One of the most exciting parts of covering the news here at Massively OP is that we challenge ourselves to stay on top of the most cutting edge announcements of upcoming MMOs. It makes my day when we hear of any new project that’s in the works, even if the details behind it are scarce.
However, not every studio treats their titles equally, and some projects get far less publicity and coverage than others based on where they’re at in development and if the studio is prepared to discuss them at length. There are many MMOs on my radar that are big unknowns to us, some of which have gone silent and others are only an initial announcement and nothing since.
Today I want to go down a list of ten MMOs in this category that I’m anticipating and share with you my thoughts on why I want to know a lot more about each of them.
1. The EverQuest sequel
The demise of the EverQuest Next project was a crushing blow to many fans of this long-running franchise. It was supposed to be the new generation of MMOs with big ideas and talent behind it, but it fizzled out years ago. However, we keep hearing whispers and rumors that there’s another EverQuest game in the works that may or may not be an MMO. There are, excuse me, next to no details about it, but Daybreak would be foolish to let its former flagship franchise peter out without another stab at a sequel.
2. Peria Chronicles
Out of any potential eastern imports, Peria Chronicles is the one that has me the most excited. It sports a unique look, has a reported well of sandbox features, and supposedly has done fairly well overseas. Yet Nexon continues to drag its feet on bringing this over to the west, and that’s maddening beyond belief. Will we ever see Peria, and if so, when?
3. Cryptic’s Magic: The Gathering MMO
Back in June 2017, Cryptic finally revealed the “top secret” game that it had been hinting at on its site: a Magic: The Gathering MMORPG. With such a beloved IP and a proven MMO studio at its back, this game had a lot of people — myself included — instantly excited. Yet we’ve had zero word about that game past the initial announcement, and I grow more worried every month that goes by with silence from Cryptic on this. Is this a dead-in-development game or is Cryptic working hard on prepping something amazing to show?
4. Amazon’s New World
I’m almost out of patience with Amazon on this game. Yes, it was pretty awesome to hear that then-new Amazon Game Studio was working on a sandbox MMO set in some alternate colonial-era America, but other than rumors and possible leaks, we haven’t seen movement on this project in years. And with the demise of at least one other AGS game, I’m a little concerned. Still hopeful, but concerned.
Update: And of course a few days after I write this, Amazon does a huge Gamescom reveal and starts alpha sign-ups. It’s happening, people! It’s happening!
5. World of Warcraft Classic
Even though Blizzard knocked our socks off with this legacy server announcement at last year’s BlizzCon, I think we’re still in for a very long wait until Classic comes online. Still, we did get a nice dev update this past June and have a starting patch point for the server, so that’s something!
6. Nexon’s secret project
Maybe I’m a little more excited than I should be about Nexon’s secret project starring Stephan Frost. Nexon has many irons in the fire these days, but I am intrigued why the studio would snap up some well-known western MMO devs for its western studio to work on a western project. Is it a western? No, I’m getting carried away now. My bad.
7. CCP’s mystery MMO
We’re still quirking our eyebrows about the recent (quiet) announcement that CCP is working on some sort of action MMO in addition to its mobile game, Project Nova, and other projects. We certainly don’t know much about it at this point, but the fact that CCP is looking to branch out again and flex its development muscles has my attention.
8. Lost Ark
A few years ago when we got our first look at Lost Ark it was hard not to fall in love with this sumptuous-looking MMOARPG. Ever since, I and others on staff have been slavering for the release of this game here in the west. Unfortunately, it’s been long coming at this point and it’s easy to fall into despair over ever seeing it. At least Korea’s getting to play it!
9. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
If there’s any IP that would get me racing around the town with my smartphone out, it would be Harry Potter. Niantic’s AR experience and the fact that this is the closest we’ll ever get to a Harry Potter MMO had my attention from the get-go. The problem? Niantic seems oddly reluctant to discuss this game even though it’s supposedly coming out later this year.
10. Ascent: Infinite Realm
We seem to be in the middle of a dead news period for Ascent, with the dev team not saying boo about the game since May. And that’s just slightly frustrating, because I am on board with a steampunk MMO that looks this good. Bree said I shouldn’t worry, but then again, she’s been a fan of more MMOs that have shuttered than anyone else I know, so I don’t know how to take that.
Everyone likes a good list, and we are no different! Perfect Ten takes an MMO topic and divvies it up into 10 delicious, entertaining, and often informative segments for your snacking pleasure. Got a good idea for a list? Email us at justin@massivelyop.com or eliot@massivelyop.com with the subject line “Perfect Ten.”
