December used to be one of those months when nothing happened, but the last few years, companies have treated December like the after-business-hours-on-a-Friday dumping ground for bad news. In this case, we learned the FTC is moving to block the Microsoft acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, Gamigo cut loose multiple MMOs, and My.Games executed its plan to scoot out of the Russian market.
Meanwhile, we saw three more industry groups begin to unionize, got launch windows for Blue Protocol and Throne & Liberty, and delivered our annual awards, crowning Lost Ark the MMO of the year.
Read on for the whole recap from December of this past year.
TOP NEWS STORIES OF DECEMBER 2022
Forsaken World officially sunsets, but there’s already a private server available
Elyon prepares to sunset in Korea following its western shutdown
Blizzard responds to World of Warcraft: Dragonflight criticism with questionable videos
New World posts 2023 roadmap, plans changes for Winter Convergence and territory control
Russian security forces apparently killed STALKER larpers they thought were real terrorists
Warhammer 40K Darktide makes its official launch on PC, plans an Xbox X|S release soon
QA workers at Diablo IV studio unanimously vote to form a union
Steampunk survival Nightingale wraps up second closed alpha test, confirms fishing is coming
Hundreds of QA workers at ZeniMax – including Elder Scrolls Online’s ZOS – are preparing to unionize
Valheim’s Mistlands update is live with new magic, weapons, allies, and enemies
Interview: Warhaven’s game director on combat, inspiration, and the future of the game
EverQuest’s 29th expansion, Night of Shadows, is officially live for players
Blade & Soul releases the Dark Awakening update – here are the patch notes
Activision-Blizzard releases its year-to-date diversity statistics showing an increase in underrepresented groups
The FTC is moving to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard
PSO2 New Genesis launches the first portion of December’s Hellfire Vanguard update
The Game Awards 2022: Blue Protocol, Diablo IV, Wayfinder, Nightingale, Dune Awakening
Victorian gaslamp multiplayer PvE sandbox Nightingale teases travel in new Game Awards trailer
Airship Syndicate reveals Wayfinder, a gorgeous multiplayer RPG inspired by MMOs
Amazon Games will launch Blue Protocol in the west by the end of 2023
New report on crunch at Diablo IV’s Blizzard Albany casts doubt on June 6, 2023, early access date
Activision-Blizzard’s new lawsuit is another attack on the state agency pursuing it for discrimination and harassment
Path of Exile’s Forbidden Sanctum expansion launches today – PC downloading has begun
Unionizing ZeniMax QA workers claim ‘death from a thousand cuts’ thanks to crunch and low pay
World of Warcraft increases its quest log to 35 slots
Neverwinter’s 2023 roadmap includes three module releases – but no new class
Elder Scrolls Online nixes year-long story arcs for 2023 roadmap – here’s what to expect
World of Warcraft plans new currency and stipend for monthly ‘Trading Post’ cosmetic shop
EVE Online’s mobile 4X strategy game Project M5 resurfaces thanks to recent player survey questions
Blizzard says it’s still working on finding a new Chinese publisher for World of Warcraft
ROSE Online makes its early access return today after 17 years of absence
World of Warcraft launches Season 1 of Dragonflight’s endgame today
Guild Wars 2 says that 2022 saw more new players than any year since 2015
MY.GAMES says it will ‘exit the Russian market’ and offload Russian licenses
Chris Metzen returns to the World of Warcraft team as a ‘creative advisor’
Diablo IV dev livestream talks up seasons, battle passes, and the Codex of Power system
Members of US Congress send letters to game companies about combating extremism in online gaming
World of Warcraft offers an extra 30 days of subscription time for Dragonflight gift purchases through December
Final Fantasy XIV will turn house demolition back on next year
FTC orders Epic Games to pay $520M for privacy violations and deceptive ‘dark patterns’ in Fortnite
Activision-Blizzard’s president/COO leaves in March – for the Bored Apes Yacht Club crypto outfit
Riot Games struggles to get out of deal with failing crypto company
