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
Stronghold Kingdoms plans to let players delete their own server
Stronghold Kingdoms developer Firefly Studios claims to be making history today by becoming "the first developer to place the fate of entire game worlds...
EVE Online is getting an optional free-to-play mode
EVE Online is going free-to-play -- kinda. CCP is being careful not to call it that, saying that its plan is "for a new...
Project Gorgon promises weekly updates, eyes late 2017 launch
Fans of Project Gorgon who are starved for news about the in-development indie title will be glad to hear that the team has promised...
Black Desert’s Valencia II, desert PvP system, and Warrior Awakening arrive today
Part II of Black Desert's Valencia expansion releases today alongside the Warrior class Awakening, which allows level 55+ Warriors to unlock the Greatsword weapon....
EVE Online’s next patch is all about mechanical and visual redesigns
The next EVE Online patch is all about redesigns that cross several levels. Mining barges, for example, are due for a visual patch to...
Massively OP Podcast Episode 80: Enter the Legion
Justin and Bree discuss WoW Legion, Guild Wars 2, RIFT, Trove, EverQuest II, Wargaming, Funcom, Star Citizen, SOTA, and TERA, with mailbag questions on gaming/life balance and dungeon bookmarks.
Landmark begins issuing 10-day trial keys
Players who haven't experienced the wide-open wonder of Landmark now have a free option at their disposal. Daybreak recently announced that it is issuing 10-day...
EVE Online covers the upcoming Command Burst mechanics
There's more to winning fights in EVE Online than just showing up with the biggest guns. Well-deployed guns make a big difference, as does...
New report says South Korean MMORPG companies are ‘facing a crisis’
The Financial Times blog has a doom-and-gloom report out this week on the gaming market of South Korea, specifically the MMO genre.
"The country’s online...
The MOP Up: Going on a pirate hunt (August 28, 2016)
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...
Leaderboard: Which gaming genre do you play most often besides MMORPGs?
My earliest PC games were space sims, 4X games, and then, naturally, RPGs -- especially sandbox RPGs. MMORPGs seemed like a natural evolution for...
One Shots: Ruins in the jungle
Could Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns' greatest achievement be in its architecture? Even though I haven't played it, I certainly have heard a...
The Game Archaeologist: The silent world of Tibia
If I were to tell you that there's a Western MMO out there that's as old as Ultima Online and yet still has a...
Star Citizen 2.5 alpha is live with GrimHex base, new concept ship
Star Citizen's alpha 2.5 has officially released to live.
"Star Citizen Alpha 2.5 includes significant changes to Star Citizen’s Crusader persistent universe environment," declares Cloud Imperium....
Dark and Light confirms a buy-to-play, sub-free business model
Community confusion over Dark and Light's payment model was cleared up on Snail Games' Facebook page earlier this evening: The rereleased sandbox will indeed...
Roleplay-centric MMORPG Ever, Jane waltzes into open beta
3 Turn Productions announced this afternoon that Ever, Jane is officially in open beta. Yes, this is the roleplayer-centric, Jane Austen-themed MMORPG, complete with...
Star Citizen interview covers ship costs, PvP model, and new systems
How much will it take to earn one of those fancy Star Citizen ships in-game at which some fans seem to be throwing hundreds (if...
Enter to win a Twin Saga Pioneer founder pack from Aeria and Massively OP
If you're eager to jump into Aeria's anime import Twin Saga and want to go in bedecked in all the game's fineries, then winning...
Black Desert plans to roll out all Awakenings by the end of the year
Whatever your choice of class in Black Desert, you have an Awakening waiting. The game's native Korean version has been steadily rolling out Awakening...
Ascent: The Space Game patches in terraforming
Move over, No Man's Sky and Star Citizen: The ever-plucky one-man dev team at Fluffy Kitten Studios beat you to it. Ascent: The Space...
