August hasn’t always been a month for major MMO launches, but 2023 certainly didn’t disappoint, with Guild Wars 2’s expansion Secrets of the Obscure headlining a lineup that also included WoW Classic’s hardcore mode, Palia’s open beta, and Wayfinder’s early access.
Meanwhile, ArcheAge 2 eyed 2024, Baldur’s Gate 3 wowed the multiplayer community, Star Citizen reached $600M in crowdfunding, Gloria Victis announced its sunset, and NCsoft’s Throne & Liberty delayed to 2024.
Here’s the whole recap from August of this past year, from our top news stories of the month to our best editorials.
TOP NEWS STORIES OF AUGUST 2023
‘Medium-ly multiplayer’ cozy MMO Loftia just fully funded with $150K on Kickstarter
LOTRO and DDO go offline for 23 hours to add new storefront, LOTRO adds River Hobbit starting instance
War of Dragnorox pivots to Eternal Tombs moniker with new combat style and beta signups
New World’s 2.0.2 performance patch is finally expected this morning after 25 hours of delays
Kakao Games Q2 2023: ArcheAge 2 targets second half of 2024, Ares Rise of Guardians launches in Korea
ASTRA Knights of Veda is an upcoming 2-D ‘MORPG’ promising tactical beat-em-up action
Baldur’s Gate 3 delivers a multiplayer-optional Baldur’s Gate threequel after 20 years
EVE Online removes a contentious item from a cash shop bundle after player backlash
EVE Online’s studio is Kickstarting a Titan Forge-built EVE-themed board game
Dungeon Fighter Online grants compensation after catching former dev criming with an RMT ring
Multiplayer RPG Baldur’s Gate 3 tops 814K concurrent players on Steam
Square-Enix Q1 2024: Overall profits and MMO sales drop as FFXVI underperforms
Blizzard’s Warcraft Arclight Rumble is soft launching as Warcraft Rumble
Throne & Liberty’s Western release delays into 2024, adds action combat
Following Final Fantasy XIV Fanfest COVID outbreak, one fan admits guilt – in a comic
NCsoft Q2 2023: Throne & Liberty delayed as revenues, mobile games, and MMOs decline
Dark and Darker launches into paid early access in spite of ongoing legal battle with Nexon
Ashes of Creation has enough testers, prepares to stop selling pre-order packs
Survival MMO-lite Dawnlands launches to a righteous roasting on Steam
Pearl Abyss Q2 2023: EVE surges, Black Desert stumbles, Crimson Desert hedges
Destiny 2 has a new Commander Zavala following the untimely death of Lance Reddick
Palia’s open beta is officially underway as S6 calls it a ‘marathon’ it’ll run ‘one update at a time’
Roblox Q2 2023: Roblox sees a net loss of $282M, goes all in on AI
Co-op monster hunter Atlas Fallen officially launches
Overwatch 2’s Invasion PvE makes both devs and players regret what could’ve been
SMITE runs charity sale to aid Maui wildfire relief efforts
Titan Quest II is officially happening – and yes, it has online multiplayer
Overwatch 2 is (still) getting absolutely pummeled on Steam
Embracer Group’s botched $2B deal was with Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group
‘Romantic gold rush’ MMO Annex rebrands as Pioneers of New Dawn, plans fourth quarter alpha testing
EG7 Q2 2023: Daybreak’s MMORPGs are ‘predictably stable’
Mortal Online 2’s ‘monumental’ territory control and siege systems are live – here are the patch notes
Dungeons and Dragons Online releases its new Vecna Unleashed adventure DLC and Update 61
Riot Games exec says MMO is still in early phases, but the studio is ‘committed to the genre’
Ankama’s Waven has officially entered early access today – and it’s F2P too
