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
Global Chat: Looking back at World of Warcraft’s Legion
Now that the next World of Warcraft expansion is almost upon us, it's time to say farewell to Legion and all that that entails....
The Game Archaeologist: A history of EverQuest’s expansions
I don't know if EverQuest holds the crown title for the MMO with the most expansions, but I'm sure it's among the top three...
Blossom and Decay offers emergent narrative in an anything-goes sandbox
In the market for a full-loot, retro-themed MMO sandbox? Your specific tastes may be satiated by Blossom and Decay, an up-and-coming MMOARPG that will...
Black Desert takes nodes and conquest offline for a new ruleset
When Black Desert updates on July 18th, new rules for Node and Conquest Wars will be getting rolled out along with the other changes....
The Daily Grind: What exactly defines an ‘indie’ MMORPG studio?
Earlier this week, I happened to see a mainstream website refer to ArtCraft as an indie studio, and it jolted me. ArtCraft, as anybody...
Battle Bards Episode 124: Old MMOs, new music
It’s a catch-all, catch-up episode for the Battle Bards as they dig through new soundtrack releases from MMORPGs that they’ve covered in the past!...
Trove celebrates three years with the interplanetary Sunfest event
If you were looking for a reason to get back into Trove to check out Geode, this week is it. Trion's voxel sandbox is...
Black Desert launches a cross-regional ‘Global Lab’ test server
So many games have test servers of one form or another that we seldom even need to spell out the acronym PTS - and...
Interview and excerpt: The ‘Braving Britannia’ book preserves Ultima Online’s oral history
Earlier this week, we wrote about the launch of a new book that's right up MMORPG fans' alley. Dubbed Braving Britannia: Tales of Life,...
Star Wars Galaxies book takes fans back to this late, great MMO
Unless you're willing to venture out onto the wild space of emulated servers, you won't be getting Star Wars Galaxies back. That doesn't mean...
The Stream Team: Working through Outpost Zero pirate invasions
Massively OP's MJ can't seem to get much base building done in Outpost Zero because she keeps being interrupted by rude pirates! She's not...
Black Desert patches in a new tag system for on-the-fly character swaps
It's always nice when your army of characters on a given MMO can be useful for you at all times, and Black Desert's latest...
TennoCon 2018: Deep-diving Warframe’s Fortuna and Railjack
Many fans, including me, are talking about still riding high after Warframe's amazing TennoCon 2018 announcements this past weekend. That was some pretty epic...
Wild West Online plans ‘soft relaunch’ to boost playerbase, says playable women are a ‘cosmetic feature’
The latest Wild West Online patch landed on July 5th, and it brings in some changes like a full Sheriffs vs. Outlaws faction setup...
Perfect Ten: Best MMO debuts by year, 2007-2017
Continuing from my previous column that went back to 1997, I'm going to be running through the second decade of graphical MMORPG launches and...
Interviewing Frostkeep’s CEO as Rend announces July 31 early access
Are you looking for a new way to survive? It's coming. We've watched as Rend wandered down its closed alpha path since May, but...
Ashes of Creation handles world persistence and local economies in its own fashion
With a rapidly expanding studio and Alpha One coming later this year, Ashes of Creation is shaping up to be one of the great...
Interview: ArtCraft’s J. Todd Coleman on prepping Crowfall’s Artisan Engine for the broader industry
Yesterday, Crowfall studio ArtCraft announced it was spinning off a brand-new company dubbed ArtCraft Technologies that would basically turn Crowfall's engine into a marketable...
New Ultima Online book gathers developer and player interviews to document oral history
Old-school MMORPG players, heads-up for you: If you're a fan of Ultima Online or wanted to hear more about the seminal MMORPG after reading...
Crowfall studio ArtCraft spins off new company to license its MMORPG-oriented Artisan Engine
Well now things just got interesting over in the land of Kickstarted Crowfall. ArtCraft announced this morning that it's spinning off a "new division" called...
