Alphas & Betas

MMOs in various stages of testing and crowdfunding, playable and… not. Don’t forget to follow our Betawatch and Make My MMO columns for a weekly rundown. [Follow this category’s RSS feed]

Blue Protocol’s Japanese closed beta has been delayed nearly a month over coronavirus

6
We've previously noted how some MMOs and MMO-adjacent titles, from EVE Echoes to Path of Exile, had seen delays and setbacks thanks to the...

Survival sandbox Stars End’s latest update promises to significantly improve performance

0
When you subtitle your game update with "No More Lag," you are either setting yourself up to stumble or are supremely confident that things...
Speculation.

Ashes of Creation shares the lore and the development of the Scalerunner mount

16
Ashes of Creation is adding a new mount, and as is often the case when this happens, there's a big ol' lore dump that...
Same old story.

New World lays out its argument for three-sided PvP

69
Don't count New World's PvP side down-and-out just yet. Amazon Game Studios made a strong case this past week for why the MMORPG's faction...

Ashes of Creation discusses alpha 1, shows off monsters and houses

5
Ashes of Creation appears to be ramping up things and nearing a point of its first alpha. The most recent developer update livestream has...
Burn me bro.

Camelot Unchained offers a look at a new RvR testing zone and the item infusion system

3
Camelot Unchained, ultimately, is an RvR MMO, but a lot of the scenarios that have been tested up to this point have been mainly...

PAX East 2020: Marvel Future Revolution is Netmarble’s new open-world mobile MMO

16
Yesterday at their panel at PAX East 2020, Marvel and Netmarble announced a new mobile open world online RPG, Marvel Future Revolution. Ahead of...

Book of Travels is mostly a 2-D game in a 3-D industry

2
A mere day after Might and Delight opened up about Book of Travels' endeavor system, the team has another treat for fans: Q&A video...

Make My MMO: Dragon Eye Online has entered alpha

3
This week in MMO crowdfunding, Dragon Eye Online, an MMO that was Kickstarted last year, hit alpha. It's a pixel MMO that touts its...

PAX East 2020: Hands-on with MMO survival sandbox Population Zero

5
At this weekend's PAX East, I got to sit down with Dmitry Muratov of Enplex Games to try out the studio's upcoming game, Population...
Critters.

Betawatch: Temtem plans for this year and the next

1
You can be glib and accuse Temtem of basically being a slight variant of Pokémon, but you cannot accuse the developers of lacking ambition. Not only...

Dual Universe shares the tech being used to optimize performance going forward

0
In a sandbox game with procedural generation and voxel building, there's a lot of moving parts that can very likely bog a player's PC...

Inside Star Citizen talks about upcoming survival mechanics and releases the Anvil Carrack

23
There's a whole lot to talk about this week if you're a Star Citizen fan, but one of the big topics is easily the...

PAX East 2020: Hands-on with Cryptic’s Magic Legends

9
I’ll be honest, Magic: The Gathering is one realm of geekdom that I’ve never really gotten into. I know a bit about it, but...
Duck duck cast.

Torchlight III’s latest Mainline patch improves combat feel and adds skill tier bonuses for Dusk Mage

0
The tweaks that Torchlight III was looking to make in a previous news post have started to make their first inroads to the alpha...

The Stream Team: Stepping into Shadow Arena’s closed beta

1
There's a new Battle Royale on the scene today-- but it's not really new. The once-mode of Black Desert Online, Shadow Arena kicks off...

Crowfall introduces its Thrall system arriving with the War of the Gods update

5
It would appear that Crowfall's War of the Gods update is bringing a whole lot of unique wrinkles to the throne war MMO. A...

Shadow Arena’s closed beta test has officially begun – are you trying it out?

9
Shadow Arena, Pearl Abyss' one-time battle royale mode for MMORPG Black Desert, officially hits closed beta today as a standalone title. "Shadow Arena pits 40...
Please don't be horrible?

Blue Protocol aims for Japan first, the world after – confirming western arrival

3
With closed beta on the way, excitement and anticipation is building for the anime-styled Blue Protocol. But when will it come out -- and,...

Digital Foundry’s latest Star Citizen tour examines SOCS, procedural damage, and more

1
If nothing else, Star Citizen is a game that loves the finer details that give players a sense of space and simulation, but some...