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
Chaos Theory: I’d fund The Secret World for Funcom if I could
Funcom is in trouble? Say it isn't so! No, seriously -- giving it words feels like personally putting a nail in the coffin, as...
Gloria Victis fights with its animation system, emerges victorious
Gloria Victis pre-alpha version 0.3 is live, and apparently it took some doing, since the changelog post describes a "long fight with the animations...
Alienware is sponsoring a modding contest for ARK
If you're a pro modder and you like ARK: Survival Evolved, you might want to have a look at the dino sandbox's new modding...
The Game Archaeologist: Microsoft’s Mythica
While Microsoft may be the big cheese when it comes to operating systems and worldwide domination, for whatever reason the company has the absolute...
Leaderboard: What’s your favorite Funcom MMO?
Earlier this week, news of Funcom's dwindling financial fortunes kind of depressed me. And judging by our comments, it depressed a number of you,...
Here’s ‘everything you need to know’ about ArcheAge server merges
Trion's latest ArcheAge website update purports to tell us everything we need to know about ArcheAge's upcoming server transfers. Now, my first thought was...
The Soapbox: Why I’m hopeful for the future of MMOs
Earlier this week, Justin asked what gives you hope for the future of the MMOs. As you might expect, the responses were many and...
RuneScape convention sells out, fans post 324-page history of the game
If you ever thought that RuneScape was a piddly title beneath your notice, then here's a wake-up call for you today. The game's upcoming...
Massively Overthinking: How seriously do you take MMO lore?
Kickstarter donor Alien Legion has proposed an intriguing question about lore in MMORPGs.
"Back in my World of Warcraft days, I mentioned to a friend that I would...
This Russian Black Desert trailer is worryingly appealing
I should have learned my lesson after the debacle that was ArcheAge, but a part of me is still somewhat excited to play the western...
Albion is aiming at an EVE-like metagame
The Videogame Backlog has interviewed Christian Ziegert, who is the head of operations at Sandbox Interactive and who is responsible for the fantasy MMO...
Project Gorgon might feature cow-only guilds
Project Gorgon's Kickstarter still has 10 days to go, so the devs at Elder Game have published a new set of stretch goals. They...
Riot may reconsider a sandbox mode for League of Legends
When players asked for a sandbox mode for League of Legends, Riot Games said no. This made a large number of players very vocally...
Nexon Q2 2015 finances strong thanks to MapleStory 2 and mobile
It's another good quarter for free-to-play developer Nexon. The company posted its Q2 2015 financial report today, and while profits are slightly down from...
TUG improves its AI, adds grid-snapping object placement
Nerd Kingdom published a new alpha update for TUG yesterday. Incidentally, Nerd Kingdom is quite possibly the greatest game dev name of all time....
Darkfall rolls out unholy update with soft gear wipe, rare resources, and new inventory
Darkfall is reinventing its game. Again.
In what it's calling the "economy expansion" patch, Darkfall has made heavy adjustments to how the game plays. "The...
Here are both versions of Star Citizen’s multicrew and social module reveals
If you missed last week's Star Citizen event at Gamescom, Cloud Imperium has recapped it for you on the game's official website. Included are...
Massively OP Podcast Episode 25: Project Gorgon interview
Justin and Eliot interview Project Gorgon's Eric Heimburg and hit the highlights of Gamescom 2015, including the WoW: Legion reveal.
Player falsely accuses Trion Worlds of censorship
Another day, another cautionary tale in trying to wield lies in the face of a game studio with access to factual records. In this...
Project Gorgon hits musical expansion stretch goal
With 12 days left to go in its Kickstarter campaign, indie MMO Project Gorgon is crossing off stretch goals left and right. The fantasy...
