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 2019!
November was pretty much a dumpster fire of epic proportions. Blizzard kicked off the month by largely bombing BlizzCon and seeing ActiBlizz stock plummet, thanks in part to the Diablo Immortal disaster. Yes, we have phones.
Then Bethsoft was like, hold my beer, and it pushed out Fallout 76 to abysmal reviews and gamers bewildered over the game’s confusing presentation and piles of bugs, against the backdrop of a class action lawsuit and the canvas bag switcharoo fiasco.
And of course, WildStar sunsetted. Then CCP Games pulled Project Nova back again, admitting it had no hook. On the plus side, the FTC agreed to investigate lockboxes and FFXIV managed to deliver a great Fanfest to cap off the month.
Read on for the whole list from November of this past year!
TOP NEWS STORIES OF NOVEMBER 2018
World of Warcraft is 14 years old this month – where were you when it launched?
Ashes of Creation announces Apocalypse, its free-to-play battle royale test mode
XL Games’ Jake Song is working with Gamigo to ‘stabilize’ and ‘revitalize’ ArcheAge
BlizzCon 2018: Opening ceremonies liveblog
BlizzCon 2018: World of Warcraft Classic is releasing next summer
BlizzCon 2018: Diablo Immortal is a ‘mobile massively multiplayer online action–role-playing game’
BlizzCon 2018: Warcraft III: Reforged is a remaster and update of the classic game due in 2019
BlizzCon 2018: World of Warcraft – What’s Next liveblog
BlizzCon 2018: Diablo fans go into full-fledged meltdown mode over Immortal
BlizzCon 2018: Blizzard defends Diablo Immortal, hints at more Diablo projects on the way
Niantic’s Ingress Prime reboot is finally live
Blizzard denies claims that Diablo 4’s reveal was meant to punctuate BlizzCon as ActiBlizz stock plummets
Tencent is expanding draconian ‘healthy gaming’ child blocks across all of its titles
Funcom is now working on at least six new games, including a new open-world multiplayer title
World of Warcraft’s Alex Afrasiabi on the possibility of faction unification
Overwatch’s new character Ashe sparks discussion on the roster’s diversity
Interview: Neowiz on Bless Online’s now-live Ruins of Shaqqara and the state of the game
Bethsoft says it’s working on addressing Fallout 76’s many bugs, including the nastier exploits
Smilegate MMORPG Lost Ark finally, finally starts Korean beta testing
NCsoft formally reveals Aion and Blade & Soul sequels ahead of G-Star
DC Universe Online launches Atlantis today
Lord of the Rings Online opens the doors to its first progression server
Activision-Blizzard Q3 2018: Activision Blizzard revenue dips, WoW Battle for Azeroth did well
Warframe’s Fortuna update is live on PC with a new zone, new activities, and totally rad hoverboards
Star Citizen is delaying quite a bit of alpha 3.4 into 3.5 to make its December goal – including female toons
NCsoft Q3 2018: NCsoft sales continue downward slide while online PC sales trend up
Amazon survival MMO New World reveals more and more of its alpha map
Superhero MMORPGs mourn the passing of comics legend Stan Lee
Analysts say Diablo Immortal will bring financial success despite fan outrage
ArcheAge’s Relics of Hiram update is finally launching, three weeks late, under Gamigo’s banner
Torchlight Frontiers’ free-to-play model rejects pay-to-win and gambling schemes
Star Citizen’s alpha patch 3.3.5 introduces game’s ‘first planetary location,’ Hurston
Black Desert’s long-awaited Drieghan expansion is live
Fallout 76’s launch marks the start of a post-nuclear multiplayer adventure
Brad McQuaid’s MMO Pantheon has snapped up Trion’s Linda ‘Brasse’ Carlson
Social art-curation MMO Occupy White Walls hits Steam Early Access
Hellgate is back on Steam and buyable, but without Tokyo or multiplayer
FFXIV Fan Festival 2018: The next Final Fantasy XIV expansion is Shadowbringers
FFXIV Fan Festival 2018: Shadowbringers promises new story, new regions, and new jobs
Make My MMO: Star Citizen hits $200M in crowdfunds, Reddit drama ensues
FFXIV Fan Festival 2018: Q&A with Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida
Star Citizen’s Chris Roberts: ‘No one is attempting to do what we are doing’
Cliff Bleszinski states he’s never making another game
Diablo’s David Brevik lambastes Blizzard over elimination of employee profit sharing
Activision draws heat over ignoring accessibility requirements as its stock continues tumbling
Star Trek Online community stands divided over a Reddit protest targeting game issues
Even Blizzard was amused by the URL prankster who forwarded Diablo fans to Path of Exile
Jace Hall denies report about H1Z1’s esports league insolvency, view manipulation, and missing money
Blizzard sources dish on Warcraft Go, Diablo IV, Diablo Immortal, China, and Activision’s culture shift
Fallout 76 goes on steep sale while fans uncover a Skyrim connection
Guild Wars 2 is literally giving away a car to promote roller beetle racing
There might just be a class action lawsuit over Fallout 76 refunds
Bethsoft acknowledges ‘frustrated and angry’ Fallout 76 fans, previews December patches
The FTC commits to investigating video game lootboxes following US Senate subcommittee hearing
Shroud of the Avatar studio Portalarium confirms it’s taken over European publishing from Travian
Fallout 76 fans are livid over what they call a collectors edition ‘bait-and-switch’
Smed vows he’ll someday make a game akin to EverQuest Next
Project Nova’s alpha is postponed indefinitely as CCP Games heads back to the drawing board
Bethsoft has delayed Elder Scrolls Blades into 2019
Bethesda permabans Fallout 76 players for homophobic harassment
FAVORITE EDITORIALS OF NOVEMBER 2018
WoW Factor: When long-term progress in World of Warcraft isn’t
Hyperspace Beacon: Five tools to up your roleplay game in SWTOR
Working As Intended: The gamification of the workification of games
Vague Patch Notes: The meaning of ‘meaningful’ in MMORPGs
LOTRO Legendarium: Six ways to prep for legendary servers
The Daily Grind: What wildly implausible settings would you like for an MMO?
