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 2019!
As the smallest month of the year, February might be expected to have an undersized quantity of notable news, but nope. We saw politicians taking up the lockbox cause, big financial news for Funcom and Pearl Abyss, the launch of Elder Scrolls’ Online’s Dragon Bones DLC, major updates for Guild Wars 2 and Warframe, the announcement for the Defiance reboot, and the first whispers of trouble ahead for H1Z1.
Read on for the whole list from February of this past year!
TOP NEWS STORIES OF FEBRUARY 2018
Star Citizen: Subber PTU access ‘perk’, developments in the Crytek lawsuit, and patch 3.0.1
Red Dead Redemption 2 has been delayed yet again, this time to October 2018
Greed Monger has actually begun refunding Kickstarter backers from 2012
Nexon America hit with a round of layoffs Nexon says is insignificant
World of Warcraft Classic progresses: ‘This is the right decision’
Academics debate WHO ‘gaming disorder’ classification and global political implications
Guild Wars 2’s lunar new year patch is here with some big class balance changes too
Trove has passed 15 million players… and lots of other milestones
Closers launches on Steam as Tiamat raid update goes live
ECO jumps into beta and Steam early access
NCsoft Q4 2017: Guild Wars resurges as Blade & Soul and Lineage M drive profits
German commission takes up lootbox issue as academics link whaling to gambling markets
Blade & Soul heeds the Call of the Deep update today
Raph Koster calls potential manipulative MMO microtransaction AI ‘horrendous’
Toxicity roundup: Overwatch troll, Fortnite pro fired, Division modder ban, HOTS’s voice chat, and Twitch’s new anti-hate rules
MMOs get incredibly excited about Tesla’s Spaceman
Activision-Blizzard Q4 2017: Activision Blizzard boasts ‘record quarter, record year’
Black Desert explains its new ‘single global build’ philosophy
Multiplayer sci-fi sandbox Pantropy has launched its $91K Kickstarter
World of Tanks console celebrates four years with 14 million players
Staxel is a cozy multiplayer sandbox now in Steam early access
Ashes of Creation shows off 52 minutes of pre-alpha gameplay
Bless Online interview: Soft launch plans, why Gamigo bowed out, and avoiding pay-to-win
Warframe’s Shrine of the Eidolon goes live as DE teases Valentine’s Day and incoming content
Camelot Unchained’s beta will launch on the 4th of July; we interview Mark Jacobs
Hawaii state rep Chris Lee has now introduced four bills regulating lockboxes
Star Citizen’s Cloud Imperium reps meet with California Better Business Bureau
Elder Scrolls Online’s Dragon Bones DLC and update 17 are live – and the new outfit system is not cheap
Steam terminates its relationship with MMO company Insel Games over alleged review manipulation
Black Desert players protest lag, bugs, pay-to-win, and lack of account security
New Hampshire senator Maggie Hassan has picked up the lootbox and gaming addiction cause
Path of Exile: Gotta catch ’em all in the new Bestiary League and update 3.2.0, coming March 2
Black Desert’s Kakao Games enjoys $131.6 million in investment
Rumor: Disney eyes Ubisoft and Activision to take over Star Wars video game IP
Cyberpunk 2077’s CD Projekt Red takes a stand against lockboxes and unfinished games
Star Citizen’s new $185 Aegis Vulcan support ship is so ugly it’s cute
SWTOR’s spring content: Cash shop overhaul, conquest revamp, new flashpoint – but probably not a ‘traditional expansion’
Daybreak’s zombie battle royale game H1Z1 has lost 90% of its playerbase since July
The ESA is fighting proposed DMCA exemptions that would preserve sunsetted MMORPGs because of course it is
Pre-teen Fortnite YouTuber gets swatted after achieving a high profile
Warcraft movie director says the production experience was ‘traumatic’
Funcom reports that 2017 was the most profitable year in its history
Elite Dangerous’ Beyond – Chapter One launches today
Trion reboots Defiance as Defiance 2050, launching on PC and console this summer
Neverwinter’s Lost City of Omu update is live for PC players; here’s the launch trailer!
