We’re taking a time-machine back through our MMO coverage, month by month, to hit the highlights and frame our journey before we head into 2018!
In April, City of Heroes-inspired MMORPG Ship of Heroes launched a $400,000 Kickstarter but canceled it soon after, believing it would not fund. Work on the game continued with an abbreviated scope.
Speaking of abbreviated scopes: Star Citizen began promising a trimmed-down alpha 3.0 by summer as of this month as devs talked up the game anyway. (Spoilers: Summer didn’t happen.)
Meanwhile, LOTRO turned 10 years old, SWTOR launched War for Iokath, Guild Wars 2 rolled out controversial raid armor, and Marvel Heroes finally announced a console version, sending the PC playerbase into turmoil.
Read on for the whole list!
TOP NEWS STORIES OF APRIL 2017
SuperData examines gambling practices across the online gaming industry
Record of Lodoss War Online is launching this week
Reddit Place is not an MMO, but it is an MMO
Pokemon Go has lost 80% of its users a year after launch
City of Heroes-inspired Ship of Heroes’ $400,000 Kickstarter is live
ESL Gaming is shutting down Guild Wars 2’s e-sports section
Marvel Heroes is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as Marvel Heroes Omega
U.S. district court hears Pokemon Go trespassing lawsuit
EVE Fanfest 2017: EVE Valkyrie adds atmospheric flight in Groundrush, coming April 11th
Secret World Legends beta leaks show a vastly changed game [Updated]
City of Heroes-inspired MMORPG Ship of Heroes has canceled its Kickstarter bid
EVE Fanfest 2017: DUST 514 successor Project Nova is still in development
Experts caution against VR dangers
Wargaming says betting is ‘a natural part of sports’ and therefore online games
BioWare delays SWTOR 5.2 for a week, might be working on KOTOR 3 and a ‘semi-MMO’
Elite Dangerous’ The Commanders update today adds player avatars
Star Trek Online announces the end of STO Gateway
EVE Fanfest 2017: EVE Online plans amazing new PvE gameplay
Massively OP’s spring and Easter MMORPG event roundup
A trimmed-down Star Citizen 3.0 alpha is coming this summer
Star Citizen’s 3.0 to ‘simulate a first-person universe with almost no limits’
Amazon job posting reveals New World details
Video: Everything you need to know about Star Wars: The Old Republic’s 5.2 War for Iokath, live today
Carbine Studios is hiring for an unspecified new project
Cloud Pirates launches with a huge update
LOTRO kicks off 10th anniversary celebration, more musical retrospectives
The Exiled goes free-to-play for its third season
Funcom’s Joel Bylos on the difference between MMOs and survival sandboxes
Elder Scrolls Online community grumbles over Morrowind class nerfs and the impending Warden takeover
H1Z1’s Fight for the Crown TV debut is tonight with $300K on the line
Ashes of Creation plans May 1 Kickstarter, demos ‘Metropolis’ player city system
MMOARG dev sues Milwaukee county over Pokemon Go-inspired park ordinance
Academics and addiction experts weigh in on ‘pay-to-loot’ gambleboxes and lockboxes
Overwatch pro player sees career ended over racist diatribe
What’s John Smedley building for Amazon Game Studios?
Guild Wars 2 announces Flashpoint living story episode, price drop for Heart of Thorns
RuneScape DDoS hacker gets two years in U.K. prison
Pantheon studio Visionary Realms finds firmer financial footing
MMORPG sandbox Arcfall is headed to Steam early access
Guild Wars 2 legendary armor for raiders launches next week
Elite Dangerous’ community tool developers have gone on strike
‘This universe is going to be awesome’: Chris Roberts on Star Citizen’s evolving moons
Former Funcom execs convicted, sentenced in insider trading case
Wanna try new MMORPGs? Join the MMO Book Club
FAVORITE EDITORIALS OF APRIL 2017
Exclusive Interview: Secret World Legends’ story, monetization, membership, Tokyo, and more
Introducing the Massively Overpowered Objectivity Guide and App
The Game Archaeologist: Rubies of Eventide
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward in review – the main scenario
EVE Evolved: EVE Online’s moon mining overhaul and the future of conflict
Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2’s Bastion of the Penitent raid lore
Perfect Ten: 10 little things that I love about LOTRO
Tamriel Infinium: Examining the gods of Elder Scrolls Online’s Morrowind
Choose My Adventure: Muddling through the start of Black Desert
The Survivalist: ARK’s big bird nerf
Massively Overthinking: It’s the end of The Secret World as we know it
EVE Fanfest 2017: Hands-on with competitive VR sports game Sparc
Guild Chat: Should I quit my MMO because of in-guild bullying?
The Daily Grind: How important are player economies to MMORPGs?
LOTRO Legendarium: Playing second fiddle to the Fellowship
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward in review – side stories, part one
The Daily Grind: What gaming mouse do you use for MMORPGs?
Jukebox Heroes: Your top six favorite MMO music themes
Tamriel Infinium: Am I playing Elder Scrolls Online wrong?
Perfect Ten: Conversations with anthropomorphic concepts of MMO studios
The Survivalist: Massively OP’s guide to survival games, single-player and beyond
Choose My Adventure: Learning to appreciate Black Desert
Massively Overthinking: MMOs, from hardcore to casual and back again
The Daily Grind: What’s the most boring MMORPG around?
The Game Archaeologist: SOE’s The Agency
Tamriel Infinium: Why I changed my mind about Elder Scrolls Online
Perfect Ten: Time travel in MMORPGs
Choose My Adventure: Grinding away in Black Desert
Massively Overthinking: Disassembling MMORPGs for parts
The Soapbox: Lessons Secret World Legends failed to learn from Final Fantasy XIV
LOTRO Legendarium: A marvelous decade of Middle-earth
Guild Chat: Planning a long break from your MMORPG guild
Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind will not blow your mind, but it will tickle your nostalgia
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward in review – leveling content
Video: Story vs. lore, Star Wars: The Old Republic vs. The Elder Scrolls Online
Perfect Ten: The City of Heroes basic Archetypes ranked
Tamriel Infinium: Class changes are a bad reason to pan Elder Scrolls Online Morrowind
The Survivalist: Is gaming’s early access the new launch?
Massively Overthinking: Are MMORPG players a minority in their own genre?
LOTRO Legendarium: 10th anniversary interview with Standing Stone’s Rob Ciccolini
ALL 2017 MONTH-IN-REVIEW POSTS TO-DATE
MMO Year in Review: Landmark is wiped off the map (January 2017)
MMO Year in Review: A home of your own in Elder Scrolls Online’s Tamriel (February 2017)
MMO Year in Review: City of Heroes necromancy in Master X Master (March 2017)
MMO Year in Review: Ship of Heroes abandons Kickstarter (April 2017)
MMO Year in Review: Ashes of Creation vs. Wild West Online (May 2017)
MMO Year in Review: Morrowind, Stormblood, and Secret World Legends (June 2017)
MMO Year in Review: July was the high mark of the year for MMORPGs (July 2017)
MMO Year in Review: Johnny Depp + Secret World = profit? (August 2017)
MMO Year in Review: Expansion 2 for Guild Wars 2 (September 2017)
MMO Year in Review: Lockboxes, CCP, and Destiny 2 (October 2017)
MMO Year in Review: WoW Classic and the doom of Marvel Heroes (November 2017)
MMO Year in Review: Star Citizen’s alpha 3.0 finally arrives (December 2017)
