The industry response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine exploded in March of 2022, as companies from Activision-Blizzard to EA donated money, rescued workers, ran fundraisers, and cut off Russian publishing.
Meanwhile, the MMO genre contended with the large but problematic aftermath of the Guild Wars 2 End of Dragons and Lost Ark launches. Blizzard also raised eyebrows with an announcement for the announcement of WoW’s belated expansion, while NCsoft announced more expansions for GW2 and took the wraps off the long-delayed next Lineage installment, now called Throne and Liberty and set free from that IP.
Read on for the whole recap from March of this past year.
TOP NEWS STORIES OF MARCH 2022
Wargaming pledges aid to Ukrainian Red Cross, sacks pro-invasion developer
Conan Chop Chop launches today as Funcom donates $100K of its proceeds to Ukraine Red Cross
Aliens, events, and The Pitt: MassivelyOP interview with Fallout 76’s Mark Tucker
Elite Dangerous boss promises Frontier won’t be bought out as Update 11’s release date shifts
Obituary: Nexon founder Kim Jung-ju has passed away
Swords of Legends Online’s Firestone Legacy and F2P switchover are live as SOLO launches in Russia
Ukraine implores game companies to block Russian esports participation
Lost Ark’s T1 and T2 content nerf is now live as Amazon sees T3 as the real endgame
Family of Activision-Blizzard employee allegedly harassed into suicide filed a wrongful death suit
SWTOR admits that Legacy of the Sith ‘was not a smooth transition’
Activision-Blizzard cuts sales to Russia, pledges support for Ukraine
Lost Ark bans over a million bot accounts, reaffirms there’s ‘more work to be done’ on the matter
EA and Microsoft announce end of sales to Russia, Hi-Rez reroutes Russian profits to Ukrainian aid
Guild Wars 2 dev confirms that End of Dragons does not mean the end of story content
World of Warcraft promises to reveal its next expansion on April 19
Lost Ark celebrates 20M global players as concurrency dips and roadmap sees delay
Interview: Talking Guild Wars 2 End of Dragons’ soundtrack with lead composer Maclaine Diemer
EVE Online players are fuming over the new pay-to-win mining barge
Three Activision-Blizzard shareholders are under investigation for possible insider trading
Guild Wars 2 addresses Jade Sea meta mechanics and siege turtle acquisition
Lost Ark’s Hunt for the Guardian Slayer patch is live as Amazon addresses genderlocking and armor
EVE Online player reps to CCP on the mining barge fiasco: ‘Please stop this sale and don’t do it again’
Destiny 2’s Bungie halts sales to Russia, Gamigo begins Ukraine charity initiative in multiple MMOs
Elite Dangerous has fully canceled console development to prioritize PC
DC Universe Online’s GU122 is live with with Ultraviolet Nightmare world boss
Webzen’s SUN Classic is live, and it’s already a hot mess
Elder Scrolls Online’s Ascending Tide DLC is live on PC today
Whatever happened to Derek Smart’s Alganon?
Kyiv-based Corepunk studio says it’s lost contact with some staff stuck in Ukraine
Blade and Soul will sell class changes for a modest $100 apiece
Interview: Mortal Online 2’s CEO on launch, the playerbase, tech, and the future of the sandbox
Chinese regulators draft ‘youth mode’ requirement for online games and more
New World backs off plan to test 40v40 wars thanks to player feedback
EVE Online streamers organize an ‘EVE Blackout’ to protest CCP’s monetization of the sandbox
Blade & Soul’s Unchained Chaos is live with new dungeon and Gunslinger’s third spec
NCsoft is reimagining Lineage Eternal as Throne and Liberty with a new IP and look
Zenith’s Ramen VR just scored another $35M in investment, ‘accelerates’ efforts on PC version
LOTRO is making tons of expansion content permanently free, adding a new Hobbit zone
CCP Games walks back EVE Online’s bargegate fiasco, plans ship packs ‘made for new players, by veterans’
Guild Wars 2 promises fourth expansion, brings back first Living World season as proper episodes
Gamigo-published Fractured wants players to volunteer to work as unpaid game masters
Runes of Magic is celebrating its 13th birthday with a creepy clown
Another worker lodges a sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit against Activision-Blizzard
Black Desert unveils the Drakania class, zone and quest changes, and reduced item copy costs
Amazon Games’ Mike Frazzini has stepped down following multiple rocky MMO launches
Gamigo has suffered yet another round of layoffs, including some RIFT and Trove staff
Guild Wars 2’s Super Adventure Box is back in today’s patch
Diablo IV’s quarterly update shows off the washed-out and muted colors of its open world
Hackers yoink crypto worth over half a billion dollars from P2E Axie Infinity
Activision-Blizzard’s $18M settlement with the EEOC is officially finalized
New World’s Heart of Madness patch launches tonight after a slight delay
CCP Games CEO joins a private meeting with crypto company heads ‘to talk about EVE Online’ at GDC
PlanetSide 2’s Arsenal update arrives to PC players today – here are the patch notes
The ‘death by a thousand papercuts version of sexism’ engulfed State of Decay studio Undead Labs, according to new expose
FAVORITE EDITORIALS OF MARCH 2022
Flameseeker Chronicles: Spoiler-free first impressions of Guild Wars 2 End of Dragons
Choose My Adventure: Experiencing Zenith’s Blademaster and the overall sensation of VR MMO gaming
Vague Patch Notes: So why do MMO developers gender lock?