Mad World is done but slips to 2023 anyway, without Netmarble publishing
Camelot Unchained’s December dev blog touts $15M investment as a ‘level up’ for City State Entertainment
Gamigo transfers publishing of Aura Kingdom, Grand Fantasia, Shaiya, and Last Chaos amid layoffs and Aeria portal closure
US Senator calls out Steam’s lax moderation of neo-Nazis and hate
SWTOR celebrates 11 years, teases cadence changes, and tests 64-bit client
World of Warcraft is granting subscribers limited-time access to Dragonflight’s first chapter
Gamers file lawsuit to stop Microsoft’s buyout of Activision-Blizzard over monopoly concerns
World of Warcraft posts a roadmap and breakdown of its plans for 2023
Fractured vanishes from Gamigo’s site, Fawkes Games opens a weird website
BlizzCon 2023 and Blizzard’s unnamed survival game are both still happening
ROSE Online’s early access launch is waylaid by a user data leak that forces the game offline for recoding
Corepunk has suffered yet another delay but says beta is finally ‘close’
Lost Ark’s early 2023 roadmap includes the Witcher crossover and Artist class
The Stream Team: Battling packs of beholders in Dungeons & Dragons Online
Final Fantasy XIV launches Gods Revel, Lands Tremble on January 10
Fractured Online returns to closed development over ‘platform troubles’
Heavensturn returns to Final Fantasy XIV on December 31 – without a hat this year
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: Indie MMO of the Year
Wisdom of Nym: What we learned from the second Final Fantasy XIV Gods Revel, Lands Tremble live letter
Fight or Kite: The many ways today’s MMOs are failing PvPers
Microsoft claims the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit violates its fifth amendment rights
Throne and Liberty announces plans for a global launch on PC and consoles in the first half of 2023
The Division 2 is coming to Steam on January 12
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: MMO Expansion of the Year
Choose My Adventure: My time inside Guild Wars 2’s dungeons and Elon Riverlands
Rumor: Life is Feudal MMO might be making a comeback, with a sequel in the works
Blizzard-owned studio Proletariat announces plans to form a union
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: Most Anticipated MMO
End-of-Year Eleven: The best value MMOs going into 2023
Dune Awakening’s art parade continues with in-engine previews of locations and dangers
NetEase space adventure Infinite Langrage officially launches on PC
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: MMORPG of the Year
WoW Factor: World of Warcraft’s mid-expansion endgame zone problem
Jukebox Heroes: The best of LOTRO’s Before the Shadow soundtrack
Massively Overthinking: Our 2023 MMO resolutions
The Daily Grind: Which MMO has the brightest future in 2023?
The Massively OP Podcast in review, 2022 edition
MassivelyOP’s 2022 MMO Lifetime Achievement Award
Vague Patch Notes: Loving an MMO isn’t the same as having a personality
From the Depths: Five things to love about World of Warships
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Golden Yachties: The ‘are we the baddies’ MMO award
The best MassivelyOP streams of 2022
The Game Archaeologist’s ultimate MMO archives v6.0
Goodbye to all the reasons we can’t have nice things in MMOs, 2022 edition
The definitive 2022 Battle Bards episode guide
FAVORITE EDITORIALS OF DECEMBER 2022
First impressions of World of Warcraft Dragonflight, part one: Direction and narrative
Massively on the Go: How Pokemon Go’s Niantic sabotaged player trust with the Ultra Beast raid event
Massively Overthinking: The best MMO music of 2022
First impressions of World of Warcraft Dragonflight, part two: Dragonriding and dragging crafting
First impressions of World of Warcraft Dragonflight, part three: Combat, content, concerns
Vitae Aeternum: A measured response to New World’s 2023 roadmap
Five things that excite me playing World of Warcraft: Dragonflight
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s narrative misfires
Choose My Adventure: Going back to Guild Wars 2 basics through Tyria mapping
End-of-year Eleven: The healthiest live MMOs at the end of 2022
Massively on the Go: Tips on beating Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s 5-star+ raids
