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
John Smedley on player emulator projects: ‘Good for them’
Ex-Daybreak President John Smedley took to Twitter last night to throw his support behind MMO emulator projects. While most studios publicly ignore or condemn these...
Linkrealms announces winter beta, Steam early access in March
Linkrealms developer Mythyn Interactive announced today that it's planning a Steam early access launch in March 2016 and as well as a fresh round of beta testing in...
RuneScape throws a month-long party for its 15th anniversary
Yes, believe it or not, RuneScape is turning 15 years old this year, and by the look of it, this MMO is still doing...
Oculus Rift will begin accepting preorders this week
All right! Who's ready to hand over what will likely be more than $350 for virtual reality equipment?
Oculus announced today that pre-orders for the...
First impressions of Black Desert’s closed beta test, part two: Crafting, gathering, and economy
On Friday, I took a look at the classes, combat, and tricky mechanics of upcoming sandboxy Korean-import Black Desert's first western closed beta test....
Hardcore sci-fi sandbox Divergence Online preps for Steam early access launch
Sci-fi sandbox Divergence Online is on the way to Steam's early access program -- at least, it will be when someone at Valve wakes...
The Daily Grind: Is two-faction PvP ideal for MMORPGs?
Be they sandbox or themeparks, plenty of MMORPGs have hopped on the two-faction PvP bandwagon. A player rolls up on the red side or blue side at character...
The Underground is a cute 2-D sandbox
"Do anything, craft anything, be anything."
That's the promise of The Underground, a 2-D MMO that harkens back to an earlier era of online game...
One Shots: Every shot is awesome!
Today's headlining picture is another debut for One Shots: Funcom's LEGO Minifigures Online. I don't know many people outside of MOP who have even...
EVE Online looks back at 2015 in its totality
So, how was 2015 for EVE Online? Well, it featured a lot of stuff from the game's development team, definitely. But is that the...
EverQuesting: EverQuest, EverQuest II, Landmark, and EverQuest Next in 2015
When it comes to the EverQuest franchise, looking back at 2015 is a much different experience than looking back at 2014 was. That previous...
First impressions of Black Desert’s closed beta test: Classes, combat, and mechanics
Over the course of my first day in Black Desert, I did a lot of the things you'd expect from the first day in...
Massively Overthinking: The MMO with the brightest future
Imagine you have a friend who wants to play an MMO but doesn't want to get involved in a game that's in decline or...
MMO Year in Review: Star Citizen’s triumph (December 2015)
This year, we're taking a time-machine back through our MMO coverage, month by month, to hit the highlights and frame our journey before we head...
A special message of thanks from the EverQuest and EverQuest II teams
The year 2015 will go down in memory as a tumultuous time to be a fan of EverQuest and EverQuest II. Even disregarding all...
Tiptoeing through ArcheAge’s 2015
It has been quite a year for ArcheAge. As you look back over the past 12 months, you certainly can't say 2015 was uneventful;...
Perfect Ten: The MMORPGs to watch in 2016
A long time ago on another website far, far away, I held a tradition of kicking off the new year by listing the top...
The Stream Team: Cruising ArcheAge’s oceans
The holidays are over in ArcheAge (*sniff*) so MassivelyOP's MJ has to find something else to occupy her time. How about a cruise? Those...
MMO Year in Review: Blizzard’s big plans (November 2015)
This year, we're taking a time-machine back through our MMO coverage, month by month, to hit the highlights and frame our journey before we head...
Albion Online extends beta test, nixes free-to-play for launch
Major changes are afoot at Albion Online -- and some might not make fans of the cross-platform sandbox too happy.
Sandbox Interactive announced today that...
