesIndustry.biz has a fantastic piece illuminating the Entertainment Software Association's apparent game plan on lockboxes going forward. The publication recaps a lengthy talk ESA president Mike Gallagher gave at the…
Wild West Online’s reviews and concurrency sink as gun patch, novice servers roll out - Wild West Online's reviews have continued to sink on Steam since the game's surprisingly hasty official launch earlier this month; they currently sit at "mostly negative." Steam Charts pegs its…
PUBG Corp sues Epic Games, claiming Fortnite plagiarized its UI and items - Last autumn, Bluehole and PUBG Corp locked horns with Epic Games over PUBG's assertion that Fortnite had all but ripped off PUBG's battle royale mode and that it was considering…
Solo has a couple blink-and-you’ll-miss-it references to Star Wars Galaxies - One of the best aspects of all of the new Disney Star Wars films is their references to places, events, and characters outside of the film canon and in the…
THIS WEEK’S CASTS & STREAMS
Massively OP Podcast Episode 172: Delays and do-overs
Battle Bards Episode 121: Myst Online
The Stream Team: Time-traveling back to the great Trove bake-off
The Stream Team: Discovering Secret World Legends’ South African secrets
The Stream Team: Conan Exiles swamp fever
The Stream Team: Bye-bye Path of Exile’s Bestiary League
The Stream Team: Gustball and dragon slaying in Shroud of the Avatar
The Stream Team: Dauntless has opened its doors
AND FROM OUR FRIENDS AT BLIZZARD WATCH
The reward for earning 100 exalted reps in WoW is worse than a participation award
Battle for Azeroth threat changes will make tanking a lot tougher
Why is Blizzard removing the Mage Tower appearance in WoW?
Every week, get caught up on the MMO genre’s latest news and Massively OP’s best content in our MMO Week in Review! Want more roundups of content? Try Friday’s Betawatch for MMO testing highlights, Saturday’s Make My MMO for MMO crowdfunding updates, and Sunday’s The MOP Up, which mops up all the little bits of news we didn’t cover anywhere else.
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