FAVORITE EDITORIALS OF FEBRUARY 2018
WoW Factor: So Battle for Azeroth is out for pre-order
EverQuesting: EverQuest II is a packrat’s paradise
Massively Overthinking: What are your criteria for recommending MMOs?
LOTRO Legendarium: The 10 best pages on Lotro-Wiki
Global Chat: To RIFT or not to RIFT?
Leaderboard: Did you preorder WoW’s Battle for Azeroth expansion?
The Daily Grind: What would you pay for an MMO subscription in 2018?
EVE Evolved: A matter of balance in EVE Online
Flameseeker Chronicles: My Guild Wars 2 goals for 2018
The Daily Grind: How do you feel about the increased focus on PvP in upcoming MMOs?
Choose My Adventure: Grinding away in Project Gorgon
Perfect Ten: RIFT features that deserve praise
The Survivalist: ARK’s latest exploit highlights how cheaters ruin official servers
Massively Overthinking: Which MMORPGs should stay away from legacy servers?
The Daily Grind: What would it take to get you back into WoW?
WoW Factor: First impressions of allied race leveling in World of Warcraft
The Game Archaeologist: BBS door games
Jukebox Heroes: World of Warcraft’s best music, part 2
The Daily Grind: What do you think about ‘buying runs’ in MMORPGs?
Wisdom of Nym: What cosmetic features could other jobs get in Final Fantasy XIV?
Perfect Ten: The tabletop GMs behind MMOs
The Daily Grind: Which game is the best MMO ambassador?
Perfect Ten: The top 10 sexiest monsters of Monster Hunter World
The Daily Grind: Would you cheat in an MMO if you could get away with it?
Chaos Theory: Do you need to sub to enjoy Secret World Legends?
WoW Factor: How could multiclassing work in World of Warcraft?
Massively Overthinking: Could bots save dying MMORPGs?
The Daily Grind: Which MMO is the absolute best if you’re a whale?
Choose My Adventure: Wrapping up our adventures in Project Gorgon
Global Chat: What is the population of Guild Wars 2?
EVE Evolved: Solving EVE Online’s botting problem
The Daily Grind: Which MMO sunset had the biggest impact on you?
Wisdom of Nym: Actual mechanical issues for jobs in Final Fantasy XIV, part one
Leaderboard: What kinds of MMORPG purchases do you consider pay-to-win?
The Daily Grind: How do we solve the broken MMO dev cycle?
Perfect Ten: What I discovered after returning to Dungeons and Dragons Online
Tamriel Infinium: Elder Scrolls Online’s new outfit system is close to perfect
WoW Factor: Why can’t Blizzard stop messing with everything?
The Survivalist: A tale of two early accesses (and why Conan Exiles comes out on top)
Massively Overthinking: Why doesn’t video game marketing reflect our demographics?
Choose My Adventure: Farewell to Project Gorgon
The Game Archaeologist: EverQuest Mac
Jukebox Heroes: World of Warcraft’s best music, part 3
First impressions of ‘wizarding world’ MMOARG Maguss
The Soapbox: Six responses to the ‘gaming is wrong/evil/an addiction’ argument
Interviewing an Asheron’s Call Shard Slayer: On griefing, doxxing, losing mates, and winning MMOs
Hyperspace Beacon: What was not said in the SWTOR 2018 Roadmap
ALL 2018 YEAR-IN-REVIEW POSTS SO FAR
MMO Year in Review: The SWTOR sunset scare (January 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Dragon Bones, Funcom’s revival, and the politics of lockboxes (February 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Thieves, Avatars, and Gorgons (March 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Columbus Nova who? (April 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Mixed Bless-ings (May 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Fallout 76, Elder Scrolls Online, and Bethsoft’s bonanza (June 2018)
MMO Year in Review: So, uh, how ’bout that underwater combat balance (July 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Watching the world tree burn (August 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Literally the biggest news day in MMO history (September 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Gamigo’s gory Trion Worlds acquisition (October 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Blizzard and Bethsoft’s dumpster fire showdown (November 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Daybreak gonna Daybreak (December 2018)
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