The MMO industry moves along at the speed of information, and sometimes we’re deluged with so much news here at Massively Overpowered that some of it gets backlogged. That’s why there’s The MOP Up: a weekly compilation of smaller MMO stories and videos that you won’t want to miss. Seen any good MMO news? Hit us up through our tips line!
Our leading story this week is the word that Riot Games has opened up a new front in its war on League of Legends player toxicity — by disciplining and even firing employees who exhibited such behavior. Will leading by example impact the wider community?
We’ve got plenty of other news tidbits for you after the jump, including patches, MMOs in testing, videos, and more!
New Games and Testing
- Fusion Wars: This 16-player VR space fighter game was announced this past week at E3. It will feature some of the first VR cross-platform play, this time between the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR. [source: press release]
- Pokemon Go: This alternate reality game is coming out “sometime in July” and offers an optional $35 accessory for play.
- Worlds Adrift: What’s a multitool? Oh boy are you going to find out in this extensive developer diary on this essential in-game item!
Events
- Paladins: A founder’s tournament with a $100,000 prize pool is taking place from June 19th through the 20th at Dreamhack.
Patches
- World of Tanks: PlayStation 4 players got to enjoy the addition of Chinese tanks (17 of them in all!) with this week’s Tank Dynasty update. This update also added the Pearl River map for an Asian-themed battle.
- Spellweaver: The card game’s first expansion has been announced for this July. It will add 110 cards, three mechanics, and six hero skills to the game.
- RPG MO: A small update to this isometric game increased the carpentry skill to 120, introduced a translation system, and added new housing and decorations. [Thanks Kyosa!]
- Diablo III: Patch 2.4.2 is up on the test server and contains, among other things, new torment difficulty levels.
Odds and Ends
- Elder Scrolls Online: She ain’t no stuffy politician! Meet Governor Fortunata in ESO’s latest character exposés.
- Skyforge: Speaking of lore, here’s a piece on the Nedder Test Area. What surprises does this place hold?
- Star Trek Online: The dev team continues to share its favorite Star Trek memories in honor of the show’s 50th anniversary.
- World of Warcraft: The devs shone a spotlight on the awesome #Friendshipmoose community effort. Gee, wish we had just talked about that!
- No Man’s Sky: Good news: No Man’s Sky can call itself that, following a legal battle over the word “sky.” Seriously.
- Champions Online: Move quick to grab your free rainbow flight travel power, as you can only get it through tomorrow! [Thanks Mr. Nobody!]
Videos
Saga of Lucimia continues its “pillars of gameplay” video series, focusing on the community — and in specific, the official forums. Why are forums so important to building up an MMO, and can they ever be more than a morass of trolls?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYbqw1wZ8pE
It’s time for another episode of Ask Aion, a community question and answer session! What will you glean from this 11-minute video?
Warspear Online is celebrating its 8th anniversary this year! OK, you’ve probably never heard of it, but that’s why we’re here: to bring unknown games to your attention. The Russian title has plenty of birthday events lined up for July.
What’s bigger, the Empire State Building or EVE Online’s Astrahus Citadel? See the comparison in this video and take your mind off the horrific attack on the Serpentis Shipyards that just happened.
