In April of 2020, the hotly anticipated Ascent: Infinite Realm took a sharp turn, changing its name – to Elyon – and shifting more toward its fantasy roots.
Plus, Chronicles of Elyria’s web of deception continued to unravel, Fallout 76 launched its long-awaited Wastelanders expansion, Funcom let the curtain slip a bit on its DUNE MMO, and New World was heavily delayed.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 continued to make its presence felt across the gaming world, with more delays, content shifts, cancelations, digital events, and charities. But hey, some gaming companies and stores still made money hand over fist.
Read on for the whole list from April of this past year!
TOP NEWS STORIES OF APRIL 2020
Ascent: Infinite Realm rebrands to Elyon, launches new website
April Fools’ Day around the MMO ‘verse, 2020 edition
Albion Online wants to boost players’ ‘incentives for backstabbing and going to war’
Elyon aka Ascent Infinite Realm ‘pivot’ is confirmed by western publisher Kakao
Phantasy Star Online 2 confirms that the PC version is still arriving this spring
Legends of Aria’s $19.99 Dark Sorcery DLC has officially launched
Elite Dangerous fully reveals Fleet Carriers, launching in June
WoW Classic promises ‘relief’ for overcrowded servers
Saga of Lucimia promotes pre-orders with a weekend alpha test
LOTRO’s 2020 producer letter: Dwarves, weddings, PvP servers, Rohan housing, and more
World of Warcraft’s Shadowlands closed alpha is finally beginning this week
No Man’s Sky just patched in the Exo Mech update, confirming leaked video
Our interview with Final Fantasy XIV’s Naoki Yoshida and Yusuke Mogi
Disgruntled Chronicles of Elyria backers seek aid from the Washington attorney general
E3 won’t be happening in a digital format this year
Amazon’s MMO New World just delayed launch from May to August 25
Blizzard hasn’t canceled BlizzCon 2020 over the pandemic, is still working on the show
Chronicles of Elyria boss says development is still ongoing, still seeking funding
Jagex cancels RuneScape’s RuneFest 2020, considers ‘alternative virtual events’
Final Fantasy XIV’s Naoki Yoshida confirms that patch 5.3 will be delayed in the wake of the pandemic
Make My MMO: Following Chronicles of Elyria reports, state attorney general addresses crowdfunding scams
Fallout 76’s large-scale Wastelanders update is officially live — here are the patch notes
EverQuest II faces the Showdown at the Diaku Corral in today’s patch
Over a thousand people rolled toons in Ship of Heroes’ impromptu beta
Former EverQuest boss Holly Longdale scooped up by Blizzard to work on WoW Classic
Phantasy Star Online 2 launches on PC in late May, officially leaves Xbox One beta today
Swords ‘n Magic and Stuff just fully funded on Kickstarter for $79,000
DC Universe Online’s latest Birds of Prey episode is live with gobs of new content
NCsoft is already sunsetting its Aion: Legions of War mobile MMO
San Diego Comic Con is officially cancelled this year thanks to COVID-19
Eternal Magic has officially launched on Steam
More World of Warcraft: Shadowlands covenant abilities unveiled as Classic returns layering for population issues
Classic Guild Wars is turning 15 years old with a party, new gear, and a Guild Wars 2 gift
Star Wars: The Old Republic’s GU 6.1.1 is live with the personal conquests revamp
PAX West 2020 is still tentatively on amid COVID-19 while GameStop re-opens
SuperData March 2020: Digital games spending sets achieves new highs thanks to COVID-19
World of Warcraft will remove Pathfinder requirements for Draenor and Broken Isles flight in Shadowlands
Lord of the Rings Online turns 13 years old, gives players a self-crisping pig, and releases Mists of Wilderland
Blue Protocol’s beta test starts with delays, heavy demand, and some notable software scanning
Dungeons and Dragons Online discovers Update 46: The Lost Gatekeepers
Funcom: DUNE still ‘a few years away,’ will be a ‘more ambitious and robust version of Conan Exiles’
World of Warcraft appears to be quietly ignoring Battle for Azeroth’s genocidal intro in Shadowlands
Gamigo is sunsetting classic Defiance – on the Xbox 360 – next month
Astellia Online is no longer run by Barunsun E&A, which might explain its new blockchain promotion
Former RIFT dev on instant adventures: ‘We wanted to do more of them’
City of Heroes’ rogue servers mark their first anniversary as the game itself turns 16
Age of Conan’s Onslaught is live, the Funcom MMO’s ‘biggest update in years’
Chronicles of Elyria boss insists work on the game continues in spite of team layoff
RuneScape studio Jagex finally confirms it was sold for $530M to a new ‘global asset management company’
Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime laments World of Warcraft’s social unraveling
Star Citizen alpha 3.9 Locked Up & Loaded is live with survival effects, new mission, and prison (!)