Aion Classic EU summons the Storm in Balaurea with today’s 2.0 update
NetEase announces another new MMO studio: Rich Vogel’s T-Minus Zero Entertainment
War Thunder Mobile has officially launched on Android and Apple today
Wayfinder proves its MMO heritage with a messy MMO-esque early access launch
Warcraft Rumble soft launches in several more countries including Australia and Canada
Elder Scrolls Online’s Update 39 is live on PC/Mac today with lowbie UX revamp and more
Embracer Q1 FY 23/24: Sales and debts improve, Cryptic MMOs bolster back catalogue
Guild Wars 2’s Secrets of the Obscure expansion is live today – along with a roadmap for what’s next
Destiny 2’s The Final Shape arrives February 27, 2024, as season 22 launches today
Gamescom 2023 ONL: Nightingale, Crimson Desert, Diablo IV, Fae Farm, Marvel Snap
Recapping Guild Wars 2’s Secrets of the Obscure launch
BioWare is restructuring – and that means 50 roles ‘eliminated’ at the studio
No Man’s Sky’s 4.4 Echoes release is live – meet your new space robot friends
Kakao is effectively sunsetting ArcheAge Unchained, merging it into two remaining western ArcheAge servers
Dark and Darker is getting a mobile version thanks to a licensing partnership with Krafton
WoW Classic’s hardcore realms officially open tonight at 6 p.m. EDT – are you prepared?
Diablo IV general manager: ‘We made some sort of mistake in managing expectations’
Wayfinder reduces queues ahead of the onslaught of expected players this weekend
WoW Classic’s hardcore realms claim over 90K character lives in the first day
TennoCon 2023: Warframe cross-save launches this year, mobile pre-orders are live
Star Citizen crowdfunding hits $600M under the specter of reported layoffs at CIG
TennoCon 2023: Warframe 1999’s trailer goes back to the future
Warframe’s Whispers in the Walls adds new narrative, hub, and Tenno ‘skin’
Albion Online is killing off its Crystal League Championship PvP tournaments in spite of 300K daily players
Abyss is a new PvP sandbox MMORPG coming in 2024, and it’s already selling currency
Star Trek Online Incursion launches for PC on September 12, starring Garrett Wang, Kipleigh Brown, and Erin Macdonald
Lord of the Rings Online releases Update 37 with River Hobbits and the stat crunch
Over 3,000 EVE Online players assembled for an impromptu battle at 4-ABS8
Dauntless outlines plans for weapon overhauls and a weapon swapping feature coming next summer
Lost Ark interview: Amazon talks jump-start servers, battle royale, dodging power creep, and more
Pantheon Rise of the Fallen promises a focus on updating its ‘old’ and ‘unappealing’ art style
Indie MMO Gloria Victis and its studio are shutting down on Halloween after a decade online
FAVORITE EDITORIALS OF AUGUST 2023
Lawful Neutral: Assessing the privacy policies governing World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV
Some Assembly Required: Building and fighting to the Industrial Age in Craftopia
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go August update mentions Go Fest but lacks communication
Perfect Ten: 10 memorable MMO marketing campaigns from the genre’s past
Singularity 6 interview: Palia is the cozy cottagecore sandbox to beat as it begins closed beta
Vague Patch Notes: Contemplating the origin of the Big Five in the MMO space
Global Chat: Is Wurm Online fatally imploding?
Massively Overthinking: What’s the best way a studio can save a struggling mid-size MMO?
Design Mockument: What would a Transformers MMORPG even look like?
