legal
Lawful Neutral: Managing toxicity in the MMO industry
When I'm playing games, I make a lot of use of the reporting function. If I see a moonkin zerg farming a spot in...
New World’s faction PvP is rife with guild drama over ‘throwing’
The problem with a three-faction territory control PvP game like New World is that, without some manner of balance adjustment, one of the three...
Activision-Blizzard requests venue change and pause in DFEH lawsuit, says it’s fired 20 people for misconduct
In the course of our coverage of the Activision-Blizzard sexual harassment and discrimination scandal and the ensuing legal battle, we've noted that multiple state...
Malaysia’s mufti calls out lockboxes as gambling, states buying them is not permissible in Islamic religion
To appreciate this story, one has to first understand the concept behind a mufti and performing something that's against the religion of Islam. A...
Former UK Star Citizen player outlines the steps he took to get a refund from CIG
If you're dissatisfied with how Star Citizen is being managed to the point that you want a refund and you happen to live in...
Not So Massively Roundup: LoL’s chat test, Overwatch Halloween, and Fortnite acknowledges Among Us
Our not-particularly-massively-multiplayer news has started to pile up, which means it's time for a quick run-down of games in the MMORPG genre's orbit. We've...
LEGO Universe emulator Darkflame Universe is going dark – but not before distributing its source code
Darkflame Universe, the player-run emulator of the long-shuttered MMO LEGO Universe, has been rather quiet for a while now. Readers will recall that the...
The Daily Grind: How do you protect yourself from scammers in MMORPGs?
As long as there have been MMOs, there have been MMO scams. If you play, then you know. So you're not going to be...
Two government agencies are now squabbling over ethics allegations in Activision-Blizzard cases
The Activision-Blizzard sexual discrimination and harassment lawsuit is back in the news this week, but for an unexpected reason. Readers will recall that the...
California’s DFEH files an objection to the settlement between Activision-Blizzard and the EEOC
It probably seemed like Activision-Blizzard had actually finally dodged a bullet in its ongoing lawsuit drama when it reached a settlement with the EEOC...
Perfect Ten: A sampler of crowdfunded MMOs and how they’re doing
I've gone on the record many a time as being deeply suspicious of Kickstarter and crowdfunding when it comes to MMOs. There are reasons...
Union organizers call Activision-Blizzard’s $18M EEOC settlement a ‘slap in the face’
Monday night, we reported on a planned settlement between Activision-Blizzard and the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC was one of four state...
Destiny company Bungie just keeps making other game studios look bad – now it’s axed mandatory arbitration
I have to be honest, I did not have "Bungie models good corporate behavior for the gaming industry" in my predictions for 2021, but...
Massively OP Podcast Episode 340: New World cometh
Justin and Bree discuss New World's launch, Diablo II Resurrected, LOTRO's Gundabad, Warhammer Online's Return of Reckoning, Book of Travels, and Ultima Online, with adventures in Elder Scrolls Online and Guild Wars 2, plus mailbag topics on New World's infrastructure and LOTRO's closed servers.
Regulators in China and the UK turn their eyes toward streaming, gaming currency
China isn't content to bulldoze its own local gaming industry by freezing game approvals, blocking kids from gaming outside of tiny windows, and freaking...
Activision-Blizzard says it’s settling with the EEOC, committing $18M to victims and charities
Last week, we covered the revelation that multiple federal agencies, including the US Securities and Exchange Commission and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, were...
Chronicles of Elyria’s subreddit reopens, promising ‘no more censorship from Soulbound Studios’
Back in the middle of July this year, Chronicles of Elyria made the decision to shut down its subreddit, claiming a “torrent of abuse”...
Diablo II Resurrected has officially launched with yet another live-action trailer
Diablo II: Resurrected is officially live as of now as the remastered version of the original 2000 roguelike from Blizzard North. Resurrected, of course,...
Fortnite might not be back on Apple’s app store for five years – or longer
You know how kids' soccer teams line up after a match to give each other high-fives and "good games" in a show of sportsmanship?...
Diablo II Resurrected has begun preloading – here’s when it launches in your timezone
We're fast approaching the launch of Diablo II Resurrected, and Blizzard would really like everyone to focus on that instead of on its ballooning...
