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
Stardew Valley launches boxed console collector’s editions, still no sign of multiplayer
Adorable retro sandbox Stardew Valley is releasing a boxed collector's edition today. Expect the original game, plus a soundtrack disc (hey Justin), a guidebook,...
Massively OP Podcast Episode 112: Heroic measures
Justin and Bree discuss Marvel Heroes, Ship of Heroes, SWTOR, Secret World Legends, Black Desert, EVE Fanfest, LOTRO, WoW, and GW2, with reader mail on MMO dress-up and City of Heroes successors.
Conan Exiles goes on sale for 20% off, recaps its update progress so far
It's been a whirlwind spring for Conan Exiles, with the survival sandbox racking up hundreds of thousands of sales while pumping out updates left...
Jukebox Heroes: Your top six favorite MMO music themes
After over a month of voting and counting down, we've arrived at the final six picks for your favorite MMORPG theme songs of all...
BioWare delays SWTOR 5.2 for a week, might be working on KOTOR 3 and a ‘semi-MMO’
Let's rip off this band-aid quickly: There will be no SWTOR Update 5.2 today. BioWare announced on the forums that it is delaying the...
Legends of Aria rewrites Shards Online’s combat system
When Legends of Aria emerged from Shards Online, it changed more than just the name. In the first Aria-era dev diary, the team explains...
LOTRO Legendarium: Playing second fiddle to the Fellowship
Back when Lord of the Rings Online was being developed as Middle-earth Online in the late 1990s, the original concept was to plop players...
RuneScape airs ’15 Years of Adventure’ documentary
"This is the story of a world created in a kitchen. Of a community bonding as they kill chickens or fish for sharks. It's a...
EVE Vegas is coming this October, tix go on sale
Missed out on this year's EVE Fanfest? There's still a chance for redemption, comradery, and geeky fun with this October's EVE Vegas event. For...
The Daily Grind: How important are player economies to MMORPGs?
One of the more alarming trends in MMORPGs from the past few years, to me anyway, is the weakening of in-game economic systems, and not...
EVE Fanfest 2017: Hands-on with competitive VR sports game Sparc
At the end of February, CCP Games announced a new game that has nothing to do with EVE Online or even the EVE IP. Named Sparc,...
Kickstarted indie VR MMO OrbusVR plans alpha tests, character customization upgrades
What's up with OrbusVR, the blocky indie VR sandbox that breezed through its quickie Kickstarter to raise $34,000 last month -- 340% of its...
EVE Fanfest 2017: DUST 514 successor Project Nova is still in development
Developer CCP Games made its first foray into the console FPS market back in 2013 with the incredibly ambitious DUST 514, and things didn't exactly go...
Black Desert’s 2017 plans include Striker class, climbing, and airships
If you happen to be a Black Desert player, then this weekend is bound to be a time of joy and celebration for you....
Massively Overthinking: It’s the end of The Secret World as we know it
I think I can speak for most of our staff in saying that in November when Funcom first promised a "major upgrade to both retention and...
EVE Fanfest 2017: EVE Online joins the hunt for exoplanets through Project Discovery
The scientific community has been buzzing lately with the incredible news that a star system less than 40 lightyears away named TRAPPIST-1 was found...
Rend wants to fix the fatal flaws of survival sandboxes
It should be quite obvious that the developers over at Rend are huge survival sandbox fans, because why else would you make a game...
WeMade Entertainment invests in ArcheAge’s XLGAMES
XLGAMES has received a vote of confidence in the form of some welcome investment from fellow Korean developer (and publisher) WeMade Entertainment. MMO Culture...
Star Citizen starts building surface outposts, continues to test Patch 2.6.2
It's always a good day when you get to open up a new box full of fun toys to build worlds to your heart's...
Darkfall: Rise of Agon deploys a major patch with new spawning mushrooms and Champions
The most recent patch to Darkfall: Rise of Agon does a lot of things for spawning. For one thing, it introduces the game's dynamic...