BlizzCon 2018: What the heck happened?
Wisdom of Nym: How many antagonistic sides do we have in Final Fantasy XIV?
The Daily Grind: What makes a game feel like an MMO to you?
The Survivalist: Conan Exiles’ Picts, pets, and pokey arrows
Perfect Ten: MMOs that aimed at the future… and missed
Epic MMO Battles of History: World of Warcraft’s Wrath of the Lich King vs. Legion
EverQuesting: EverQuest II’s 14th anniversary retrospective, from Columbus Nova to Chaos Descending
The Daily Grind: Are you hostile to mobile MMORPGs?
Leaderboard: Are you playing on Lord of the Rings Online’s progression server?
WoW Factor: The dumb World of Warcraft stuff from BlizzCon
Massively Overthinking: Which MMORPG should have never been made?
The Game Archeologist: Halo Universe
EVE Evolved: Making the most of EVE Online’s Onslaught expansion
The Daily Grind: What one piece of advice would you give to new MMO players in 2018?
Wisdom of Nym: Predictions for Final Fantasy XIV’s fan festival
Jukebox Heroes: Worlds Adrift’s soundtrack
Path of Exile’s Betrayal brings back Bestiary, Incursion, and Delve plus better housing
Perfect Ten: MMOs that cater to the time-limited player
The Daily Grind: What’s the ideal length for MMO group content?
Leaderboard: Is a ‘WoW Immortal’ a very real possibility?
Hyperspace Beacon: Everything you need to know about Star Wars The Old Republic’s guild changes
Vague Patch Notes: When World of Warcraft breaks off your friendship
The Daily Grind: Would you play a Wheel of Time MMO?
WoW Factor: The smart World of Warcraft stuff from BlizzCon
LOTRO Legendarium: Starting on a legendary journey
The Daily Grind: Do you consistently pick the same classes and playstyles in MMOs?
Wisdom of Nym: The first reactions to Final Fantasy XIV’s fan festival
The Daily Grind: Is the movement against LFG just privileging a different type of MMO player?
Massively OP’s 2018 gift guide for the MMO fan
First impressions of Fallout 76: The confusion that binds all gamers together
MassivelyOP’s 2018 PC hardware gift guide
Perfect Ten: How MMOs teach us to be thankful
Hyperspace Beacon: Five things you need to do before SWTOR’s 5.10 update
The Stream Team: Touring Star Citizen’s alpha 3.3.5 drop
Massively OP’s guide to MMO Thanksgiving 2018
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s Blue Mage is balanced right, even if you don’t like that
The Survivalist: Giving thanks for survival, from the genre to Conan Exiles
Massively Overthinking: The MMO things we’re grateful for
Vague Patch Notes: Accessibility vs. relevance in MMORPGs
The Game Archaeologist: Castle Infinity, the MMO that was literally rescued from a dumpster
The Daily Grind: How do people misunderstand your favorite MMOs?
Wisdom of Nym: Making proper predictions about Final Fantasy XIV’s next jobs
The Survivalist: ARK’s Extinction makes bases extinct
EVE Evolved: Where can EVE Online go from here?
Perfect Ten: The biggest MMO news stories of 2018
Massively on the Go: The Pokemon Let’s Go-Go Connection
The Stream Team: Farewell, WildStar
Vague Patch Notes: Having fun in an MMO doesn’t actually mean it’s any good
Hyperspace Beacon: We have the Star Wars The Old Republic story all wrong
The Nexus Telegraph: What other MMOs should learn from WildStar’s demise
Leaderboard: How much does an MMO’s IP influence your interest in it?
ALL 2018 YEAR-IN-REVIEW POSTS SO FAR
MMO Year in Review: The SWTOR sunset scare (January 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Dragon Bones, Funcom’s revival, and the politics of lockboxes (February 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Thieves, Avatars, and Gorgons (March 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Columbus Nova who? (April 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Mixed Bless-ings (May 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Fallout 76, Elder Scrolls Online, and Bethsoft’s bonanza (June 2018)
MMO Year in Review: So, uh, how ’bout that underwater combat balance (July 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Watching the world tree burn (August 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Literally the biggest news day in MMO history (September 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Gamigo’s gory Trion Worlds acquisition (October 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Blizzard and Bethsoft’s dumpster fire showdown (November 2018)
MMO Year in Review: Daybreak gonna Daybreak (December 2018)
