scam
Game dev accuses Fntastic of asset flipping to create its upcoming co-op platformer Escape Factory
At the end of September, we reported on the return of The Day Before developer Fntastic to game dev and Kickstarter with its debut...
PSA: Cryptocurrency scammers are stealing Solarpunk’s assets for use in NFTs and a supposed metaverse
At this point we'd like to believe that the vast majority of our readers are assured that cryptocurrency games, metaverses, and NFTs are all...
‘Shit happens,’ The Day Before devs tell disgruntled players as mass-refunds continue
We're into day six of The Day Before drama, which certainly doesn't embroil any of you, as our readers were too clever to buy...
EVE Online players commandeered a dormant guild and made off with $22K in plunder
As most longtime MMO players know, leaders going AFK for extended periods can result in all kinds of shenanigans in player organizations behind their...
Stick and Rudder: ‘Robin Hood’ scammer claims he robbed rich EVE Online corp of $100 billion ISK
EVE Online is a game that will certainly go down in MMO history as one of the most fascinating studies on human behavior to...
Axie Infinity’s massive crypto theft by hackers was possible thanks to a job search phishing scam
Most of our regular readers know Axie Infinity as the game that saw a North Korean hacker gang get away with a huge stash...
Habbo Hotel goes full play-to-earn with the announcement of Habbo X
Remember when having Habbo Hotel owner Sulake selling off Habbo-based NFTs seemed just like it was pointlessly destructive grifting from an isolated unscrupulous developer? Good times....
GDC 2022: Blockchain, NFTs, and play-to-earn scams go mainstream
It's GDC again, guys, and it's... woof, a rough-looking year. While we had some really interesting panels during COVID, the first in-person event (which...
TitanReach’s mystery investor actually existed, and the lead dev is accused of misappropriating the investment
Just ahead of the weekend, we covered the news that TitanReach, an indie MMO that had taken significant sums of money from players and...
Just months after supposed angel investment, indie MMO TitanReach has ceased development – again
Raise your hand along with us if you saw this one coming: Indie MMO TitanReach has apparently ceased operation just half a year after...
The Daily Grind: Do you ever hope for an MMO project’s failure?
It wouldn't have been long ago that my personal answer to this question would have been a flat and unambiguous "no" because even when...
SoulWorker’s original developer threatens play-to-earn copycat MMO with legal action
Not quite a year ago, Gameforge sunsetted the western version of SoulWorker, and the game reverted back to the game's original Korean developer, Lion...
Vague Patch Notes: NFTs in gaming are a bad, dumb idea
This is going to be a little more ranty than usual. Apologies for that in advance, but... well, we're talking about NFTs. NFTs are...
MMO Business Roundup: Discord crypto mess, Unity buys Weta, Roblox Q3 2021 financials
Welcome back to another roundup of MMO and MMO-adjacent industry news! Business business business... is this working?
Discord: Well, Discord's gone and ticked off its...
The Daily Grind: How do you protect yourself from scammers in MMORPGs?
As long as there have been MMOs, there have been MMO scams. If you play, then you know. So you're not going to be...
Dreamworld co-founder’s ex-fiancee calls out Kickstarter fibs but says he’s not intentionally scamming
A couple of weeks back, we covered the impending Kickstarter funding of Dreamworld, a game by a couple of MMORPG industry novices promising the...
Vague Patch Notes: Scammers, grifters, and amateurs in the MMORPG market
There are two apparent truisms about scams in the MMO marketplace. The first is that players are quick to call anything that vaguely stinks...
Exposé tracks how one dude fudged a whole company and swindled 25 devs over an MMO
MMO players aren't the only people who get scammed by games that sound too good to be true. Kotaku has a piece up this...
Just when you thought lockbox gambling couldn’t get any grosser
You might think, given the public outcry against digital video game lockboxes over the last year and the slow-moving but serious oversight crackdown currently...
But seriously, lockboxes suck, even if the ESRB doesn’t think they’re gambling. Stop buying lockboxes.
So, MMO players. Are you tired of hearing about lockboxes and gambleboxes? It feels like we've been complaining about them for like six or...
