Generally used to describe MMOs from before World of Warcraft’s launch in 2004, though sometimes shortened to describe just the first few MMOs launched prior to 2000.
classic mmo
Perfect Ten: Ten MMOs still going after ten years
It struck me, very recently, that a decade is a long time for MMOs.
If we're going to count Ultima Online as the first proper...
Anarchy Online has full IP reset, new zones in the works
Anarchy Online may be fresh off its mighty 18.7.0 patch, but the team is not slowing down to congratulate itself. A new dev update...
The Game Archaeologist: AOL’s Neverwinter Nights
Here's a question for you: How much do you really, really have to love a game to pay $6 to $8 an hour to...
Shards Online prepares for pre-alpha test on May 9th
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...
The Daily Grind: When should MMO devs just stop tweaking?
Yesterday's reveal of Lord of the Rings Online's legendary item imbuing system struck me as a promising show of faith from the devs but nevertheless a...
Dark Age of Camelot welcomes traveling merchants, prepares next patch
If the latest Dark Age of Camelot newsletter is any indication, the team and community are crazy involved with this classic RvR MMO. Broadsword...
Shroud of the Avatar to introduce player-owned towns with Release 17
Shroud of the Avatar's Release 17 is preparing to hit the ground running when it comes out on Thursday, April 30th. In its most...
Take in a full hour of Anarchy Online’s new beginner experience
Wondering how Anarchy Online's revamped newbie experience has panned out? Second to actually playing the game yourself (which, y'know, is always an option), you...
The Game Archaeologist: What Star Wars Galaxies life was like before the NGE
A decade after Star Wars Galaxies' "New Game Enhancements" hit the game, controversy, grumbling, and revelations still pop up about the notorious decision to...
Koster on Star Wars Galaxies’ combat and social connectivity ‘glue’
MMO designer Raph Koster is back with yet another post-mortem on Star Wars Galaxies, this one the second part of his "living society" discussion. Get...
The Daily Grind: What’s the oldest MMO you’ve ever played?
I read yesterday's news about Meridian 59 with interest because it's one of the few genre titles that was before my time. My MMO obsession began...
How Star Wars Galaxies pioneered a ‘living society’
Former Star Wars Galaxies Creative Director and current Crowfall consultant Raph Koster returned to his blog last night to pen the fourth in his...
Global Chat: Are WoW Tokens worth it?
The debut of World of Warcraft Tokens into the game's economy has caused quite a stir, particularly after the prices plunged during the first...
Anarchy Online overhauls its world and professions
Anarchy Online is deploying patch 18.7.0 to the live servers on Tuesday, but if you play the game, you'll probably want to look at...
El Somni Quas developers issue a design manifesto
We introduced El Somni Quas to you last week -- it's an old school sandbox created by an indie team in the Czech Republic. But...
LOTRO Legendarium: Why LOTRO needs a progression server
At some point this year -- Turbine isn't saying when, yet -- Lord of the Rings Online will be making an effort to consolidate...
Perfect Ten: Important features MMOs lacked at launch
Every MMO represents a journey, starting with an idea, progressing to a fledgling beta, launching as a production title, and growing thereafter. All of the...
El Somni Quas draws upon classic Ultima Online for an old-school MMO experience
It's interesting to see how players who have grown up under the influence of certain MMOs are now making their own games drawing from...
MMO Mechanics: How strong communities are barriers-to-exit
MMOs occupy a unique position in our game libraries because they include a wide range of clever mechanics that keep us logging in day...
The Game Archaeologist: Roleplaying dreams in Underlight
After years of digging into the field of classic MMOs, I know there aren't too many undiscovered titles that haven't been brought to my attention...