Vague Patch Notes: MMO design is not value-neutral
Jukebox Heroes: The best of WoW Dragonflight’s soundtrack
Massively Overthinking: The best and worst MMO developer quotes of 2022
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: Most Underrated MMO
WoW Factor: The curious treatment of alts in World of Warcraft Dragonflight
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: Best MMO Rogue Server
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: Most Improved MMO
Desert Oasis: The Woosa, the Maegu, and new lands – the highlights from Black Desert’s 2022 Calpheon Ball
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: Biggest MMO Blunder
Wisdom of Nym: A completely groundless hope about our next destination for Final Fantasy XIV
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: Best MMO Trend
LOTRO Legendarium: Why the new class trait system changes are a bigger deal than you’d think
Choose My Adventure: Hitting my stride in another round of Guild Wars 2 Tyria mapping
End-of-Year Eleven: The biggest MMO stories of 2022
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: Best New MMO Class
Working As Intended: The hits and misses of MassivelyOP’s 2022 predictions
Fight or Kite: A new season and character advancement for Conqueror’s Blade
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: Biggest MMO Disappointment
WoW Factor: World of Warcraft’s proposed Trading Post actually sounds good so far
Stick and Rudder: The year that was in Elite Dangerous, from self-owns to sloppy updates to slight hope
Massively on the Go: Splatoon 3’s Big Run is fun, but it’s no Splatfest replacement
Massively Overthinking: Our MMO predictions for 2023
The Daily Grind: What was the worst MMO trend of 2022?
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: Best MMO Business Model
Epic MMO Battles of History: Azeroth vs. Final Fantasy XIV antagonists
The Daily Grind: How many MMOs did you actively play in 2022?
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: Worst MMO Business Model
LOTRO Legendarium: A look back at Lord of the Rings Online in 2022
Make My MMO: The biggest MMO crowdfunding stories of 2022
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: Best PvP MMO
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: Biggest MMO Surprise
Vitae Aeternum: The uncomfortable truth of New World’s lax monetization
Wisdom of Nym: The Final Fantasy XIV narrative moments that lack real conclusions
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: Best Classic MMO
Choose My Adventure: All the MMOs you made us play in 2022
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: MMO Story of the Year
End-of-Year Eleven: The best MMO expansions and updates of 2022
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: MMO Studio of the Year
WoW Factor: Chris Metzen’s uphill road with World of Warcraft
Desert Oasis: Black Desert’s Jaehee Kim and Jesse Joo on accessibility, community, and playing their own game
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Golden Yachties: Leakiest MMO studio
Massively Overthinking: Our favorite MMO stories of 2022
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: MMO with the Stormiest Future
Vague Patch Notes: A wake for the MMOs that were
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: Not-So-Massively Game of the Year
Battle Bards Episode 220: Guild Wars 2 End of Dragons
One Shots: The best player-submitted MMO screenshots of 2022
MassivelyOP’s 2022 Awards: Best MMO Housing
THE FULL 2022 YEAR-IN-REVIEW
MMO Year in Review: Microsoft has entered the chat (January 2022)
MMO Year in Review: End of Dragons, Lost Ark (February 2022)
MMO Year in Review: From Ukraine aid to Throne and Liberty (March 2022)
MMO Year in Review: Leaky Blizzard and Lord Blockchain (April 2022)
MMO Year in Review: Press F for another Marvel MMO (May 2022)
MMO Year in Review: High Isle and Diablo Immoral (June 2022)
MMO Year in Review: Smedleyfaire (July 2022)
MMO Year in Review: DUNE, Neptune, and Island Sanctuaries (August 2022)
MMO Year in Review: The Lich King (September 2022)
MMO Year in Review: Embers and Brimstone (October 2022)
MMO Year in Review: Blizzard China (November 2022)
MMO Year in Review: The FTC strikes back (December 2022)
