May brought interesting news for fans of Lord of the Rings, as Amazon and Embracer announced that they’re working on yet another LOTR MMORPG, using Amazon’s development studios and Embracer’s license – this following the cancelation of an Amazon/Leyou LOTR MMO back in 2021.
Meanwhile, EVE Online turned 20 years old, Jack Emmert announced a new Warhammer MMO, Redfall’s launch was a mess, Embracer bungled its $2B business deal, Blizzard announced a hardcore mode and the WoW token RMT for WoW Classic, and a slew of MMOs admitted to delays, from Nightingale and Blue Protocol to Throne & Liberty and Wayfinder.
Here’s the whole recap from May of this past year, from our top news stories of the month to our best editorials.
TOP NEWS STORIES OF MAY 2023
Dauntless and Fae Farm studio Phoenix Labs hit with layoffs, restructuring following investor buyout
Mad World continues to be MIA on Steam as it addresses cash shop currency and NA server woes
Guild Wars 2 teases next expansion and update and the plan for specs and balance in summer roadmap
Star Trek Online announces Unraveled, coming to PC May 9, with new episode and TFO
World of Warcraft patch 10.1, Embers of Neltharion, goes live today
EVE Online begins 20th anniversary with mural reveal, events, and June Viridian expansion details
Lord of the Rings Online activates new forums and Gwathrenost raid today
South Korean UE5 MMORPG Chrono Odyssey drops brand-new trailer and crossplatform plans
Swordsmen X Survival launches on Steam with Chinese as its only language while players pan the game
Star Wars The Old Republic unveils GU 7.3 Old Wounds in time for Star Wars Day
WoW Classic begins testing Trial of the Crusader today as Blizzard toys with ChatGPT
Eden Eternal has relaunched with a side order of NFTs and a delay on Steam
Redfall’s messy release prompts apology from Xbox’s Phil Spencer
Destiny 2 is raising its standalone season prices, players are naturally displeased
Lawful Neutral: What if Activision-Blizzard just… sold Blizzard?
MGI’s 2022 financial report is bad news for RIFT and most of Gamigo’s remaining MMOs
Mike Ybarra defends patent filing for AI art generator in Blizzard style
Albion Online’s Knightfall patch is live with a new dungeon and WASD movement
Riot Games’ $100M discrimination settlement payouts officially claimed by over 1500 affected people
World of Warcraft reviews Community Discord program following backlash over non-disparagement and tracking software clauses
Star Trek Online’s Unraveled is live for PC players with new episode and TFO
Torchlight Infinite officially launches out of early access tonight
NCsoft Q1 2023: NCsoft confirms Throne & Liberty’s delay to back half of 2023
Wayfinder officially delays its closed beta, again, now to May 24
Elder Scrolls Online drops action-packed new trailer for June’s Necrom expansion
Pearl Abyss Q1 2023: Black Desert and EVE Online revenues continue to decline
Blizzard devs lament talent bleed and Diablo IV support capacity following return-to-office mandate
Zenith’s Skyward Summit update is live today with a new zone and Cyber Ninja class
World of Warcraft reveals Fractures in Time update with third Evoker spec and dragon daycare
NCsoft’s Aion Classic launches the Revenant class and new Telos zone
Little Orbit’s ‘Web 2.5’ platform that lets players sell digital creations is just another blockchain pitch
Riot names A. Dylan Jadeja as its new CEO, taking over the company by by the end of 2023
Diablo IV’s ‘server slam’ weekend test goes live under the shadow of pay-to-win player grumbling
Square-Enix FY2022: Revenues decline as company remains ‘aggressive’ on blockchain
Blizzard is finally working on an official hardcore mode for WoW Classic
Amazon has revived its Lord of the Rings MMORPG, now collaborating with Embracer
The EU has conditionally approved Microsoft’s buyout of Activision-Blizzard
Ethyrial Echoes of Yore’s reset descends into chaos with new bugs, tanking reviews, and lead dev’s partial withdrawal
