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!
March was a big content month for MMOs and MMO-adjacent titles: We saw the launch of Shroud of the Avatar, Project Gorgon (in early access), and Sea of Thieves, not to mention updates and expansions for Trove, Path of Exile, and RIFT in the form of its Prime progression server.
Devilian officially sunsetted this month, The Division 2 and Project C were announced, and three major topics that wove throughout the year – video game violence, the toxicity justice league, and game industry unionization – reared their heads.
Finally, MMO veteran Raph Koster and crew unveiled their “Trust Spectrum” research for online games.
Read on for the whole list from March of this past year!
TOP NEWS STORIES OF MARCH 2018
World of Warcraft emulators forge forward in a post-Classic announcement era
Path of Exile’s Bestiary expansion launches today, boasting 3.5M global players
A Tale in the Desert has launched its eighth Telling since 2003
Blizzard: ‘Heroes of the Storm is not dying’
Extra Credits raises concerns over lootbox legislation
Ubisoft addresses Rainbow Six Siege toxicity, ESPN slams toxicity in Overwatch League
Devilian has officially sunsetted
Shroud of the Avatar claims higher concurrency heading into launch
Lord of the Rings Online’s road leads on to Update 22’s Northern Mirkwood
City of Titans’ avatar builder is on display – and it’s pretty awesome
Trion says the original Defiance is NOT being sunset or neglected for Defiance 2050
RIFT Prime kicks off progression server while Trion reclaims names
MMO business roundup: Steam, toxicity, Kartridge, contracts, dopamine, and guns
H1Z1 is finally going free-to-play
Ubisoft and Massive are building The Division 2
Sci-fi MMORPG Project C announced with Thief and Half-Life 2 devs at the helm
Phantasy Star Online 2 is coming to the Nintendo Switch… which does not have region locks
Former SWTOR creative director and key writers form up under new studio FogBank
Guild Wars 1 programmer answers fan questions, affirms the game’s continued existence
Blizzard’s Overwatch League addresses toxicity with fines and suspensions, while the Dallas Fuel drops a toxic player
Another writer allegedly leaves BioWare – what on earth is going on with Anthem?
Here’s how Netmarble’s fighting crunch after multiple developer deaths
Secret World Legends is going to South Africa on April 4
Project Gorgon has officially launched on Steam early access with a big sale
Interview: ArcheAge 4.5 Legends Return launches April 5th with dragon taming and fresh start servers
EVE Online, Star Trek Online, and Elite Dangerous players memorialize physicist Stephen Hawking
EverQuest celebrates 19 years with a two-month anniversary event and a new progression server
For science: New long-term study shows video games don’t make adults violent
EA is fixing Star Wars Battlefront II’s monetization mess (again): It won’t be selling lockboxes
Entropia Universe studio MindArk is pitching an IP exchange and a cryptocurrency bank
Trion Worlds says it has no plans to bring RIFT to console
Trion Worlds’ Scott Hartsman goes on NBC to address video game violence and game ratings
MMO designer Raph Koster reveals ‘Trust Spectrum’ research for online games
GDC 2018: Game developers push for unionization in Game Workers Unite
Bless Online interview: On soft launch, monetization, classes – and no lockboxes
The Elder Scrolls Online announces Summerset chapter for May 21 for PC and June 5 for console
MMO studios form Justice League-style alliance to combat toxicity
Sea of Thieves says 5000 people logging in per minute – 1M users total – are why the servers are struggling
GDC 2018: In the crow’s nest with Ship of Heroes’ CEO Casey McGeever
A sneak peek of South Africa in Secret World Legends’ Season 2
EA is reportedly making an online, open-world Star Wars game
GDC 2018: The Legends of Aria devs talk closed beta, gankbox PvP, and the MMORPG genre
GDC 2018: Funcom’s Tor Egil Andersen on Conan Exiles’ early access, launch, and beyond
Shroud of the Avatar officially launches today
Guild Wars 2 preps Super Adventure Box, patches in direct-buy mounts and CHAIRS
Over 2,000,000 people have now registered accounts for Star Citizen
Trove’s Heroes expansion is live today with superheroes and a new biome
GDC 2018: Ultima Online post-mortem with Richard Garriott, Starr Long, Raph Koster, and Rich Vogel
Guild Wars 2 honors dearly departed MMO blogger Zach ‘Ravious’ Best with in-game quest
GDC 2018: Yokozuna, big game data, and the future of MMO monetization
GDC 2018: Exploring SpatialOS with Improbable CCO Bill Roper
Classic MMO The Realm gets an official reboot
FAVORITE EDITORIALS OF MARCH 2018
Massively Overthinking: MMOs belong in a museum!
