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
PAX East 2017: Talking Conan Exiles on the show floor with Funcom
If you're a fan of Funcom and the games it makes, Conan Exiles probably has you breathing a bit easier than you have in a...
One Shots: No more worlds to conquer
There's that special joy that every screenshotter knows when you're able to get that perfect angle, that photogenic pose, and then capture it for...
The Daily Grind: How often do you play outside your comfort zone in MMORPGs?
During the first couple of years I played MMORPGs, I was a pretty timid gamer in terms of my comfort zone for actual content. It...
Star Citizen unlocks Sabre for free flight this weekend, talks about Star Marine weapons and economic chain
In honor of PAX East this weekend, Star Citizen has unlocked its Sabre fighter for anyone to try. You'll just need to use the...
EVE Online players lead $14,000 massacre in a busy trade hub
It's said that you're never truly safe in EVE Online unless you're docked or logged off, and sometimes not even then. If someone wants you...
Massively Overthinking: That moment when your MMO looks like a ‘fire sale at an exotic pet store’
Massively OP Podcast listener John recently sent us a really great question that saw Justin and me sharply divided in terms of our responses,...
Project Genom rewrites its code and renovates its world
The end of 2016 was a messy and unfortunate time for the folks at Project Genom, who have only now emerged to start up...
Crucible gets Westwood co-founder as its new boss
Hands up: Any Massively OP readers play the crap out of Command & Conquer back in the day? In the '90s, Westwood Studios was...
The Daily Grind: Does World of Warcraft need another new class?
During this week's podcast, Justin expressed some frustration over his efforts to enjoy an alt in World of Warcraft. All of his characters, he...
The Repopulation will be playable Sunday, back on Steam later in March
The Repopulation is indeed on track to resume early access later this month as planned.
"Servers will be opening up to all current players on...
PAX East 2017: Shards Online changes its name to Legends of Aria and goes full MMORPG
Shards Online is no more: The game is now officially called Legends of Aria. Better still? It's now being marketed by Citadel Studios as...
Black Desert rolls out two new anniversary events today
Black Desert's anniversary month patches continue to roll out this week. This morning, Kakao updated with the NPC's Gratitude Event, which is similar to...
Dark and Light confirms 2017 early access launch
Toward the end of last year, we all did the math and figured the resurrected MMORPG sandbox Dark and Light had no chance of...
EVE Online starts CSM voting, posts whole bunches o’ numbers and graphs
The space air is electric with excitement as EVE Online has opened up the vote for the next members of the Council of Stellar...
VR MMO OrbusVR has not only funded but doubled its Kickstarter goal in one day
Did you chuck any cash at OrbusVR, the blocky-cute virtual reality MMO sandbox with the unusually small and short Kickstarter? It's a sure thing...
The Stream Team: A belated Black Desert anniversary
Although she was able to log in and celebrate last week, Massively OP's MJ was sad that she couldn't celebrate Black Desert Online's anniversary...
Massively OP Podcast Episode 107: Dark Knight rises
Justin and Bree discuss Guild Wars 2, WoW, Torment, Black Desert, Age of Conan and Anarchy Online maintenance mode, WildStar, Darkfall Rise of Agon, Path of Exile, and Revelation Online's soft launch, with mailbag questions on console vs. PC MMO fans and dealing with immersion-breaking mounts.
Crowfall video addresses group balance, disciplines, and skill training
Crowfall Design Lead Thomas Blair and Senior Game Designer Mark Halash are back today with a new Q&A video answering player queries. Here are...
Dean Hall’s space sandbox MMO Ion is dead
Way back in 2015, Dean Hall announced Ion, a ridiculously ambitious sci-fi space sandbox MMO built using Improbable's SpatialOS. And now it's dead.
Eurogamer went...
Wurm Unlimited patches up to version 1.3 today
Good news for fans of Wurm Online, as the Wurm Unlimited version patches up to patch 1.3 today. That means both versions of the...
