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 mmos
The Game Archaeologist: Jeff Butler on EverQuest, EverQuest Next, and Vanguard
As an MMO historian, I have to applaud the work of former SOE developer Shawn Lord in his huge interview series with the people...
The Game Archaeologist: Defining the eras of MMORPG history
With MMO history stretching back to the early 1980s (and even before), this genre has accumulated a whole lot of history over the years....
The Game Archaeologist: Why 2008 was one of the wildest years for MMORPGs
In the relatively short history of MMORPGs so far, there have been a few years that I would say were watershed moments for the...
The Game Archaeologist: Anarchy Online, from launch to now
July 27th 2001. On this date, Funcom pulled the trigger on Anarchy Online, launching it in North America with a planned release in Europe a...
The Game Archaeologist: Anarchy Online, from development to beta
We all have stories of our very first MMORPG experiences, and the one that I often share is that my initial dip into this...
The Game Archaeologist: Jumpgate and Jumpgate Evolution
Historically, space-bound MMORPGs have not had as easy of a go as their fantasy counterparts. For one thing, there are proportionally fewer of them...
The Game Archaeologist: Lifestorm, Japan’s first MMORPG
In comparison to how widely that China and Korea's game development studios embraced MMORPGs right from the beginning, Japan's been curiously low-key in creating...
The Game Archaeologist: The ballad of Fansy, EverQuest’s famous bard
It was summer, 2001. EverQuest had just rolled out Sullon Zek, a no-rules "penal colony" server where the realm was as lawless as the...
The Game Archaeologist: The online world of Diablo II
Most of us probably weren't expecting to see Diablo II once again propelled into the spotlight in the year 2021, but the BlizzCon announcement...
The Game Archaeologist: EA’s Motor City Online
When we use the shorthand "MMO" for online games, it's always assumed that we're talking about swords-and-sorcery or sci-fi RPGs. However, the massively multiplayer...
The Game Archaeologist: Lost Continents, the Jules Verne MMO we never got
If you're looking for an alternate vision of futuristic science fiction, you would do well to dive back into the worlds of 19th century...
The Game Archaeologist: Free Realms
Its very name was a declaration of rebellion against the status quo. In an era that had yet to shift from a subscription-only model...
The Game Archaeologist: Seven ways EverQuest reshaped MMO history
To many veteran MMO players, the opening horns of EverQuest's score are enough to trigger vivid memories, violent hallucinations, and an unstoppable desire to...
The Game Archaeologist’s ultimate MMO archives v4.0
By far, my favorite column to write here at Massively OP (and the one that always takes the longest) is The Game Archaeologist. I've...
The Game Archaeologist: Fallen Earth
I remember back when Fallen Earth first came out, I had some friends who were raving about it and doing everything in their power...
The Game Archaeologist: Deadlands Legends, the western MMO that never saw the light of day
The saying goes that there is nothing new under the sun. So while you probably can't write an original setting that's never been seen...
The Game Archaeologist: The short ride of Auto Assault
When you think of post-apocalyptic video games, what comes to mind? Most likely it's a crawl through a bombed-out or zombiefied landscape as you...
The Game Archaeologist: Mirrorworld
In this column, we have previously journeyed to lands where you saw not with your eyes, but with your imagination. I speak, of course,...
The Game Archaeologist: Flagship’s Mythos
Whenever the topic of Flagship Studios comes up, usually it's in conjunction with Hellgate: London. And while Hellgate certainly was a huge and ultimately...
The Game Archaeologist: Clone Wars Adventures, the Star Wars MMO everyone kinda forgot
Whenever the topic -- the argument -- of Star Wars MMOs arises, the debate is usually between the merits of the sandboxy Star Wars...