Massively Overthinking: Initial thoughts on Guild Wars 2’s End of Dragons
MMO Cartographer: Exploring ‘tiny MMO’ Book of Travels
WoW Factor: Beyond the Spires, a speculative WoW expansion exercise
Fight or Kite: Lost Ark’s PvP is a well-designed experience for Lost Ark players
Wisdom of Nym: Everything we know (so far) about Final Fantasy XIV’s patch 6.1
LOTRO Legendarium: Why people bounce off Lord of the Rings Online
Choose My Adventure: The Secret World proves to be a familiar yet lonesome place
First Impressions: Babylon’s Fall is an unpolished and underwhelming collection of almost good ideas
Perfect Ten: Favorite NPCs from my favorite MMOs
WoW Factor: World of Warcraft’s next expansion needs to restore faith in the game
Massively Overthinking: How do alts fit into MMORPGs in 2022?
The Daily Grind: Is Lost Ark an MMO, MMORPG, or neither?
Vague Patch Notes: Bro, do you even play your MMO?
Jukebox Heroes: Six great remastered EverQuest tunes
The Game Archaeologist: Dark Zion, the brainchild of Tad Williams and Ultima Online devs
The Soapbox: SWTOR’s Legacy of the Sith is bad, but not for the reasons you’ve heard
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s limited job problem
Tamriel Infinium: Is Elder Scrolls Online a pretty or ugly game?
Four Winds: The good, the bad, and the weird of Lost Ark’s endgame
Perfect Ten: World of Warcraft’s array of bear-based threats
WoW Factor: No one is attacking you for liking World of Warcraft
Massively on the Go: Previewing Orna’s 3.1 story update and quality-of-life improvements
Massively Overthinking: Does wallet-voting work in modern MMOs?
Vague Patch Notes: Pretty is boring in MMOs
LOTRO Legendarium: Lord of the Rings Online takes much-needed steps forward
Fight or Kite: End of Dragons did little for the state of Guild Wars 2 PvP
Wisdom of Nym: Why [redacted] closed up shop at the end of Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker
Choose My Adventure: Why does The Secret World feel so bad to play?
Perfect Ten: Obnoxious MMO buzzwords found in press releases
GDC 2022: Blockchain, NFTs, and play-to-earn scams go mainstream
Into the Super-Verse: No, I do not want Daybreak’s Marvel MMO
Massively Overthinking: How long should MMO expansions be?
Vague Patch Notes: When you like the idea of an MMO more than the game itself
Jukebox Heroes: The best of Elder Scrolls Online’s Blackwood score
Vitae Aeternum: New World’s slow march to redemption
LOTRO Legendarium: Should LOTRO’s raids be made accessible to all?
Wisdom of Nym: What to expect (and not) from the next Final Fantasy XIV expansion
Flameseeker Chronicles: Unpacking Guild Wars 2’s post-End of Dragons roadmap
Choose My Adventure: Secret World Legends makes me reconsider my interest in the series
Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2’s open world is not the place for hardcore content
Perfect Ten: Conversations with anthropomorphic MMO studios IV: The Voyage Home
Desert Oasis: Hands-on with Black Desert’s Eternal Winter expansion, launching April 6
Vague Patch Notes: Community workarounds don’t excuse broken pieces of MMOs
Stick and Rudder: Revisiting 12-year-old MMO Star Trek Online
Massively Overthinking: What do you expect from MMO Kickstarters?
THE FULL 2022 YEAR-IN-REVIEW
MMO Year in Review: Microsoft has entered the chat (January 2022)
MMO Year in Review: End of Dragons, Lost Ark (February 2022)
MMO Year in Review: From Ukraine aid to Throne and Liberty (March 2022)
MMO Year in Review: Leaky Blizzard and Lord Blockchain (April 2022)
MMO Year in Review: Press F for another Marvel MMO (May 2022)
MMO Year in Review: High Isle and Diablo Immoral (June 2022)
MMO Year in Review: Smedleyfaire (July 2022)
MMO Year in Review: DUNE, Neptune, and Island Sanctuaries (August 2022)
MMO Year in Review: The Lich King (September 2022)
MMO Year in Review: Embers and Brimstone (October 2022)
MMO Year in Review: Blizzard China (November 2022)
MMO Year in Review: The FTC strikes back (December 2022)
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