Sandboxes are a type of MMO that emphasize player freedom and expression. They frequently include mechanics for building, crafting, trading, character customization and development, roleplaying, destruction, and significant interaction with the world and other players. A sandbox that is dominated by an open-PvP or free-for-all ruleset is sometimes pejoratively called a gankbox. Contrast with the themepark.
sandbox
EVE Online celebrates 17 years with login rewards and Triglavian fights
While this celebration was brought up in the EVE Pulse video, 17 years of operation is definitely nothing to sneeze at nor put as...
Survival MMO Population Zero has formally launched into Steam early access
Actiony survival sandbox MMORPG Population Zero has officially opened for business on Steam as an early access title this afternoon. As we've previously covered,...
Fortnite adds a non-combat in-game social space known as Party Royale
Sure, Fortnite is a battle royale shooter, but once in a while it's also been a point for some impressive social gatherings. It's this...
Choose My Adventure: The first steps as a Romulan in Star Trek Online
In last week's column, I mentioned that the start of our Star Trek Online journey would not be done alone, and sure enough I've...
Obituary: EverQuest and Vanguard developer Mike Hutchins passes away
It is always a somber occasion to bring to you word of the passing of another MMORPG developer, but it is also the opportunity...
Massively Uplifting: Communities and companies bolster COVID-19 relief and mental health support
April showers of good deeds bring May flowers of comfort and hope. And after the last couple of months, we sure could use a...
EVE Online devs tease upcoming anniversary, share message from Iceland’s president
EVE Online is about to celebrate its 17th birthday, so that naturally means it'll be time to party very soon, and those events are...
RuneScape confirms double XP and iOS beta dates while Old School RuneScape opens up Poll 71
This week, both RuneScape and Old School RuneScape have some news to share, so let's get to the bullet points and kick off another...
Interview: Black Desert on crossplay, the engine, and the future of mobile
A few weeks ago, we chatted up Pearl Abyss' lead producer Jaehee Kim about some pressing Black Desert questions. Now, I'm not one to...
MMORPGs around the globe celebrate Star Wars day
May the 4th (as in, May the 4th be with you) is upon us, and plenty of MMOs would like you to know that...
GTA Online players are dressing up as aliens and having gang wars, as one does
Sometimes you need to make your own fun in a sandbox, and much like people walking across a map with soup in RDO, players...
Ultima Online teases July update, including new tools for storyteller event GMs
Ultima Online's latest newsletter has a bit of a tease for the summer update.
"We are currently working hard on Publish 109 which we are...
Star Citizen confirms Fleet Week, Theaters of War testing, and Squadron 42 updates this month
The month of May is looking to be a pretty loaded one for Star Citizen fans as CIG has posted a little teaser of...
Cryptocurrency-monetized sandbox MMO Ember Sword gets $700K in funding, opens pre-registration
Anyone here remember Ember Sword? It's an upcoming sandbox MMORPG that touts a number of the usual features like PvE and PvP and one...
Star Citizen just canceled this year’s CitizenCon 2950 thanks to the pandemic
Add Star Citizen's CitizenCon 2950 to the growing pile of major MMO and gaming events that have been dislodged from the calendar this year...
EVE Online looks back at the death of the first Titan and elaborates on the benefit of in-game loss
Things get blown up in EVE Online. Whether it's part of a massive war or just some player getting tackled and spaced for flying...
Star Citizen puts an end to surprise sandwiches, shows off comm calls in Squadron 42
Star Citizen released its alpha 3.9 this week, and with it came a rather interesting bug: Whenever someone would quick-buy a food item, anyone...
Conan Exiles shows off follower changes and Architect of Argos items in a livestream
A recent livestream from Conan Exiles had a lot of things to show off for fans of the survival sandbox, with some looks ahead...
The Soapbox: The sunsetted MMORPGs I miss the most
I'm pining for the fjords.
Not in the way that would assume I'm becoming some jaded and angry MMO fan; I'm never going to stop...
GDC Summer, Dota 2’s The International, and Fortnite’s World Cup suffer fresh setbacks thanks to the pandemic
More bad news for gaming convention-goers and esports fans: Everything is canceled. OK, not everything, but a lot. And not canceled, but postponed or...
