The Microsoft buyout of Activision-Blizzard is likely to be inked early this week, thanks to a judge’s decision not to block the duo from formalizing their partnership ahead of the FTC’s August lawsuit barring the merger.
Meanwhile, Palia is en route for a soft launch open beta, WoW’s Fractures in Time went live, and we discussed the problems still facing SWTOR post-move to Broadsword.
Read on to catch up with the very best of this week’s MMO news and opinions today as every Sunday (since 2010!) in Massively Overpowered’s Week in Review!THIS WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Judge denies FTC’s injunction request, clearing the way for Microsoft’s Activision-Blizzard merger - We now return you to the endless saga of Microsoft trying to slurp up Activision-Blizzard to rescue it from ignominy as regulatory factions around the globe post their objections of…
Cozy MMO Palia will hit closed beta August 2, open beta August 10 – here’s how to sign up - As the cozy MMO trend continues to heat up, Singularity 6's Palia is angling to be at the forefront, and that means it's pushing along into closed beta on PC…
World of Warcraft’s Fractures in Time, patch 10.1.5, is live today - Let's go on a journey, a journey through time. It's time that's changing all the time, it's time to go to time. That's the operating philosophy behind the latest World…
WoW Factor: Infinite (Dragonflight) frustration and the time-travel problem in World of Warcraft - Sometimes, you just gotta rant about lore. And that's the case this week because World of Warcraft has finally wrapped up the long-standing plot where Nozdormu was eventually going to…
Vague Patch Notes: Which players count in an MMO? - When I first started playing Final Fantasy XI some two decades ago, I went in with no illusions about one thing that seemed clear to me: I would probably not…
First Impressions: Craftopia’s seamless world update is a game-changing breath of fresh air - I've been inside of Craftopia once before, having taken a look at this weird yet colorful survivalbox back in 2020. Since then, I've dabbled once or twice after the fact…
Perfect Ten: 10 things I really dislike about Star Wars The Old Republic - So we're all talking about Star Wars The Old Republic lately, and hey, that's understandable. We have not come to the end of the road, but we are at a…
Ethyrial Echoes of Yore loses publisher, goes free-to-play as ‘passion project’ - Last weekend, Gellyberry Studios, the team behind Ethyrial: Echoes of Yore, abruptly announced that it wouldn't be releasing its planned patch and roadmap thanks to "unfortunate news" that would be…
The FTC asks the Ninth Circuit for a ‘temporary pause’ of Microsoft’s Activision-Blizzard merger - The judge presiding over the FTC's last-minute attempts to halt the signing of the acquisition deal between Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard has denied the FTC's appeal. Tuesday, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley…
Genshin Impact voice actors claim that they haven’t been paid for months [Updated] - If you play Genshin Impact, you're likely familiar with the character of Paimon; she's literally the first person who greets you when the game kicks off. However, it appears that…
Final Fantasy XIV patch 6.45 is arriving on July 18 - If your therapist is insisting to you that Low-Poly Hildibrand isn't real and he can't hurt you, all you really need to do is show said therapist Final Fantasy XIV…
Massively Overthinking: Old zones vs. new zones in MMORPGs - I've been playing a lot of Lord of the Rings Online lately, in both very old zones from Moria and earlier and some of the brand-new zones just added last…
Indie MMORPG Project Gorgon, on sale for $10, talks new zones and playable orcs - Project Gorgon has a new dev blog out this week that both fans of the game and those curious about buying in will want to read up on. The piece…
World of Warcraft updates its 2023 roadmap with plans for the next two patches for the game - No, the next minor incoming patch for World of Warcraft is not purely about Fury Warriors. We understand any confusion there, though; the patch is called Fury Incarnate, it's an…
Niantic is sunsetting Marvel World of Heroes after all – tomorrow, in fact - At the end of June, Pokemon Go company Niantic announced a restructure of its entire business, a closure of its LA studio, the layoff of 230, and the end of…
Wayfinder will announce early access date, reveal housing, and discuss seasonal content in July 20 livestream - As of right now, the only time frame anyone has for the early access launch of co-op shooter Wayfinder is sometime in the summer. That vague window will apparently become…
Bungie prevails in court over racist creep who harassed and doxxed Destiny 2 staff - If you wanted another reason to appreciate Bungie - and another reminder that some online gamers are hella awful - a judge in Washington state has brought to an end…
