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
The Survivalist: Osiris New Dawn is doing early access right even amid disappointments
A couple of weeks ago, when Osiris: New Dawn introduced new classes, I'd delved back into the sci-fi survival sandbox after a bit of...
EVE Online is killing off the last remnants of walking in stations
Hey remember EVE Online's walking in stations, the talk of the genre a decade ago? Remember when all we really got was a captain's...
Citadel: Forged With Fire is a brand-new ‘massive online sandbox RPG’ debuting this month
Well well, lookie what popped up on Steam: It's a new "massive online sandbox RPG," Citadel: Forged With Fire, and it came out of...
Black Desert opens up a waterpark for summer, reduces level XP requirements
Just in time for those dog days of summer is Black Desert, which is making a splash with its new Terrmian Waterpark. Today is...
Perfect Ten: EverQuest’s EverExpanding franchise
When Daybreak announced last year that it was cancelling the highly anticipated EverQuest Next project, the series' forward momentum lurched to a halt. This wasn't...
RuneScape developer Jagex is hiring for an unannounced free-to-play MMO
While sitting on top of the enormously successful RuneScape, Jagex has had a difficult go of it producing a follow-up MMORPG. Projects like Stellar...
The Daily Grind: What MMORPG would do better with a different business model?
When it comes to ArcheAge, it's generally accepted that this is a pretty great fantasy sandbox that was absolutely sunk by a terrible business...
Osiris New Dawn CEO to community grumping: ‘I will take these lashings and learn from them’
Fenix Fire CEO Brian McRae is "not having fun either," according to his latest dev blog on the Osiris: New Dawn Steam page. His...
Massively OP Podcast Episode 126: Firefall gets extinguished
Justin and Bree discuss Firefall's sunset, WoW's datamining, Wild West Online, Secret World Legends, Tibia, and Warframe, plus a mailbag question on how MMOs could ditch pure DPS roles.
Black Desert ups the in-game prices on cash shop items in the auction market
Players are making more in-game money in Black Desert than they were a year ago. Part of that is just, you know, a year...
EVE Online’s July release furthers exoplanet research, revamps T3 strategic cruisers
Happy July patch day, capsuleers! Yep, EVE Online's July release is now live. The patch includes "one of the most extensive and largest rebalances...
Check out Revelation Online’s Eternal Chasm dungeon
Revelation Online has a new dev blog up today on the Eternal Chasm, one of its level 59+ multiple-mode instanced dungeons.
"Shinji – after the...
Here’s how far indie MMORPG Project Gorgon has come in two years
Indie MMORPG Project Gorgon has a new Kickstarter post up detailing how far it's come since its successful Kickstarter two years ago.
"Since the Project: Gorgon Kickstarter...
Indie sandbox MMO Tree of Life will exit early access and launch in August 2017
It's been a while since we've talked about early access Korean sandbox import Tree of Life, which hit beta last year following a transition...
Dean Hall calls the pre-launch price hike for ARK: Survival Evolved ‘outrageous’
Whether you love or loathe the early access survival sandbox genre, you've got Dean Hall's DayZ to thank for it, although he's had far...
ArcheAge’s CM Celestrata is promoted to associate producer
There's been a reshuffling in Trion Worlds' ranks this past week, as ArcheAge Senior Community Manager Seraphina "Celestrata" Brennan announced on the forums that she has...
Albion Online devs apologize for starter pack snafu
The Albion Online founder community has been none too pleased about Sandbox Interactive's original decision about what non-founders would get in their starter pack...
Wild West Online’s brand-new gameplay video shows bounties, saloons, and more
It's the video release that Wild West Online fans have been waiting weeks for: A six-minute glimpse into the western MMO's gameplay.
During the video,...
EVE Evolved: Does EVE Online need more conflict-drivers?
Of all the terminology associated with EVE Online, the one thing that's always made me a bit uncomfortable is to hear players describe PvP as "generating...
The MOP Up: SMITE sees a Divine Light (July 9, 2017)
The MMO industry moves along at the speed of information, and sometimes we’re deluged with so much news here at Massively Overpowered that some...
