We’re taking a time-machine back through our MMO coverage, month by month, to hit the highlights and frame our journey before we head into 2018!
Ashes of Creation blew up on Kickstarter in May, weathering concerns over its CEO’s history and referral plans to easily meet its crowdfunding goal and truck onward through multiple stretch goals.
Wild West Online fared just as well, reportedly canceling its Kickstarter after announcing it as a result of outside investment and weathering its own drama.
Meanwhile, Marvel Heroes landed on console, Black Desert moseyed over to Steam, we delivered an absurd amount of Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood preview coverage, and Morrowind hit early access.
Read on for the whole list!
TOP NEWS STORIES OF MAY 2017
Elite Dangerous’ novel-concluding Salomé event was wrecked by long-con griefers
City of Heroes fans party hard for the game’s 13th birthday
Ashes of Creation’s Kickstarter is live, seeking $750,000 to bolster the ‘rebirth of the MMORPG’
Pokemon Go player faces up to 3.5 years in Russian penal colony over blasphemy law
Rumor: Guild Wars 2 leak reveals expansion masteries, locations
LOTRO confirms a multi-boss raid for its Mordor expansion
The Elder Scrolls Online honors 15 years of Morrowind with a new trailer
Ashes of Creation clears $1M in crowdfunding, shows off mounts, and dangles kitties and puppies
‘Reputation should matter’: Crowfall ties your account name to your character name
Activision-Blizzard Q1 2017: Blizzard’s online games drove Activision-Blizzard profits last quarter
TERA’s fifth birthday celebration is finally underway, counts 6.6M registered players
Darkfall Rise of Agon is live today
Camelot Unchained shifts dev focus to beta gameplay
Secret World Legends launches June 26; check out the new trailer
EverQuest II’s The Menagerie launches, free level 100 boosts bestowed
RIFT changes Starfall Prophecy to Prophecy of Ahnket; get it free this weekend
NCsoft Q1 2017: Tumbles for Lineage, Guild Wars 2, plus new leadership for Lineage Eternal
Russian Pokemon Go player sentenced over blasphemy law
Wild West Online announced for later this year, Kickstarter coming soon
RIFT’s Starfall Prophecy name change was provoked by a trademark lawsuit
Virtual world creator Improbable receives $502M investment from SoftBank
Microsoft is working on a secret VR MMO
EVE Online players blow up a $6,000 spaceship
Crowfall is shifting away from race-bound class archetypes
Funcom Q1 2017 financials: ‘Most profitable quarter ever,’ Secret World Legends delayed on Steam
Wild West Online cancels Kickstarter and early access plans, secures funding for a full launch
Exclusive Wild West Online interview on PvE servers, budget, and Red Dead Redemption 2
Crowfall wraps up marathon seven-hour stream event, promises open beta by the end of 2017
Star Citizen’s latest concept ship sale has already raised almost half a million bucks
Make My MMO: Star Citizen has now raised $150M in crowdfunds (May 20, 2017)
Elder Scrolls Online’s Morrowind early access launches today – are you playing?
World of Tanks demonstrates how to chill games criticism on YouTube in three easy steps
Ashes of Creation aims to be biggest MMORPG Kickstarter of all time
Rockstar delays Red Dead Redemption 2 to 2018
Black Desert leaps to Steam today, launches the Striker class, and bans exploiters
EVE Online scam highlights the value of friendships over ISK
Wild West Online addresses Sergey Titov rumors [Updated]
Secret World Legends outlines how its free-to-play model allows you to unlock things without cash
Ashes of Creation revises referral program, unlocks Underrealm race, and shows freehold housing
Black Desert sells over 127,000 copies on Steam, adds three new servers with today’s patch
Marvel Heroes interview on PC vs console, new characters, and whether PvP is dead
FAVORITE EDITORIALS OF MAY 2017
Working As Intended: Why classic Guild Wars matters, 12 years in
The Daily Grind: Are MMORPGs better off without stories?
Massively OP Interview: Ashes of Creation on a new way to MMO
Flameseeker Chronicles: First impressions of Guild Wars 2’s Flashpoint
Perfect Ten: Exploring MMORPGs from the far corners of the world
Hyperspace Beacon: The three key problems with SWTOR’s War for Iokath
Ashes of Creation’s Steven Sharif on his business history, $30M funding goal, and PvP
Chaos Theory: Which faction should you choose in Secret World?
WoW Factor: Breaking up is surprisingly easy to do
Guild Chat: How do you deal with chronically inactive MMO guildies?
Massively Overthinking: Competitive PvE in MMORPGs
Massively OP Exclusive: Hard questions about Secret World Legends
Perfect Ten: My MMO hate list
Choose My Adventure: Getting started in Neverwinter
Chaos Theory: Guide to Secret World’s Illuminati faction
Massively Overthinking: Is the MMO genre facing an identity crisis?
The Game Archaeologist: When Hellgate London got Flagshipped
EVE Evolved: Is EVE Online becoming too safe?
Leaderboard: Almost half of e-sports viewers don’t even play the games they’re spectating
The Daily Grind: What makes an MMO community toxic?
Tamriel Infinium: Five things to do while waiting for Elder Scrolls Online’s Morrowind early access
The Survivalist: ARK Survival Evolved discusses early access, launch, and wipes
Massively Overthinking: Being Uncle Owen in MMORPGs
Perfect Ten: The perfect MMO cosmetic system
The Soapbox: Your favorite MMO is going to die
LOTRO Legendarium: Bingo Boffin’s unexpected journey
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward in review – the final assessment
Perfect Ten: Understanding MMORPG Warriors
Tamriel Infinium: An alternative approach to playing Elder Scrolls Online Morrowind
Massively Overthinking: Disentangling MMO classes and races
The Daily Grind: How much of an MMO must you play to issue good criticism?
The Game Archaeologist: How Sceptre of Goth shaped the MMO industry
Wisdom of Nym: The future of PvP in Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood
The Daily Grind: Which live MMORPG has the best crafting system?
Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood preview: Everything you need to know about the expansion
Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood preview: Samurai and Red Mage impressions
Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood preview: Tank jobs
Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood preview: Melee DPS jobs
Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood preview: Our interview with Naoki Yoshida
ALL 2017 MONTH-IN-REVIEW POSTS TO-DATE
MMO Year in Review: Landmark is wiped off the map (January 2017)
MMO Year in Review: A home of your own in Elder Scrolls Online’s Tamriel (February 2017)
MMO Year in Review: City of Heroes necromancy in Master X Master (March 2017)
MMO Year in Review: Ship of Heroes abandons Kickstarter (April 2017)
MMO Year in Review: Ashes of Creation vs. Wild West Online (May 2017)
MMO Year in Review: Morrowind, Stormblood, and Secret World Legends (June 2017)
MMO Year in Review: July was the high mark of the year for MMORPGs (July 2017)
MMO Year in Review: Johnny Depp + Secret World = profit? (August 2017)
MMO Year in Review: Expansion 2 for Guild Wars 2 (September 2017)
MMO Year in Review: Lockboxes, CCP, and Destiny 2 (October 2017)
MMO Year in Review: WoW Classic and the doom of Marvel Heroes (November 2017)
MMO Year in Review: Star Citizen’s alpha 3.0 finally arrives (December 2017)