Former Elder Scrolls Online dev takes ZeniMax to court over allegations of transphobia and forced resignation - A series of alarming allegations and legal action have sprung forth from a former developer of The Elder Scrolls Online. Leona Faren, a trans female media artist who worked on…
MythForce to launch its ’80s-inspired cartoon co-op roguelite this fall - Back in 2022, we reported on a fairly unique four-player roguelite named MythForce. The game's hook is that it attempts to replicate the look and feel of an '80s Saturday…
World of Warcraft unveils the new welcome back gift for long-absent characters - Did you know that World of Warcraft misses you? Yes, you. And the developers miss you so much that they're putting in the effort to get you back by allowing…
New World’s Summer Medleyfaire invites you to become a guitar hero with 13 new playable songs - Last year's Summer Medleyfaire - or the Smedleyfaire, as some of us took to calling it in honor of the Smedleys who worked on it - was particularly festive in…
Hyperspace Beacon: What can SWTOR do to reassure a shaken fanbase? - In my column last week, I gave my honest reaction to Star Wars: The Old Republic's ongoing move from BioWare to Broadsword. If you recall, I'm generally optimistic about this…
Albion Online, under DDOS attack yet again, promises compensation and renewed defense - Albion Online has been stuggling with DDOS attacks since last week, and though the studio had initially weathered the waves, it's ongoing again this morning. "We're currently facing another DDoS attack,"…
Lost Ark’s July release launches today with new Elgacia story and the Maharaka Festival - Live this morning in Lost Ark is the July release, with maintenance a little bit longer than planned, but it's up now. Amazon slipped out the patch notes last night,…
Lord of the Rings Online may introduce player apartments and estates in the future - Even as Lord of the Rings Online fans are anticipating a new housing neighborhood reveal this month, developer Standing Stone Games is looking beyond that to additional types of player…
Pokemon Go studio Niantic stands accused of sexual discrimination and retaliation in new lawsuit - Pokemon Go's Niantic has fast become one of the more problematic companies we cover, and now the studio's outlook just got even shadier as it's been hit with a lawsuit…
Choose My Adventure: PvP and RvR bring reward and rage in Warhammer Online Return of Reckoning - It was pretty darn clear what you folks wanted me to experience next in the Return of Reckoning rogue server for Warhammer Online, and honestly I'm not too surprised at…
Upcoming MMO from indie Gardens studio pulls in $31.3M from Tencent, Dreamhaven, Krafton, and more - Another week, another new studio popping up with a pseudo MMO and a laundry list of the biggest investors in the industry desperately dumping money into something they hope will…
Fight or Kite: MOBA Evercore Heroes makes a strong argument for competitive PvE - Believe it or not, even though I write about PvP MMOs regularly here in Fight or Kite, I don’t actually follow a bunch of games’ Discords before they launch. I’m…
Amazon reflects on New World’s journey from survivalbox to story-driven MMORPG - If you've been around in the MMORPG genre a few years, you're surely aware that New World did not always look the way it looks now. Amazon originally revealed the…
Rainbow Six player responsible for a swatting of Ubisoft sentenced to three years of community service - Back in 2020, the developers of Ubisoft Montreal were faced with a frightening and harrowing experience when the office building they work at was the target of a fake emergency…
Wisdom of Nym: The forgotten classes of Final Fantasy XIV - Machinist ruined classes forever in Final Fantasy XIV. But don't entirely blame that job; some of it was just a matter of figuring how how jobs worked at all. When…
WoW Classic tests permadeath realms, indicates Classic Hardcore is coming ‘later this summer’ - Things are ramping up for the launch of World of Warcraft Classic's hardcore realms in a month or so. Now that Blizzard has confirmed the ruleset for these permadeath servers,…
THIS WEEK’S CASTS & STREAMS
Massively OP Podcast Episode 429: Push button, receive bacon
The Stream Team: Helping hands at Neverwinter’s Helm’s Hold
The Stream Team: Zombies rise in Backseat Streaming’s Undawn
The Stream Team: Wandering Neomuna’s streets in Destiny 2
The Stream Team: Through the hourglass in Guild Wars 2
The Stream Team: Doing Warframe’s Duviri Paradox as a group
The Stream Team: Celebrating 8 years of Trove with party piñatas
The Stream Team: One final fight in Final Fantasy XIV’s Anabaseios
Every week, get caught up on the MMO genre’s latest news and Massively OP’s best content in our MMO Week in Review! Want more roundups of content? Try Friday’s Betawatch for MMO testing highlights, Saturday’s Make My MMO for MMO crowdfunding updates, and Sunday’s The MOP Up, which mops up all the bits of news we didn’t cover anywhere else.
