If you watched the 10th annual Game Awards tonight – perhaps alongside Chris and MJ – then you probably don’t need this post. But if you had other things to do than watch the show as I did (my kid’s concert topped the Three Hours of Commercials Show, sorry), then you might be wanting a recap of the MMO and multiplayer news. Unfortunately, it wasn’t particularly noteworthy for MMORPG fans, but for multiplayer, let’s see what we’ve got.
Crimson Desert – We joke about this every time, as this game started life as a new Pearl Abyss MMO and has been downgraded so severely that its minimal multiplayer is no longer mentioned, though to be fair, even singleplayer isn’t mentioned on Steam. Anyway, it’s got a launch window of Q4 2025 now, which basically means it’ll be four years late, since it was originally supposed to launch in 2021.
Warframe 1999 – You probably had an inkling this was finally launching, but yes: Warframe 1999 is officially rolling out to Warframe players tomorrow, December 13th, with its new quest narrative, the romance/relationship system, the 59th ‘Frame (Cyte-09), and the new PvPvE game mode called Faceoff.
Palworld – We knew that the game’s next expansion was called Feybreak, but we didn’t know it was coming two days before Christmas. Wheee!
Steel Hunters – This is a brand-new game from World of Tanks/Warships developer Wargaming, set in a new IP. It’s a F2P mech hero shooter that mixes battle royale with extraction gameplay. “The game offers an intense mech power fantasy where you control formidable mechanical giants – Hunters – and participate in action-packed battles, pursuing various objectives to level up and acquire gear,” WG says. “Each Hunter comes with its own distinct playstyle, unique ability kits and progression systems that allow for a variety of strategy and tactics to outmatch opponents as they push toward the final showdown at the extraction point.” Tester signups are already live on the official site; the Steam page is live too.
Elden Ring: Nightreign – Get a little bit excited but not too excited for FromSoftware’s multiplayer take on the hardcore RPG. Just be aware that Bamco has been clear that it’s definitely not a live service title; it’s just a co-op roguelike. Also get ready to see a million people misspell “reign” over and over. Steam lists the game as due out in 2025.
Borderlands 4 – Gearbox survived Embracer largely on the strength of the Borderlands franchise, which is awaiting the launch of its fourth entry next year. We got our first look at this multiplayer shooter’s gameplay in the new trailer.
Mecha Break – Gamers scored an official launch window for Amazing Seasun’s upcoming mech shooter: It’s coming in spring 2025 with 3v3, 6v6, and PvPvE extraction modes.
Split Fiction – Split Fiction is a new title from EA and It Takes Two’s Hazelight Studios, who call it a “unique co-op action-adventure split screen game where players will jump between sci-fi and fantasy worlds” where “players will take on the roles of Mio and Zoe as they work together to take back their creative legacies and discover the power of an unexpected friendship.” Launch is coming March 6th, 2025, on PC, PS5, and Xbox X|S. We probably won’t be covering this, but it’s worth a note.
Kyora – Chucklefish and Pugstorm, which I swear is a publisher and studio and not the name of my new band, announced Kyora, a multiplayer proc-gen 2-D sandbox game. The devs are the folks behind Core Keeper, but this looks like Terraria to me – in a good way.
Stage Fright – Hello Games is publishing Ghost Town Games’ new co-op narrative game, Stage Fright: “From the makers of OVERCOOKED! comes an all new co-operative experience. Take your friend on an amazing adventure as you explore, solve escape rooms, overcome fiendish obstacles and unravel an ancient mystery.” Again, co-op, not an MMO, but worth a little note here – especially because Hello Games appears to be branching out into publishing.
Dungeon&Fighter Arad – Nexon Korea dropped the world premiere trailer for the latest take on the DNF IP; Arad is billed as an “open world ARPG” and set for PC, mobile, and console. Absolutely nowhere in the PR does it say it’s an online or multiplayer title, but it is, and it… kinda looks like a gacha game too.
Turok Origins – Saber Interactive is juicing up the dormant Turok franchise with fully integrated multiplayer. The dinosaur-hunting game sounds like a cross between Monster Hunter and ARK Survival Evolved to us.
Midnight Murder Club – We’ve covered this multiplayer murder mystery shooter before, but now we know it’s coming to PS5 in early 2025. The crossplay demo is already live.
Splitgate 2 – This one’s a 4v4 shooter from 1047 Games; the studio says this sequel once again offers “fast-paced first-person combat and portal-hopping movement.” We already knew it was coming for PC and console next year, but now we have a new trailer too.
Rematch – Do you remember Absolver? Well, the studio behind it, Sloclap, is back with a… multiplayer soccer title. Sure, why not?
Thick As Thieves – Warren Spector is back with a multiplayer PvPvE stealth game set in a spooky 1910s metropolis. This might be my favorite reveal of the whole show, frankly. Thief but with PvP, in a compelling setting? Yes please.
Solasta II – This one’s a bit out of our wheelhouse, but it does technically offer co-op play in a video game that’ll feel more like a tabletop game. “Bring your party of adventurers together across perilous realms in this Turn-Based Tactical RPG based on the SRD 5e ruleset,” studio Tactical Adventures says.
Finally, if you actually came to The Game Awards for the awards, well look at you, that’s cute. But no, really, a couple of multiplayer stars took home awards, including Helldivers 2 for best Ongoing Game (beating out Destiny 2, Diablo IV, FFXIV, and Fortnite). Helldivers 2 also took Best Multiplayer (over COD Black Ops 6, War40K Space Marine 2, Super Mario Party Jamboree, and Tekken 8, which sure is a list of games that exist), while Baldur’s Gate 3 won Best Community Support (besting FFXIV, Fortnite, Helldivers 2, and No Man’s Sky). The judges also gave Amazon’s Fallout TV show Best Adaptation. That’s about as interesting as it got for us, I’m afraid, with only one real MMORPG and barely a handful of MMOs and MMO-adjacent titles on the ballots.
Yeah, I think I got the better deal listening to middle-schoolers honk on instruments. See you next year!
