Subscription MMOs are generally those that restrict play to gamers who pay an ongoing fee, usually monthly, though shorter and longer subscriptions, as well as lifetime subs, do exist. Some free-to-play and buy-to-play games also include optional subscriptions.
subscription
Vague Patch Notes: What City of Heroes Homecoming means for the wider MMORPG industry
As you have probably noticed from the fact that I have been writing about City of Heroes nonstop since the Homecoming server got its...
The Daily Grind: What will be the next MMO to undergo a big business model shift?
2023 turned out to be a weird year for business models in MMOs. It was certainly the year of cadence shifts and seasonal shifts,...
Massively Overthinking: The slowest and fastest combat in MMORPGs
During a recent podcast discussion about City of Heroes' official revival, the MOP writers were talking about its combat, which - let's be honest...
Final Fantasy XIV jumps the gun on Xbox open beta announcement
One of the biggest developments for Final Fantasy XIV in 2024 that isn't named "Dawntrail" has to be the MMO's debut on Microsoft's game...
Perfect Ten: The weirdest weapons from MMOs of yore
Swords. Staffs. Maces. Spears. Wands. Bows. Crossbows. Double-crossbows. Hammers. Wolverine claws. Daggers. Axes. Deadly? Yes. Fashionable? Not so much. A two-handed sword is so...
The Daily Grind: What’s the most kludgy MMO system you’ve encountered?
The other day I was watching MMO players have a good-natured discussion about transmog systems among various titles. A few FFXIV players lamented how...
Final Fantasy XIV wraps up Manderville weapons and readies for Dawntrail with patch 6.55 today
It's time to get started on your final push to Final Fantasy XIV's next expansion with today's release of patch 6.55, starting with the...
Ubisoft talks up its subscription services and making gamers ‘comfortable’ with not owning titles
Allow us a moment to lean back in our rocking chair, coddle a cup of sarsaparilla, and look up at the sky as we...
World of Warcraft’s Seeds of Renewal update is set to go live tonight
The epilogue for World of Warcraft: Dragonflight is here... in many ways. Sure, today's Seeds of Renewal update literally includes an epilogue for the...
Wisdom of Nym: Dreaming about Final Fantasy XIV patch 6.55 during the day-long downtime
Somehow, the final Endwalker content patch has arrived. All right, maybe you could argue that's just the tiniest bit premature; technically we've still got...
Final Fantasy XIV player aims to complete every sidequest to relay which ones are worth doing
If you've played Final Fantasy XIV for any length of time, you've probably heard the advice that the standard sidequests are totally OK to...
The MOP Up: Magic Awakened deepens the mystery of Hogsmeade
Harry Potter: Magic Awakened rolled out its January patch with a new seasonal chapter, Luna Lovegood card, and a gauntlet mode to try.
"Continue the...
The Stream Team: Training a burgeoning Astrologian in Final Fantasy XIV
Today's Eorzea Sunday stream isn't primarily about MOP's Chris. No, this time around it's about his husband, who has been slowly learning the ropes...
The Game Archaeologist’s ultimate MMO archives v7.0
Once again we put a wrap on another year of MMORPG news, opinions, and -- most pertinent to this column -- history. In a...
The Daily Grind: Do any MMO class themes turn you away from playing them?
Last weekend, FFXIV announced that one of its upcoming jobs (classes) will be a Pictomancer -- a mage that flings paint all willy-nilly. As...
Peeking into everything coming in World of Warcraft’s patch 10.2.5 next week
On January 16th, World of Warcraft's next major patch arrives, and there have already been a few articles previewing the upcoming content. But maybe...
Final Fantasy XIV previews its new trial and more additions arriving in patch 6.55
More Manderville madness. A new trial. A wrap-up of the story. A tying together for the various tribal quests from the expansion. All of...
Massively Overthinking: The 2023 MMO trainwrecks (almost) nobody noticed
This might be one of the most important Massively Overthinkings we do all year, and it's a pretty salty one. We always come away...
World of Warcraft previews the Azerothian Archives arriving in Seeds of Renewal
Remember when Archaeology was the hip happening new thing in World of Warcraft? That didn't really work out, but the Azerothian Archives content that's...
Final Fantasy XI’s latest version update accounts for the Vana’Bout event with some apologies
The preview of the January update for Final Fantasy XI comes with an apology. No, not for the size of the update; by this...
