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]

Betawatch: March 20, 2015

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H1Z1 this week announced and then canceled plans to charge a monthly pass for its battle royale mode; it's still happening, Smed says, but not...

Perfect World is bringing HEX to China

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HEX: Shards of Fate may just have hit a jackpot when it sorely needed it. MMO Culture is reporting that the trading card MMO...
mule punchers

Pathfinder Online shows off group play video

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What does it look like when you get a whole lot of players in Pathfinder Online taking on monsters, fighting one another, and milling...

Sword Coast Legends demos single-player mode

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Bummed about BioWare's 4v1 RPG Shadow Realms biting the big one? Then cheer up, little trooper: There might be a good substitute on the...

Own, expand, and develop your own piece of Crowfall’s universe

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While most of Crowfall's playable area will be in temporary PvP campaign worlds, there will be a bastion of permanence in individual player housing...

H1Z1 won’t charge for Battle Royale anytime soon

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After announcing yesterday that it would be offering a $6.99 monthly pass for H1Z1's Battle Royale mode, Daybreak Game Company said today that it...

Elite: Dangerous starts Mac beta test on March 31st

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Mac Elite: Dangerous fans who are feeling grounded while their PC brothers and sisters are cruising the stars will soon have their own chance...

Das Tal is considering a buy-to-play model

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After a careful consideration of the pros and cons of various business models, including those of Crowfall, Guild Wars 2 and ArcheAge, the Das...

H1Z1 will offer optional ‘monthly passes’ for battle royale

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Daybreak president John Smedley has informally announced via Twitter that the studio's zombie survival MMO H1Z1 is getting a sub -- sort of. "We've decided...

Eternal Crusade kills early game modules to focus on founder’s access

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Changes have been afoot over at Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade, and new Senior Producer Nathan Richardsson posted a second State of the Crusade post...

Crowfall promises VR support in exchange for 15,000 backers

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Bet you didn't see this coming. As it ticks down its final Kickstarter campaign week, Crowfall has added a tantalizing stretch goal if the...
This isn't a promo shot, it is literally this empty.

Skyforge begins second closed beta on March 24th

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If the first week-long test of Skyforge just whetted your appetite, you'll be able to get a second helping very soon. The game is...

Origins of Malu begins early access on March 20th with PvP only

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Origins of Malu will be launching its early access program this Friday, March 20th, with a buy-to-play hybrid model. The indie sandbox will initially...

Crowfall hires former CCP exec as new community manager

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Crowfall continues to add experienced industry veterans to its team, as ArtCraft announced today that it has hired Valerie Massey to be the new...

Landmark is abolishing claim upkeep

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Landmark landowners who are weary of mining copper to keep their claims will soon earn a reprieve. While today's hotfix disables the ability to...

Pathfinder Online adding leadership ranks and vaults with version 6

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Next week, Pathfinder Online will continue its alpha rollout with the early enrollment version 6 patch. The team posted a features overview yesterday to...

Crowfall eyes artifacts and relics as a new stretch goal

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With eight days left in its Kickstarter campaign, Crowfall is pushing hard for last-minute stretch goal milestones. In addition to mounts and caravans if...

Line of Defense reevaluates F2P plans after shaky free weekend test

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Following a tumultuous free play weekend, Line of Defense creator Derek Smart said that the game may or may not go forward with a...

Landmark will have just one more character wipe

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Ever since players learned Landmark will definitely have another character wipe, we've all been very eager to know all the details. Those details are now in:...
Shroud of the Avatar

Shroud of the Avatar tops $6 million in crowdfunding

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Shroud of the Avatar has amassed over $6 million in crowdfunding along with over 150,000 backers according to the tracker widget on the fantasy...