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!
Easily the high point of the year, June saw the launch of The Elder Scrolls Online’s Morrowind and Final Fantasy XIV’s Stormblood, along with the relaunch of The Secret World as Secret World Legends.
Meanwhile, Shroud of the Avatar launched a controversial equity crowdfunding campaign, Cryptic announced a Magic the Gathering MMORPG, and we got a look at Skull & Bones, Sea of Thieves, and Anthem at E3. We also confirmed that Neowiz and Aeria had cut ties, leaving the former to bring Bless Online westward alone.
Read on for the whole list!
TOP NEWS STORIES OF JUNE 2017
‘Summer of SWTOR’ brings back the MMORPG
Shroud of the Avatar makes $2M equity crowdfunding pitch, plans 2017 launch
Ryzom transitions to a freemium business model
Ashes of Creation’s Kickstarter has successfully funded at $3.27M
Elder Scrolls Online suspends hundreds of accounts over skill exploit
The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind has a new trailer, and it’s all about bears
Kickstarter to take no action on Ashes of Creation’s campaign following referral program confusion
Shroud of the Avatar’s Richard Garriott on launch and philosophy following equity crowdfunding announcement
EVE Online celebrates CCP’s 20th anniversary with sale and pep talk
HuffPo examines Ashes of Creation’s ‘business lessons’
Elder Scrolls Online’s Morrowind is finally here! Watch the new launch trailer
Guild Wars 2’s WvW update and the first chunk of the ‘Competitive Feature Pack’ are live
SpatialOS-powered Fractured is a sandbox MMO without the grind or forced PvP
Neowiz confirms axing Bless Online western publisher Aeria Games
Wild West Online shows first in-game footage, offers early bird preorder packages
Cryptic announces brand-new Magic: The Gathering MMORPG
Old School RuneScape players threaten to riot over LGBTQ pride event
Bless Online’s western version has been canceled over ‘quality standards’
Blizzard has been ‘doing a lot of research’ to thwart Overwatch toxicity
Camelot Unchained is chasing ‘a game to be proud of, not a minimum viable product’
E3 2017: Black Desert confirms Xbox ports for 2018
E3 2017: EA BioWare reveals Anthem, a shared-world Destiny clone
E3 2017: Elder Scrolls Online announces Horns of the Reach and Clockwork City DLC
E3 2017: Sea of Thieves delays release to early 2018
E3 2017: Ubisoft announces Skull and Bones, a multiplayer pirate sandbox
E3 2017: Ubisoft officially reveals The Crew 2
World of Warcraft goes back in time with today’s Patch 7.2.5
E3 2017: Capcom announces Monster Hunter World for consoles and PC
Bethsoft says Elder Scrolls VI ‘is not in dev,’ gamers spurn Creation Club modding plans
PSA: Final Fantasy XIV ends service on the PlayStation 3 on June 16
Final Fantasy XIV hits a major instanced roadblock in Stormblood early access
E3 2017: Elder Scrolls Online’s Matt Firor on Morrowind, nostalgia, and PvP
Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood has launched today
E3 2017: Final Fantasy XIV’s Naoki Yoshida on Stormblood, design, and themeparks
NCsoft MOBA Master X Master launches today
Ashes of Creation’s post-Kickstarter pledge store is live
Lord of the Rings Online: Mordor reveals key expansion details
Secret World Legends’ headstart launches today
Cloud Imperium rejects wild claim that Star Citizen is ‘owned by a bank’
Watch Secret World Legends’ official launch trailer
Marvel Heroes clamps down on Fantastic Four characters due to licensing issues
Secret World Legends prepares to re-open currency exchange following rampant duping
An EVE Online player tried (and failed) to send CCP Games a big bag of tallywhackers
Kritika Online slams into open beta
FAVORITE EDITORIALS OF JUNE 2017
Tamriel Infinium: A life lesson in Elder Scrolls Online Morrowind
Massively Overthinking: 2017’s MMORPG zeitgeist
Perfect Ten: My favorite MMO dungeons
LOTRO Legendarium: Seven abandoned LOTRO features
MMO Mechanics: Making healing interesting in MMORPGs
Chaos Theory: Interview and impressions of Secret World Legends
ArcheAge Erenor Eternal update dev tour: Trading revamp and new zones
Tamriel Infinium: Elder Scrolls Online Morrowind is the MMO you want and don’t want
Chaos Theory: Interview and impressions of Secret World Legends, part II
Perfect Ten: MMORPGs that died too soon
Choose My Adventure: My frustration with Neverwinter’s lockboxes
Massively Overthinking: MMO monetization run amok
MMO Burnout: Approaching DC Universe’s Injustice 2 as an MMORPG fan
Hands-on with Path of Exile’s upcoming The Fall of Oriath expansion
The Game Archaeologist: Phantasy Star Online
EVE Evolved: The controversy over EVE Online’s capital ship nerfs
E3 2017: Hands-on with Star Wars Battlefront 2
Flameseeker Chronicles: Surviving the Guild Wars 2 WvW invasion
The Daily Grind: Which MMO housing system disappointed you?
Perfect Ten: What the mainstream games media doesn’t get about MMORPGs
Tamriel Infinium: The major flaw in Elder Scrolls Online Morrowind’s PvP
Cryptic’s Magic the Gathering RPG: Speculating on the lore and game systems
E3 2017: Hands-on with Splatoon 2’s Salmon Run
Chaos Theory: Guide to Secret World’s Dragon faction
The Daily Grind: What MMORPG needs megaserver tech the most?
Massively Overthinking: The best MMOs and multiplayers of E3 2017
E3 2017: Hands-on with Sea of Thieves’ multiplayer ship crewing
LOTRO Legendarium: Mirkwood, the best zone no one remembers
E3 2017: Hands-on with Destiny 2
Guild Chat: Moving up the ranks in MMORPG guilds
E3 2017: Pokemon Go’s raiding, gym revamp, badges, and an interview with Niantic
Wisdom of Nym: The Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood early access experience
E3 2017: Hands-on with Ubisoft’s Skull and Bones
E3 2017: Hands-on with Dauntless shows it’s more than a Monster Hunter clone
Perfect Ten: MMO grouping advice you shouldn’t bother giving
Hyperspace Beacon: A three-step guide to conquering SWTOR’s Nightlife event
Chaos Theory: Guide to The Secret World’s Templars faction
E3 2017: Hands-on with mobile MMOs Lineage 2 Revolution and Durango
Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood is everything you expect (and that’s outstanding)
Hands-on with Secret World Legends: A second chance for a first impression
E3 2017: Why MMO players should be paying attention to Elite Dangerous
E3 2017: Fortnite is Crowfall for PvE fans
Massively Overthinking: Forced socializing in MMORPGs
E3 2017: Hands-on with Ubisoft’s The Crew 2
EVE Evolved: How much trust is too much in EVE Online?
Massively OP Podcast Episode 123: Ashes of Creation’s Steven Sharif
Perfect Ten: MMO zones I love to hate
Hyperspace Beacon: An open letter to all roleplayers in MMORPGs
Choose My Adventure: Launching new in DC Universe Online
Chaos Theory: Week one impressions of Secret World Legends
Massively OP Podcast Episode 124: Shroud of the Avatar’s Richard Garriott and Starr Long
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)
