editorial
Vague Patch Notes: The power of the middle bit in MMOs
I knew that Tales of Arise wasn't really working for me like its immediate predecessor when I started kind of avoiding combat.
Now, to a...
The Soapbox: A belated The Secret World post-mortem
This weeks marks the eleventh anniversary of the launch of The Secret World. While the game is still playable (for those with existing accounts),...
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go’s Niantic does damage control as player spending weakens
Last week was a rough week for Pokemon Go and Niantic. The company tried to sweep the release and reversal of viewable pokemon's distance...
MMO Burnout: Final Fantasy XVI is a high-water mark for the franchise in every way that matters
Over the coming days, weeks, months, and likely years, we are going to watch a whole lot of fighting happen over Final Fantasy XVI....
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go’s July events have mostly leaked already
It's already apparent that July is going to be rough for Pokemon Go and Niantic. We've already got another massive fan community/data producers soft-shutting...
Working As Intended: My 20 years of Star Wars Galaxies
Last year, when Ultima Online turned 25 years old, I did a piece reminiscing on those early days and marveling that so much of...
MMO Burnout: Lessons MMOs can learn from The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
Like most MMO players, I am, first and foremost, a PC gamer. However, like many gamers born in the '80s and '90s, I also...
MMO Burnout: Dramatic Labs finds the right tone for Star Trek Resurgence
As a longtime gamer and observer of the industry, I know it can be tough to get excited about new announcements and releases. We’re...
Desert Oasis: Black Desert’s Land of the Morning Light design makes perfect practical and aesthetic sense
In the last edition of Desert Oasis, I barely scratched the surface of Black Desert's Land of the Morning Light expansion. I've still got...
Vague Patch Notes: So why didn’t crowdfunded MMOs save the genre?
The past few weeks we've been following this freakin' thing because... well, obvious reasons. But that has me thinking about crowdfunding in general, because...
Why I Play: Six things that thrill me about Marvel Snap
At this point, I've now played more Marvel Snap than I have of my last digital card game obsession, Hearthstone. Since getting into it...
Massively on the Go: The pros and cons of physical minigames in themepark MMOARGs
Summer is a time for themeparks and gaming, and these days, the two can be more readily mixed - with a variety of results....
Lawful Neutral: How might the so-called AI revolution affect the MMO genre?
This article has been rolling around in my head since ChatGPT rocketed into the public awareness a few months ago, and just in the...
Vague Patch Notes: Paying customers in MMOs aren’t voting shares
So let's take a tour back to the dewy slopes of 2010, when I bought the collector's edition of Final Fantasy XIV. That would...
Four Winds: Swords of Legends Online was a wasted opportunity
MMOs are hard to make. But despite the difficulties, we've seen some real gems over the years. They're also difficult to run. But the...
First Impressions: Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis’ player housing aka ‘creative spaces’ has huge potential – and a huge learning curve
One of the best methods for MMORPG players to feel connected to their game's world is through the avenue of player housing. It's an...
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go finally confirms datamined features for June
You'll all be surprised, I'm sure, to learn that Pokemon Go and Niantic did not do anything during our month-long coverage blackout here in...
Vague Patch Notes: Why we should evaluate MMO systems based on how they break
Back before Final Fantasy XIV's reboot launched, Naoki Yoshida talked about how the developers had plans to make certain primals be world bosses. Players...
Massively on the Go: Top 5 features location-based games need use more
In our last Massively on the Go, we talked about the top five features location-based games keep using but shouldn't. The genre is relatively...
Massively on the Go: Five features location-based MMOs keep using – but shouldn’t
I was hoping to cover a couple of other location-based games besides Jurassic World Alive this month, but as I played them, there were a...
