Massively OP’s Best of 2015 Awards: MMO of the Year

December 18, 2015 11:00 AM

Massively OP’s end-of-the-year awards conclude today with our award for MMO of the Year.

In 2014, we couldn’t reach consensus on an MMO of the year. In fact, enough of us voted “nothing” that “nothing” is exactly what won, which was a depressing way to end the year. I’m pleased to say that this year, the choices were a bit easier, in part because we took readers’ advice and opened this category up to all MMOs, provided they did something noteworthy this year.

All of our writers were invited to cast a vote, but not all of them chose to do so for this category. Don’t forget to cast your own vote in the just-for-fun reader poll at the very end, and congratulations to all of this year’s nominees and winners.

The Massively OP staff pick for MMO of the Year is…

Final Fantasy XIV

Brendan Drain (@nyphur): Guild Wars 2. Guild Wars 2 became a very different game this year with the release of the Heart of Thorns expansion, and releasing the base game for free has brought in tons of new players. Several of my friends have picked the game up since it went free to play, and showing them everything in the game has really made it fresh again. It feels like that moment when everyone in your circle of friends finally gave in and bought World of Warcraft except this time it’s free and a lot more casual.

Brianna Royce (@nbrianna, blog): Final Fantasy XIV is not a game I play, but it’s the only major MMORPG that didn’t spend at least part of this year mired in some sort of PR mess. And it managed to deliver a massive expansion in the classic style that somehow always manages to be a pure crowd-pleaser. The fact that it’s done so well post-relaunch is just icing on the cake.

Eliot Lefebvre (@Eliot_Lefebvre, blog): Final Fantasy XIV. Easy nod for me, and one that I don’t expect to get the win, but a game that deserves it. The game’s content updates roll out like clockwork, the systems are polished, the graphics are gorgeous, the community is happy, the whole thing hums along marvelously. The relaunch is an indisputable success story, it just keeps getting better, and the quality of life keeps improving with each patch – the most recent patch includes such off-the-wall features as an elaborate system for roommates, a new style of outdoor content as an experiment, and an entire RTS as a bonus feature. It’s going to take a lot to dethrone this one as an unsung hero.

Jef Reahard (@jefreahard): Again, no vote. Wake me up when Star Citizen, Camelot Unchained, and some of these other in-development virtual worlds actually launch.

Justin Olivetti (@Sypster, blog): WildStar. Last year I wanted to put WildStar, but I held off because it hadn’t earned it yet. This year I strongly feel that Carbine has taken an ill-fitting business model, some development missteps, and a truly fun MMO and addressed the first two issues while boosting the latter. WildStar got great this year and hopefully will continue that trend into the next.

Larry Everett (@Shaddoe, blog): How can I not give it to Star Wars: The Old Republic? This is the year of Star Wars, and SWTOR launched an expansion that blew me out of the water. It added features that have drown me back to older content. And it continues to draw me back even when I should just walk away.

Matt Daniel (@Matt_DanielMVOP): Tough call, but it’s gonna hafta be Final Fantasy XIV for me. It is the one game in which I’ve spent the most time this year, by a significant margin, and I honestly feel that FFXIV continues to provide one of the more unique experiences currently available on the MMO market. Yeah, sure, on the surface it’s kind of a run-of-the-mill themepark RPG, but the deep gathering and crafting systems, the wide array of classes available, and the kind of storyline that only a Final Fantasy game can provide all combine to make a game that keeps me coming back.

Tina Lauro (@purpletinabeans): Can I possibly say anything other than Guild Wars 2? Nope! I adore the game, obviously, and this year was smashing. HoT is such a promising expansion, and there’s so much more to come. The excitement surrounding the title right now is undeniable, and I’m enjoying myself even more than I always did!

Final Fantasy XIV won our MMO of the Year for 2015. What’s your pick?

What was the best MMO of 2015?