Amazon MMORPG New World startled everyone with a low-key website reveal and hands-on from a British tech website this week at Gamescom. MMORPG players in particular seem torn over the apparent mechanics of the game, which focus heavily on throwback stylings like full-loot PvP more commonly found in survival genres and classic MMOs. At least it’ll be interesting to watch this one develop!
Read on for the very best of this week’s MMO news and opinions.
THIS WEEK’S TOP STORIES
New World preview from Gamescom slips into the wild as Amazon announces alpha signups - The first previews of Amazon Game Studios' New World MMORPG are finally trickling in from Gamescom just as the wraps are coming off the game's official site and Amazon announces alpha…
Hyperspace Beacon: Why SWTOR failed EA - [AL:TOR]Some have called Star Wars: The Old Republic a failure. And if former Lead Designer Daniel Erickson is correct, then EA is one of those groups who believe that SWTOR…
The Game Archaeologist: City of Villains, enhancement diversification, and Going Rogue - It's always easy to look back at the making of City of Heroes and its first year with a memory tinted toward the good and away from the bad. Like…
Bless Online is getting an Xbox One version from Bandai Namco as ‘Bless Unleashed’ - Bless is coming to console, y'all, and it's doing so under Bandai Namco's banner. "BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. today announced Bless Unleashed, a new free-to-play MMORPG experience coming first…
Black Desert’s graphical remaster is live today, along with sales and contests - [AL:BDO]As promised, Black Desert's Remastered version is live today, featuring a fully revamped graphical experience, plus a do-over for the game's audio (music too!) and a new user interface too. Kakao…
World of Warcraft Battle for Azeroth sells ‘more than 3.4 million’ copies for a ‘day-one sales record’ for WoW - We were just grumbling on this week's MOP Podcast about not having any idea how well World of Warcraft's Battle for Azeroth had sold - and having to rely on…
Vague Patch Notes: On scaling and meaningful advancement in WoW and other MMORPGs - It seems like pretty much nobody is happy with how scaling is working in World of Warcraft at the moment. The game's scaling means that you seem to be getting…
Reddit erupts over Black Desert backtracking on ‘pay-to-win’ Valks’ Cry items - [AL:BDO]If you've somehow come all this way in Black Desert's western run without believing there's even a teensy bit of pay-to-win in the game, this week's dev announcement might be…
Happy sixth birthday, Guild Wars 2 – so what did they get us?? - [AL:GW2]Got any day-one Guild Wars 2 toons? Log them in and pick up your six-year birthday presents starting today. It's all part of ArenaNet's anniversary celebrations! The bundle my six-year-old…
Star Citizen rolls out the Mercury Star Runner concept ship during Gamescom - Happy Friday. Star Citizen has a new concept ship. The Mercury Star Runner has an adorable name, a snowspeeder profile, and a fat pricetag: $200 to $530, depending on your…
World of Warcraft will not be changing level scaling or leveling any time soon - So, remember the issues players are noticing with item scaling in World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth? Specifically, you kill things faster by not wearing some gear? Yeah, according to…
World of Warcraft players are noticing major issues with item scaling and gold inflation - The Heart of Azeroth in World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth is meant to be a powerful relic containing the very essence of the world. But you're better off tossing…
Gamescom 2018: Torchlight Frontiers gets gory and goofy in its first gameplay video - As Perfect World is giving Gamescom attendees a look at Torchlight Frontiers' demo this week, those stuck at home can at least soothe themselves with the first gameplay video from the…
Guild Wars 2: New systems team, outfit vouchers, PvP updates, Revenant overhaul, and anniversary sales - [AL:GW2]One of my big grumps with Guild Wars 2 and plenty of other MMORPG cash shops is the time-limited items. The stuff I want isn't always available when I have…
EverQuesting: The history of the EverQuest franchise - [AL:EQ2]Back in 2013, I took a walk through the annals of the EverQuest franchise's history. What started as one title not only blossomed into a fill franchise including a number…
Ashes of Creation addresses My.com concerns, localization, pay-to-win, publishing, and regionlocks - Earlier this week, the Ashes of Creation team sparked a wildfire of concern when it announced that it'll partner with My.com to publish the game in Europe and former Soviet…
Trion’s ArcheAge will launch 5.0 Relics of Hiram this fall with a new zone and Malediction skillset - [AL:Arche]Trion announced today that ArcheAge 5.0, Relics of Hiram, is landing for MMORPG sandpark fans this coming fall. You're looking at a new zone, skill set, tier gear, and even…
EVE Online heads into the abyss with its August update today - [AL:EVE]It's time for EVE Online players to head into the deepest parts of Abyssal Deadspace with the game's latest patch (which you may recall was delayed by a week). The…
My.com will publish Ashes of Creation in Europe and the CIS region [Updated] - We've updated at the end of the article with an additional statement from Intrepid. Ashes of Creation is barreling on toward its first real alpha, and along the way, it's…
Video essay examines the indie MMO nostalgia trend - YouTuber The Hive Leader stirred up a lot of discussion this past weekend with a new video essay called "Nostalgia and Indie MMOs." In it, he observes the current trend…
Warframe is rolling out the Revenant Warframe this week - [AL:WarF]You know how I know Warframe is kicking butt and taking names? Our tipsters are just nuts for this game, and the onslaught of updates just never ends. During this…
RIFT Prime will get the 2012 Storm Legion expansion this fall - [AL:Rift]Remember way back in 2012 when Storm Legion launched in Trion Worlds' MMO RIFT? You can remember all over again this fall, at least if you're playing RIFT's Prime progression…
First impressions of World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth, part 4: Conclusions - Part four covers expansion odds and ends plus the conclusion to our series: the problem with Azerite, progression, and why the expansion isn't bad, just weakly executed.
Cliff Bleszinski promises to detail Boss Key’s demise in his upcoming autobiography - For those of you who missed it over the past year or so, the path of Boss Key Productions was one of being founded by well-known talent, releasing LawBreakers with…
Camelot Unchained works on a 64-bit client and lovely new lighting - All this month, Camelot Unchained has been in the thick of its Beta 1 test, and so far, it doesn't look like the devs are falling apart under the pressure.…
EVE Evolved: Ship fittings for EVE Online’s Secrets of the Abyss event - [AL:EVE]EVE Online's recent Into the Abyss expansion has been live now for several months, adding the first ever solo instanced PvE game mode in the form of procedurally generated Abyssal…
Twitch Prime is terminating most of its ad-free viewing benefits – here’s what it means for you - Even if you're among the select elite of society that has access to Twitch Prime and its bevy of benefits, you will no longer be exempt from the plague of…
THIS WEEK’S CASTS & STREAMS
Massively OP Podcast Episode 183: Battle for Battle for Azeroth
The Stream Team: Returning to stomp Conan Exiles’ giant slug
The Stream Team: Queen vs Necromancer in Elder Scrolls Online
The Stream Team: Back to baking in ARK’s Scorched Earth sun
The Stream Team: Secret World Legend’s faction missions
The Stream Team: Checking in on WildStar
The Stream Team: All eyes on SWTOR’s big Iokath cliffhanger
The Stream Team: A first foray into Outpost Zero multiplayer
The Stream Team: Returning to the Deathgarden
The Stream Team: A first look at Broke Protocol
AND FROM OUR FRIENDS AT BLIZZARD WATCH
Knowing why WoW broke questing addons doesn’t make the decision any better
Battle for Azeroth’s hidden aquatic wonderland offers plenty of mystery, but few answers
Battle of Azeroth has some amazing music, and now you can stream it
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.
