March 2021 was a month of releases, thanks to the arrival of Elder Scrolls Online’s Flames of Ambition, Guild Wars 2’s Balance chapter, and Magic Legends’ beta, which of course we didn’t know would be short-lived at the time.
Meanwhile, WoW Classic’s Burning Crusade went into beta against the backdrop of a brewing Activision-Blizzard layoffs and compensation scandal. Gamigo managed to lay off a ton of RIFT devs too, leaving that game’s future in the air, and we got a peek into the festering Saga of Lucimia drama.
Read on for the whole recap from March of this past year.
TOP NEWS STORIES OF MARCH 2021
Shroud of the Avatar improves crafting as Richard Garriott dives to the bottom of the ocean
Thousands of WoW Classic fans replicate the ‘fresh start server’ that Blizzard won’t make
Massively Uplifting: Love and generosity in Sea of Thieves, Guild Wars 2, SOTA, and more
Blizzard puts out new job calls for unannounced multiplayer projects
After just four months in open beta, pixel MMO Naïca is already in maintenance mode
Cold Iron’s Alien game is finally happening: It’s a co-op shooter called Aliens Fireteam, under the Daybreak banner
SWTOR’s update 6.2.1 is finally live with updates for conquests, amplifiers, and uprisings
Zynga bought up Torchlight III developer Echtra Games
Elite Dangerous sets Odyssey PC alpha for March 29, drops brand-new mission video
Blade & Soul Revolution’s global edition hits mobile today
Interview: Camelot Unchained lays out its innovative alchemy system
The Elder Scrolls Online officially releases Update 29 and Flames of Ambition on PC
Whatever happened to superhero MMO Valiance Online?
TitanReach has officially kicked off early access
EU MechWarrior Online, RUST servers go offline following French data center burning to the ground – no one hurt
Gamigo has laid off an unspecified number of RIFT devs, says MMO will continue
Indie space sandbox Avorion celebrates first anniversary – and 300K sales
‘We will never be the same’: Cryptic is adopting a permanent work-from-home policy
Saga of Lucimia’s founder hasn’t been involved in the game’s development since last fall
Whatever happened to Snail Games’ Outlaws of the Old West?
Gamigo says RIFT is ‘contributing a great deal’ to the studio, promises 10th anny events
Some RuneScape accounts are still disabled as Jagex enters second week of server issues
Star Citizen talks up land vehicle physics changes as CIG devs rebut claims of mistreatment during Texas snowstorm
Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76 launched on Xbox Game Pass as ESO celebrates 18M total players
Ashes of Creation delays its alpha one test to June for ‘additional polish’
WoW Classic ‘Fresh Crusade’ movement boasts 10,000 players and counting
Make My MMO: Saga of Lucimia development pushes onward after founder begins new game
One of City of Heroes’ rogue servers, Sanctuary, has apparently been taken out by hackers
Blizzard ramps up hiring for its unannounced online game
Astellia has officially launched its Astella Royal free-to-play version on Steam
EA admits that ‘one or more EA accounts’ is involved in FIFA 21 trading scandal
Saga of Lucimia studio splits from the Anderson brothers, says game dev ‘continues full steam ahead’
New World’s latest alpha update adds Ebonscale Reach, flags all gear BOE or BOP
Alienware cut its League of Legends esports sponsorships short over ongoing Riot Games scandals
The Stream Team: Frolicking Frogloks as EverQuest turns 22 today!
Activision-Blizzard has laid off another 190 employees as Kotick could rake in an extra $200M
RIFT’s 10th birthday is here, but it ignores the elephant in the room
Albion Online’s Call to Arms update is live today with new faction and buffed faction PvP
Lord of the Rings Online’s Wildwood update is here with new quests, instances, and the spring festival
The first part of Dual Universe’s ‘biggest beta update’ arrives with fancier graphics and better jetpacks
Blade and Soul’s Slithering Shadows update is live
DreamWorld promises an ‘infinite open world MMO,’ seeks $10K on Kickstarter
Star Wars The Old Republic announces The Dark Descent update with new flashpoint and ‘galactic seasons’
Blizzard admits to more layoffs, starts up alumni network
Development of a Warframe-inspired tabletop RPG is halted thanks to toxic fans
Whatever happened to Mark Kern’s crowdfunded Firefall-successor Em-8er?
Nexon and Square canceled the Final Fantasy XI R mobile MMO, citing an insufficient ‘level of creative differentiation’
Discord is rumored to be in negotiations for a potential $10 billion sale to Microsoft
Magic Legends has soft launched into open beta, bringing Magic the Gathering to PC fans
Elite Dangerous YouTuber is denied free access to Odyssey’s alpha due to ‘offensive’ content
WoW Classic’s Burning Crusade beta has finally begun
Former Daybreak and H1Z1 vets Anthony Castoro and Jace Hall raise $9M for a ‘genre-defining metaverse’
Black Desert cancels spring season server, plans ‘growth server’ for newbies instead
Massively of the Go: Pokemon Go’s April events bring snakes, trash, and mysteries
World of Warcraft is altering the deal on game time purchases, settling on just 60-day increments
Playable Worlds’ Raph Koster posts a manifesto on the future of MMOs
World of Warcraft increases Brazil and Russia sub prices, defends Classic drums changes
PAX East 2021 has been canceled and replaced with PAX Online 2021 in July
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen begins selling NFT-minted artwork to fund development
CDPR says it’s ‘reconsidering’ Cyberpunk 2077’s planned multiplayer
No Man’s Sky adds a multiplayer-focused mode and improved multiplayer missions in the Expeditions update
Elder Scrolls Online drops Blackwood trailer, announces next-gen ‘Console Enhanced’ edition
FAVORITE EDITORIALS OF MARCH 2021
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s Island Sanctuary and the descent of peace
Not So Massively: A eulogy for Anthem and Defiance
Casually Classic: What’s the point of playing WoW Classic in 2021?
