April was a relatively quiet month for launch news – the calm before the storm before the big MMO launches really got underway. Which is great because this post runs on Christmas and I’d hate to ruin your day with… oh. Oh, right. Blizzard. Yeah, this was the month Jeff Kaplan abandoned ship, Bobby K’s salary finally got halved, Blizzard tried to charge y’all ridiculous sums for WoW Classic character cloning. And that’s nothing compared to the fact that Leyou and Amazon decided to cancel their in-development Lord of the Rings MMORPG. Ug. Just forget it, let’s have eggnog.
Read on for the whole recap from April of this past year!
TOP NEWS STORIES OF APRIL 2021
April Fools’ Day 2021 across the MMOverse
Nielsen is closing down SuperData and its monthly gaming revenue peeks
Chinese police team up with Tencent to take down a video game cheating ring
DCUO makes its World of Flashpoint episode permanently free for all players as part of plans to remove content paywalls
Daybreak’s owner Enad Global 7 acquires MMORPG publisher Innova for $109M
Omar Gonzalez, a chief architect of World of Warcraft Classic, has departed Blizzard for Dreamhaven
New UK research finds opening lootboxes is ‘structurally and psychologically akin’ to gambling
Massively Uplifting: Gamestonk, gorillas, and giving in MMOs
Dual Universe has finally admitted JC Baillie is no longer running Novaquark, but it’s mum about who is
MMO players are working on a Tabula Rasa rogue server, but it’s ‘a ways off’ from being fully playable
Hi-Rez’s trademark snafus suggest a Global Agenda sequel (again) (finally)
Swords of Legends Online is a Chinese action MMORPG heading to the west this summer
No, Twitch’s move to investigate off-platform toxicity is not ‘novel’ for the industry
Everything we know about Path of Exile’s Ultimatum league launching next week
Wandering Wraeclast: Grinding Gear has finally taken the wraps off Path of Exile 2
Chronicles of Elyria, now back up to five devs, examines its development achievements and shortcomings
Population Zero has apparently sunsetted, is now just plain zero
Project_N is a new throwback MMO designed by an EverQuest lead game designer
Final Fantasy XIV patch 5.5, Death Unto Dawn, is out today
Derek Smart on the dormant Alganon: ‘It will be back. I promise.’
Neverwinter’s Sharandar Soul Keeper episode makes undead elves creep again today
Hellgate is back yet again, this time as a terrible VR game
DC Universe Online’s freebie World of Flashpoint episode is live for all players
Path of Exile Ultimatum league is now live
No, Square-Enix is not looking to be bought out
Path of Exile addresses messy Ultimatum launch, says giving streamers queue priority was a mistake
Amazon and Leyou have canceled that unfinished Lord of the Rings MMO
Perfect World Games unveils Perfect New World, a new PC, mobile, and console MMO set to launch globally
ArcheAge developer XL Games announces mobile sandbox MMO Moonlight Sculptor
Interview: Mortal Online 2 CEO on stress testing, persistent plans, and the MMO market
Jeff Kaplan leaves Blizzard Entertainment and his position as director of Overwatch
Dual Universe shifts launch window to mid 2022
Lord of the Rings Online rings in its 14th anniversary
Black Desert’s companion app, Black Desert+, is available now
Classic Guild Wars is about to turn 16 years old and the party has begun in Shing Jea
Heroes of the Storm players lament Blizzard’s neglect and slow development
Star Wars: The Old Republic explores dark secrets with today’s Update 6.3
An infamous WoW Classic griefer sees his 16 accounts all banned during a livestream
EA insists it’s focused on ‘engagement,’ not monetizing FIFA players into gambleboxes
Fallout 76 launches its Locked & Loaded update
Dreamworld co-founder’s ex-fiancee calls out Kickstarter fibs but says he’s not intentionally scamming
Activision-Blizzard is halving Bobby Kotick’s exorbitant salary and bonuses
Gameforge officially sunsets the western version of SoulWorker tomorrow
EG7 addresses the Daybreak buyout, says EG7 is ‘evaluating’ H1Z1 and Just Survive
FAVORITE EDITORIALS OF APRIL 2021
Stick and Rudder: Five potentially stupid yet fun Elite Dangerous spaceship builds
Vague Patch Notes: Template
Massively Overthinking: Should MMOs sell exclusive items – in alpha?
