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]

Do you want Borg? Because that's how you get Borg.

How Skyforge’s invasion system works

6
The world of Skyforge does not sound like a fun place to live. In addition to everything else that people have to deal with...

Guild Wars 2 unveils the Guardian elite spec: Dragonhunter

56
Here we are in the wilds of Guild Wars 2 once again, and you can see we've got a big old dragon right there....

Skyforge boasts big beta numbers

17
With the first two Skyforge closed beta tests out of the way and the third one currently running, it's of course time for The...

Flameseeker Chronicles: Unpacking Guild Wars 2’s beta drop RNG

43
Never before have I seen Guild Wars 2's Dry Top and the Silverwastes hive with such activity as we've seen this week. In case...
This could be fun by itself, too.

Everything you need to know about Crowfall’s combat testing

29
As nifty as Crowfall's mechanical goals are, they're not going to help the game much in the long run if the fundamental combat engine...
Take the high road in the high tower.

Crowfall’s store is (partly) up and running

104
You have not played enough of Crowfall to form an opinion on how it plays. You haven't. It isn't playable yet. But that doesn't...

Landmark’s big wipe is happening today

13
After riding a roller coaster of delays the last couple of weeks, Landmark fans can finally hop off with this bit of good news:...

Pantheon boasts Unity 5 visuals, prepares internal alpha test

25
Could it be that Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is starting to look... really pretty? A new in-game screenshot of Avendyr's Pass shows how...

Shroud of the Avatar adds first player-run town in release 17

7
Release 17 for Shroud of the Avatar has landed, bringing with it one of the most revolutionary additions to the game yet: paver decorations...

Win an Echo of Soul closed beta pack from Massively OP [All gone!]

23
Free-to-play Korean action-MMO Echo of Soul lands in North American closed beta today. If you're eager to play, then you might just get a...

SkySaga opens up the desert for Alpha 4

3
A new biome is coming to SkySaga with its fourth alpha test: the desert. Of course, this being SkySaga and all, the desert promises...

Brunelleschi is the staging ground for a ‘Mythic Renaissance’ civilization

18
Set in a "mythic Renaissance" that blends together history and fantasy, Brunelleschi: Age of Architects is an ambitious social builder that aims to give...
Make My MMO

Make My MMO: May 2, 2015

6
This week in MMO crowdfunding news, Pathfinder Online made some noise about the future of its settlements feature. Goblinworks CEO Ryan Dancey also made...
Right in half.

Star Citizen’s April report contains some interesting persistent universe nuggets

52
Star Citizen fans, I hope you have a cup of coffee or some other caffeinated beverage, because it's time for the space sim sandbox's...
Still kicking!

Betawatch: May 1st, 2015

13
So why isn't Pathfinder Online attracting more players? Goblinworks CEO Ryan Dancey apparently feels that it's a matter of the game's fans not stumping...

Skyforge’s PvP promotes skill over gear

76
One of the Holy Grails of PvP in MMOs is to emphasize player skill over all else, including gear. It's a difficult route to...
Camelot Unchained

Camelot Unchained has a new wiki, newsletter, and more

53
As usual it's an eventful Friday afternoon for fans of RvR fantasy sandbox Camelot Unchained. There's a new newsletter, and CityState is also testing...
How could this have failed? Oh, right, in every fashion.

Pathfinder Online details the future of settlements

9
The War of Towers in Pathfinder Online was always a placeholder mechanic, something to hold players over before the full Settlement system was in...

Worlds Adrift procedurally generates ‘amazing’ islands

22
Just because Worlds Adrift's islands will be procedurally generated doesn't mean that they will be dull and featureless. On the contrary, a new dev...

Shards Online prepares for pre-alpha test on May 9th

5
Shards Online is preparing to give players a brief taste of its future potential, as Citadel Studios is planning on a pre-alpha test to...