Tencent’s Tarisland offers a global release window of later this year and a new CG hype trailer
Villagers and Heroes players can finally enter their houses with the Homestead update
Vampire battle royale Bloodhunt confirms it’s entering maintenance mode because of a lack of players
Ubisoft is trying to get in on the NFT racket for a second time with Assassin’s Creed ‘smart collectibles’
Overwatch 2 officially cancels most of its PvE content moving forward
‘Vana’diel’s not going anywhere,’ Square-Enix’s Yoji Fujito says on Final Fantasy XI’s 21st birthday
Early access survival sandbox V Rising has finally launched its first big update, Secrets of Gloomrot
Overwatch 2 devs admit team strategy on PvP/PvE development shifted ‘about a year and a half ago’
BlizzCon 2023 has been announced for November 3-4 in Anaheim
Lord of the Rings Online promises that it’s ‘not going away’ after Amazon MMO announcement
Nightingale has seen another early access delay – it’s now set for fall 2023
EG7 Q1 2023: EG7 pulled in a record $54M last quarter, and Daybreak is a huge chunk of it
Jack Emmert’s NetEase-owned studio rebrands as Jackalyptic Games, teases Warhammer 40K title
Colorful co-op multiplayer title Sky Children of the Light prepares for its cross-platform arrival on Steam
Amazon Games VP throws shade at LOTRO over new Lord of the Rings project
Bossa Games is back in the MMO space with Lost Skies, an obviously Worlds Adrift-inspired co-op title
Blue Protocol’s global release is delayed to 2024, Japanese version launches June 14
Final Fantasy XIV patch 6.4, The Dark Throne, is live today – check out the launch trailer
An investor group is trying to mangle Daybreak’s EG7 for shareholder payouts
New World announces second season, Blood of the Sands, launching July 6
Destiny 2 brings underwater locations, new gear, and a fishing activity in Season of the Deep today
Blizzard introduces the WoW Token to Wrath of the Lich King Classic
Embracer Group (Gearbox/Cryptic) stock nose-dives after implosion of $2B business deal
Funcom belatedly remembers Age of Conan’s 15th birthday with dev blog and event
Bungie announces extraction shooter Marathon, brings back Nathan Fillion for Destiny 2’s The Final Shape
Blizzard suggests WoW Token RMT in WoW Classic is ‘for the good of the community’ because of RMT bots
Throne & Liberty kicks off Korean closed beta as we wait for the fall launch
Richard Garriott’s NFT-based MMO, Iron & Magic, appears to have vanished already
Blue Protocol shows off combat trailer ahead of next month’s Japanese launch
Cube World creator emerges from hibernation to announce Cube World Omega
NCsoft West restructures as NC America, with shared CM for Lineage II, Aion, and Blade & Soul
PlanetSide 2’s Michael ‘Wrel’ Henderson has left Daybreak and the game
Life is Feudal MMO returns under new management – and a testing subscription fee
Pirate101 launches on Steam today with the Sinbad Chapter 2 update
Riot Games and League of Legends esports pros lock horns over fate of North American league
Bobby Kotick decries ‘aggressive labor movement’ trying to ‘destabilize’ Activision-Blizzard
FAVORITE EDITORIALS OF MAY 2023
First Impressions: Ethyrial Echoes of Yore needs a lot more polish to be worth a sub
Wisdom of Nym: What to expect from 2023’s Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival
Choose My Adventure: Dungeons and Dragons Online immediately brings that tabletop goodness
Fight or Kite: Eternal Card Game puts a real focus both PvE and PvP
The Daily Grind: How hungry are you for a good new MMO?
The Soapbox: MMO housing is so much more than a frivolous feature
Perfect Ten: What FFA PvP has to offer the MMO space
Massively Overthinking: What kind of PvE content do you expect from MMO sandboxes?
Vague Patch Notes: MMO players don’t talk about aging
Massively on the Go: WalkScape’s Schamppu wants game to walk the fitness walk
LOTRO Legendarium: 10 more fun LOTRO tips and tricks
The Daily Grind: People still play that game?