EverQuest is adding two new time-locked progression servers, Aradune and Rizlona, launching May 27
Guild Wars 2’s next living story episode, No Quarter, will launch without voice acting thanks to the pandemic
Amazon says New World’s territorial sieges represent a ‘social dynamism that no other game has’
Former World of Warcraft developer Ghostcrawler weighs in on Mike Morhaime’s ‘social glue’ discussion
FAVORITE EDITORIALS OF APRIL 2020
Why I Play April Fools’ Day
Wisdom of Nym: Does Final Fantasy XIV need new jobs?
Choose My Adventure: Albion Online, chestnut logs, and terrible mistakes
EVE Evolved: EVE Online’s Loyalty to Lowsec update shakes up Faction Warfare
Vague Patch Notes: Chronicles of Elyria’s road to nowhere
Perfect Ten: MMOs that were ahead of their time
Massively Overthinking: How are MMO players faring through the pandemic?
WoW Factor: The World of Warcraft expansion tour – Battle for Azeroth
Desert Oasis: A guide to getting started with Black Desert’s lifeskill system
The Game Archaeologist: The history of Guild Wars 2’s Super Adventure Box
Fight or Kite: You’re stuck in the house, so PvP with the kids in Trove
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s schedule in the wake of pandemic
Choose My Adventure: The weird world of Heroes Online in Roblox
Perfect Ten: How World of Warcraft is like professional wrestling
Tamriel Infinium: Exploring the revamped vampires of Elder Scrolls Online’s Greymoor
WoW Factor: A quick first impression of Shadowlands class changes
Massively Overthinking: What generates trust in MMO crowdfunding for you?
WoW Factor: The World of Warcraft expansion tour in review
LOTRO Legendarium: Breaking down LOTRO’s 2020 producer letter
Not So Massively: Comparing online ARPGs, from Wolcen and Diablo to Grim Dawn and Path of Exile
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV patch 5.25 and the new weapons of choice
Warframe of Mind: Looking back at Warframe’s lucky seventh year
Choose My Adventure: Hexaria is a grindy yet competent Roblox MMO
Perfect Ten: Sports-themed MMOs
Desert Oasis: How I’m progressing through Black Desert without spending a dime
Vague Patch Notes: Maintaining MMO anonymity in the age of parasocial bonding
Jukebox Heroes: Lord of the Rings Online’s unreleased soundtrack
Leaderboard: Are you giving Fallout 76 a second chance?
Massively Overthinking: MMO business models in the face of recession
WoW Factor: Examining Shadowlands’ Shaman, Monk, and Druid ability changes
First Impressions: Fractured’s alpha playtest begins to put the pieces together
Lawful Neutral: Leakers, trade secrets, and lawsuits in the online gaming world
Into the Super-verse: Catching up with the big superhero MMOs
First impressions of Fallout 76’s Wastelanders expansion
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s eternal restoration of Ishgard
Fight or Kite: Starborne is the MMORTS I didn’t know I was missing
Massively on the Go: Animal Crossing’s housing islands from an MMO player’s perspective
Perfect Ten: The categories of all MMO achievements
From the Depths: Hands-on with World of Warships’ epic submarine patch
WoW Factor: Everything can be an allied race, but nothing *must* be one
Choose My Adventure: Survive the Disasters 2 is a perfect Roblox game
Massively Overthinking: Would you play a housing-only MMO?
WoW Factor: Examining Shadowlands’ Hunter, Priest, and Mage ability changes
Massively on the Go: How social media and accessibility blew up Animal Crossing
The Game Archaeologist: The history of play-by-email games
Not So Massively: Exploring the Reign of Terror Diablo II mod for Grim Dawn
Wisdom of Nym: The Final Fantasy XIV 5.3 Live Letter in review
Flameseeker Chronicles: Reviewing ArenaNet’s Complete Art of Guild Wars 20th anniversary edition book
Choose My Adventure: Seriously, the Roblox community is pretty impressive
Perfect Ten: Underappreciated Guild Wars 2 features
Desert Oasis: Deep-diving Black Desert’s Musa and Maewha classes
Vague Patch Notes: The ESRB is not your friend, gamers
Massively Overthinking: Canaries in the MMO coal mine
ALL 2020 YEAR-IN-REVIEW POSTS SO FAR
MMO Year in Review: A new New World (January 2020)
MMO Year in Review: A ‘colossal’ announcement (February 2020)
MMO Year in Review: Gaming’s pandemic disruption (March 2020)
MMO Year in Review: Elyon’s pivot, Elyria’s fizzling storm (April 2020)
MMO Year in Review: ‘Technical clownshows’ for PSO2 and ESO Greymoor (May 2020)
MMO Year in Review: Solidarity (June 2020)
MMO Year in Review: Lord of the Rings Offline (July 2020)
MMO Year in Review: Business business business (August 2020)
MMO Year in Review: FFXVI, ArcheAge 2, and the Bethsoft buyout (September 2020)
MMO Year in Review: The Shadowlands delay (October 2020)
MMO Year in Review: Shadowlands’ arrival (November 2020)
MMO Year in Review: When Daybreak and Albion got bought out (December 2020)
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