Massively on the Go: Orna’s pet-battler is fluffy – but not cheap
LOTRO Legendarium: Ranking LOTRO’s forests from maddening to awesome
First Impressions: Palia is missing the depth MMO life-skillers are hoping for
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV will have to dig deeply for future jobs
Fight or Kite: Decks-building and fast-traveling in Harry Potter Magic Awakened
Some Assembly Required: A trip around the world in Craftopia for materials and exploration’s sake
Massively OP Podcast Episode 432: Palia breaks through to the other side
Perfect Ten: Every expansion era of World of Warcraft ranked
Vague Patch Notes: Almost nobody can save struggling mid-to-small MMOs
Global Chat: Fresh voices on the MMO blogging circuit
Massively Overthinking: Rescuing the worst economies in the MMO genre
First impressions: Palia is a half-baked project that could rise to be a masterpiece
Not So Massively: Despite everything, Overwatch 2’s story missions deliver an epic experience
Massively on the Go: A practical guide to Pokemon Go gym defense
Wisdom of Nym: The unspoken but expected features of Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail
Flameseeker Chronicles: Hands-on with Guild Wars 2’s Secrets of the Obscure
Some Assembly Required: Trapped by exploration and age progression in Craftopia
Massively OP Podcast Episode 433: Throne & Delay
Perfect Ten: 10 MMORPGs whose worlds were built from scratch
Vague Patch Notes: The shell game of MMO subscriber numbers and player counts
First Impressions: I honestly can’t tell whether I like Wayfinder or not
Massively Overthinking: Do you strive to be ‘rich’ in MMORPGs?
The Soapbox: How Vanguard’s diplomacy system could be revived and improved
WoW Factor: Potential features for the next World of Warcraft expansion
Massively on the Go: Our planning guide for Pokemon Go Global Go Fest 2023
LOTRO Legendarium: Six ways to spice up your next LOTRO alt
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s content pipelines and what we’re getting for whom
First Impressions: I sat through Wayfinder’s queues so you don’t have to
Not So Massively: First impressions of Warcraft Rumble
First Impressions: Hands-on with Fae Farm’s delightfully strong opening chapters
WoW Factor: Long-shot potential additions for World of Warcraft’s next expansion
Some Assembly Required: Craftopia’s housing customization options leave a lot to be desired
Vague Patch Notes: Internet killed the MMORPG star
Fight or Kite: Harry Potter Magic Awakened offers up plenty of combat in duels and dungeons
Massively Overthinking: What makes you embarrassed to be an MMORPG player?
WoW Factor: So what is Mike Ybarra teasing for the future of World of Warcraft?
Global Chat: Getting sucked into Palia
Massively on the Go: Splatoon 3’s revolving Challenges add needed spice
LOTRO Legendarium: LOTRO’s higher difficulties are a breath of fresh air
Wisdom of Nym: Looking back at a decade of Final Fantasy XIV
Casually Classic: Hardcore realms are merely a Band-Aid for WoW Classic
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go delivered a merely average Go Fest, bugs and all
New World’s first expansion, Rise of the Angry Earth, launches October 3 with mounts, flails, new housing, and more
Previewing New World’s Rise of the Angry Earth expansion: Artifact gear, endgame, crafting, and onward
Perfect Ten: Times when MMOs brought about world-shattering cataclysms
Some Assembly Required: Taking a look at other players’ Craftopia creations
TennoCon 2023: The soul of Soulframe is healing, redemption, and cute critters
Vague Patch Notes: What you leave behind in MMOs
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go’s Adventure Abounds repeats old problems while skipping Galar
Massively Overthinking: Does reused content in MMOs bother you?
THE FULL 2023 YEAR-IN-REVIEW
MMO Year in Review: NetEase versus Blizzard (January 2023)
MMO Year in Review: Amazon’s expanding empire (February 2023)
MMO Year in Review: Press F7 for E3 (March 2023)
MMO Year in Review: Crisis maps (April 2023)
MMO Year in Review: Second breakfast (May 2023)
MMO Year in Review: Returning to Morrowind (June 2023)
MMO Year in Review: Dawn of the Entrails (July 2023)
MMO Year in Review: The mage’s tower (August 2023)
MMO Year in Review: The next EverQuest Next (September 2023)
MMO Year in Review: Angry Earth, hungry Microsoft (October 2023)
MMO Year in Review: The Worldsoul Saga (November 2023)
MMO Year in Review: Come on baby Light No Fire (December 2023)