Stick and Rudder: Shaky space legs and promising potential in Elite Dangerous’ Odyssey alpha phase one
WoW Factor: We’re waiting how long for Shadowlands’ patch 9.1, now?
The Soapbox: How Magic Legends went wrong with the Dimir Assassin class
The Game Archaeologist: The ballad of Fansy, EverQuest’s famous bard
Massively on the Go: Mother Nintendo should make Niantic Earthbound
Wisdom of Nym: Reacting to the latest Final Fantasy XIV live letter
Fight or Kite: For Honor is still the only viking vs. samurai vs. knight game for me
The Daily Grind: Which MMORPG has the worst ‘wealth gap’ between old and new players?
Casually Classic: Three things I’m anticipating (and three I’m dreading) for WoW’s Burning Crusade Classic
Choose My Adventure: Getting invested in RIFT’s Instant Adventures
Perfect Ten: How The Burning Crusade changed World of Warcraft forever
Why I Play: Multiplayer sandbox Eco is so much more than just an ecology simulator
Desert Oasis: Black Desert’s Sage release demonstrates Pearl Abyss’ focus on the west
Vague Patch Notes: The myth of the days before MMO datamining
The Soapbox: Lies I was told about World of Warcraft
Working As Intended: There is no good reason for MMO gamers to fund Dreamworld
Massively Overthinking: Self-imposed ‘rules’ for MMOs
WoW Factor: Why WoW Classic players are mad about the Burning Crusade character boost
The Game Archaeologist: Lifestorm, Japan’s first MMORPG
First impressions from Diablo II Resurrected’s alpha: Just as good as you remember
Not So Massively: Four things I wish I’d known when I started Magic Legends
Wisdom of Nym: Some interesting bits from Final Fantasy XIV’s 5.5 patch notes
Casually Classic: Ranking WoW Classic’s capital cities (through Burning Crusade)
Choose My Adventure: Warrior time and a more classical Cleric in RIFT
Perfect Ten: How to deal with MMO burnout
Vague Patch Notes: Playing MMOs as an introvert
Massively Overthinking: The 2021 MMORPG outlook is good, actually
Tamriel Infinium: Previewing The Elder Scrolls Online’s Blackwood and companion system
Stick and Rudder: Elite Dangerous Odyssey’s second alpha phase had more FPS goodness and even more bugs
Wisdom of Nym: First impressions of Final Fantasy XIV’s 5.5 content
Fight or Kite: My mobile MMO experience peaked in 2008 with Parallel Kingdom
Casually Classic: Four alternative day one strategies for WoW Classic’s Burning Crusade
Flameseeker Chronicles: Possible futures for Guild Wars 2’s strikes and dragon response missions
Choose My Adventure: Further group adventures (that weren’t IAs) in RIFT
The Survivalist: Conan Exiles’ Isle of Siptah expands tomorrow with sunshine and a spitting spider god
Perfect Ten: Here is the stuff you can have when I quit this MMO
Four Winds: Why are Asian MMOs monetized the way they are?
Massively Overthinking: How much are you spending on MMOs every month right now?
Vague Patch Notes: What we mean when we talk about MMO maintenance mode
LOTRO Legendarium: Bilbo’s further adventures are anything but adventurous
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s patch 5.5 stories have some issues
Stick and Rudder: The frustrating and unsuccessful search for life in Elite Dangerous Odyssey alpha phase 3
Not So Massively: Checking up on multiplayer RTS Iron Harvest 1920
Choose My Adventure: RIFT was fun before, wasn’t it?
Flameseeker Chronicles: Hands-on with Guild Wars 2’s Judgment world boss, Dragonstorm
Perfect Ten: Why I’m a sucker for MMO collector’s editions
Casually Classic: The brilliance of World of Warcraft’s sound design
Vague Patch Notes: The win state of MMOs
Massively Overthinking: The terrible hot-mess MMOs we have fun in anyway
WoW Factor: What we really learned from the World of Warcraft Hazzikostas interview
Why I Play: Monster Hunter Rise is still worth it one month later
ALL 2021 YEAR-IN-REVIEW 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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