Vitae Aeternum: A love letter to all that New World does well
Wisdom of Nym: What happens at the end of Final Fantasy XIV’s The Dark Throne?
Flameseeker Chronicles: What we learned (and didn’t) from Guild Wars 2’s spring 2023 roadmap
Choose My Adventure: Adventuring in the Borderlands of Dungeons and Dragons Online
Perfect Ten: Romantic ideas for an MMO virtual date
Vague Patch Notes: You cannot win on pay-to-win
Massively Overthinking: What’s your monthly MMO budget?
Design Mockument: Let’s bring back WildStar, only good this time
Some Assembly Required: Red Dead roleplay servers succeed where Red Dead Online failed
Global Chat: How do you play older MMOs?
LOTRO Legendarium: A look back at Lord of the Rings Online’s Fate of Gundabad
Wisdom of Nym: Looking ahead to Final Fantasy XIV’s The Dark Throne
The Daily Grind: When was the best time to be a fan of World of Warcraft?
Choose My Adventure: Sludging through the Saltmarsh of Dungeons and Dragons Online
Fight or Kite: Star Realms just might be the perfect blend of deckbuilder and dueler
Casually Classic: Six problems Blizzard has to solve for WoW Classic’s official hardcore mode
Interview: KingsIsle talks Pirate101’s Steam launch, Sinbad Chapter 2, and the future of the game
Perfect Ten: Overwatch 2 is peak Blizzard
WoW Factor: Tarisland and the cargo cult of World of Warcraft
Massively Overthinking: Solving the MMO gear obsolescence problem
Vague Patch Notes: The power of perspective in MMOs
LOTRO Legendarium: Amazon plays at making a Lord of the Rings MMO… again
Wisdom of Nym: Top takeaways from Final Fantasy XIV’s The Dark Throne patch notes
Not So Massively: Godsworn is Warcraft III meets Age of Mythology
Flameseeker Chronicles: Wrapping up the End of Dragons era with What Lies Within
Choose My Adventure: DDO’s Catacombs offer a classic taste of the MMOs storytelling
Massively OP Podcast Episode 423: The Overwatch MMO we’ll never get
Perfect Ten: 10 old MMO promises that never happened
Vague Patch Notes: Why do people remember an MMO past that didn’t exist?
Massively on the Go: Jurassic World Alive plods on five years later, encumbered by over-monetization
Massively Overthinking: Are we in an ‘MMO hype vacuum’?
WoW Factor: Blizzard’s week of bad decisions
Massively on the Go: Five features location-based MMOs keep using – but shouldn’t
The Game Archaeologist: Coca-Cola’s crazy virtual hangout
Global Chat: How insistent are MMOs that you group up?
Fight or Kite: Hero Realms is a true evolution of Star Realms and Ascension
Wisdom of Nym: Spoiler-free thoughts on Final Fantasy XIV patch 6.4’s content
Choose My Adventure: Plumbing the challenging Delera’s Tomb in Dungeons and Dragons Online
Tamriel Infinium: Six reasons to be excited about Elder Scrolls Online’s Necrom chapter
Perfect Ten: Get out of my dreams and get into my (MMO) car
Massively on the Go: Top 5 features location-based games need use more
THE FULL 2023 YEAR-IN-REVIEW
MMO Year in Review: NetEase versus Blizzard (January 2023)
MMO Year in Review: Amazon’s expanding empire (February 2023)
MMO Year in Review: Press F7 for E3 (March 2023)
MMO Year in Review: Crisis maps (April 2023)
MMO Year in Review: Second breakfast (May 2023)
MMO Year in Review: Returning to Morrowind (June 2023)
MMO Year in Review: Dawn of the Entrails (July 2023)
MMO Year in Review: The mage’s tower (August 2023)
MMO Year in Review: The next EverQuest Next (September 2023)
MMO Year in Review: Angry Earth, hungry Microsoft (October 2023)
MMO Year in Review: The Worldsoul Saga (November 2023)
MMO Year in Review: Come on baby Light No Fire (December 2023)
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