Massively OP’s guide to getting into RIFT Prime
WoW Factor: Examining the composition of the Alliance
Chaos Theory: A guide for Secret World Legends’ new agent network
The Daily Grind: How faithful a recreation should classic MMO servers be?
EVE Evolved: EVE Online’s March balance update has players excited
The Daily Grind: Can a sub still work for MMORPGs in 2018?
One-month impressions of Monster Hunter World
Wisdom of Nym: How Final Fantasy XIV’s latest housing war was won and where it got us
Flameseeker Chronicles: First impressions of Guild Wars 2’s A Bug in the System
Perfect Ten: A dozen MOBAs that didn’t make it
Hyperspace Beacon: Carving up the new SWTOR Conquests
Choose My Adventure: Already captured in Warframe
Massively Overthinking: Is battle royale a fad?
WoW Factor: Examining the composition of the Horde
Leaderboard: Are you playing RIFT Prime?
First impressions of RIFT’s Prime progression server
Guild Chat Special Edition: Interviewing Guild Wars 2 guild POOF
Wisdom of Nym: Speculating about Final Fantasy XIV’s Eureka
Perfect Ten: MMO missteps that didn’t have to happen
Hyperspace Beacon: Why SWTOR fans should be excited about Fogbank
WoW Factor: The Kul Tiran Druid ‘problem’ in World of Warcraft
Massively Overthinking: The war on MMO chat toxicity
The Game Archaeologist: World of Warcraft’s Corrupted Blood pandemic
EverQuesting: An EverQuest 19th anniversary retrospective and party planner
EVE Evolved: What pushes EVE Online players to breaking point?
The Daily Grind: Is ‘griefing’ possible in an open PvP sandbox?
Preview: Trove’s Heroes expansion is super – and launching on March 27
Wisdom of Nym: A week after Final Fantasy XIV’s Eureka
The Daily Grind: Are you playing Sea of Thieves?
Perfect Ten: Why MMO progression servers are a brilliant idea
GDC 2018: Rend is looking to ‘WoW’ the survival genre
Hyperspace Beacon: So SWTOR’s Update 5.8 happened
Choose My Adventure: Anniversary groupings in Warframe
First impressions of the newly launched ARK Park
Shroud of the Avatar: Partying with Portalarium, countering pay-to-win, and the state of the game
Massively Overthinking: Paying for MMORPG emulators, legal or otherwise
WoW Factor: Allied races and a dearth of class choices
The Game Archaeologist: Shattered Galaxy
MMO Mechanics: The Fair Play Alliance and mechanising fairness
The Daily Grind: What’s the most creative way MMOs thwart toxicity?
GDC 2018: Hands-on with Trion’s ‘reimagined’ Defiance 2050
GDC 2018: Making sense of battle royale MMO Mavericks with Automaton Games
The Hunter’s Arsenal: Massively OP’s guide to the weapons of Monster Hunter World
The Daily Grind: Are blacklists, quizzes, and threats effective at reducing text toxicity in MMOs?
Perfect Ten: More anthropomorphic MMO studio conversations
Tamriel Infinium: Where did the Elder Scroll Online Summerset come from?
Choose My Adventure: Frenzied slashing in Warframe
Massively Overthinking: How much money spent makes you an MMO whale?
The Game Archaeologist: A Tale in the Desert
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)