Choose My Adventure: The combat is the sauce in Wizard101
Perfect Ten: The top 10 things to love about Elder Scrolls Online
Massively on the Go: Getting the most out of your Animal Crossing Warp Pipes
Vague Patch Notes: MMO sunsets and the myth of meritocracy
Massively Overthinking: ‘Dead games’ in the MMO space
Tamriel Infinium: Previewing Elder Scrolls Online’s Flames of Ambition DLC and Update 29
WoW Factor: Will most WoW Classic players genuinely move on to The Burning Crusade?
LOTRO Legendarium: How much value does a VIP subscription offer these days?
Fight or Kite: Crowfall’s Transformation added necessary polish to bring us closer to launch
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s forced grouping serves an important purpose
Casually Classic: How Burning Crusade revolutionized WoW questing
Flameseeker Chronicles: First impressions of Guild Wars 2’s ‘Balance’ chapter, launching today
Choose My Adventure: Fizzle frustration, boss beatdowns, and slowly forming strategies in Wizard101
Perfect Ten: Ten things that killed me in Final Fantasy XI
Not So Massively: Outriders’ demo teases a decent but unremarkable looter-shooter
Vague Patch Notes: The sneering elitism of the MMO term ‘welfare epics’
Desert Oasis: A brief history of Kakao Games, Black Desert’s former PC publisher
Massively Overthinking: Picking the ‘wrong’ MMORPG class
LOTRO Legendarium: Analyzing the 2021 LOTRO producer letter
MMO Week in Review: RIFT deserves better
Wisdom of Nym: Thoughts on Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker (given what we know so far)
Not So Massively: Checking the pulse of Star Wars Battlefront II
Casually Classic: Will WoW Burning Crusade Classic’s level boost be the casual’s best friend?
Choose My Adventure: The point where Wizard101 blends in with other MMOs
Perfect Ten: 10 ways that MMOs kind of used to be worse
Hands-on with Magic Legends: A solid action game that could be even more
Massively Overthinking: Are MMO social hubs overrated?
WoW Factor: The long wait for patch 9.1 in World of Warcraft
GDC 2021: What attracts – and motivates – mobile and MMO gamers?
The Game Archaeologist: The online world of Diablo II
Wisdom of Nym: The Final Fantasy XIV Ascians we know
Fight or Kite: Project Winter plays like Among Us mixed with survival mechanics for a unique experience
Casually Classic: How World of Warcraft made bad graphics look good
Flameseeker Chronicles: Lessons Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons can learn from previous expansions
Perfect Ten: The wide umbrella of MMOs and online gaming subgenres
Choose My Adventure: What Wizard101 taught me about ‘kiddie’ MMOs
Vague Patch Notes: The fine art of shutting yourself up (so you can enjoy MMOs again)
Desert Oasis: The problem with Black Desert’s season servers – and how to fix it
Massively Overthinking: What are your MMO character customization dealbreakers?
Hands-on with Monster Hunter Rise: Well-worth the cost of admission
WoW Factor: Why aren’t we getting more customization options in Shadowlands?
LOTRO Legendarium: Finding purpose in Lord of the Rings Online’s Wildwood
Not So Massively: Magic Legends is messy, deep, and more of an MMO than you think
Wisdom of Nym: The experimental nature of Final Fantasy XIV’s Blue Mage
Casually Classic: In defense of a good ‘looking for group’ tool in World of Warcraft
Choose My Adventure: I think I accidentally turned my Cleric into a Necromancer in RIFT
The Soapbox: Would Asheron’s Call make a good battle royale game?
Perfect Ten: Top 10 annoying things you hear in MMORPG global chat
Massively on the Go: Why Nintendo and Pikmin make sense in Niantic’s hands
ALL 2021 YEAR-IN-REVIEW POSTS SO FAR
MMO Year in Review: At least it wasn’t 2020? (January 2021)
MMO Year in Review: The first and only BlizzConline (February 2021)
MMO Year in Review: Magic Legends begins (March 2021)
MMO Year in Review: Amazon’s Lord of the Rings MMO is over (April 2021)
MMO Year in Review: Odyssey and a billion betas (May 2021)
MMO Year in Review: Blackwood, New Genesis, and Burning Crusade (June 2021)
MMO Year in Review: The Blizzard lawsuit (July 2021)
MMO Year in Review: Bless redux (August 2021)
MMO Year in Review: Old genre, New World (September 2021)
MMO Year in Review: Elyon, Book of Travels, and Queue World (October 2021)
MMO Year in Review: The Marvel MMO, $400M, and Blizzard’s decline (November 2021)
MMO Year in Review: Endwalker, Cryptic, and Crowfall (December 2021)
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