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
The Daily Grind: What’s your most memorable MMO noob moment?
I was basically still a kid when I first started playing MMOs, and my first, of course, was the wild west of the newly...
Are ‘me-too’ MOBAs a development trap?
There's no doubt that the MOBA genre is a behemoth in the industry right now, with titles like League of Legends and DOTA 2...
World of Warcraft tokens go on sale April 7th
Looking forward to paying for your World of Warcraft subscription with in-game gold? You don't have long to wait at all; the WoW Token...
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s Steps of Faith
It happened, just as expected. A day after I posted a lengthy column discussing Final Fantasy XIV's last big pre-expansion patch, that patch dropped, and...
EVE Evolved: Four lessons sandbox MMOs can learn from EVE
The past few years have seen a resurgence of support for sandbox MMOs, both of the trying-to-be-minecraft creative kind and the hardcore nuke-it-from orbit...
World of Warcraft throws a 10-day sale that includes Warlords of Draenor
Good Blizzard sales don't come around too often, so if you've been holding off on buying World of Warcraft or its most recent expansion,...
The Daily Grind: How long do you have your subscriptions set up for?
I had not put my Final Fantasy XIV account on anything more extended than month-by-month billing for the longest time. Which is kind of...
WildStar is adding a laser tag minigame
WildStar is getting a new Laser Phaser minigame, and it's currently on the sci-fantasy title's public test realm. It's currently scheduled to go live...
Camelot Unchained newsletter talks design, tech, and more
Camelot Unchained just released its latest newsletter, and you'll want to set aside some time and maybe a couple of beverages to read it....
Here’s how Final Fantasy XI’s maintenance mode is going down
Players of Final Fantasy XI are unlikely to be happy about the fact that the game has moved into maintenance mode for the future,...
Ascent is MMO space simming done right
My favorite thing about Ascent: The Space Game is its planetary rotation. It's a small thing, granted, but the first time I sat still...
The Soapbox: The misguided quest for MMO stickiness
This guest Soapbox was originally commissioned in 2015 through Massively Overpowered's Kickstarter campaign and is authored by Tyler F.M. Edwards, who blogs at www.superior-realities.com....
WildStar contract, wardrobe, and minipet patch hits the test realms
Ready to enjoy the wonders of an improved wardrobe system, the Contract mechanics, and an array of minipets in WildStar? The game's next major...
Hearthstone’s Blackrock Mountain opens for business
Blackrock Mountain, the second solo adventure pack for Hearthstone, is now live in the game. Well, we should say that the first wing is...
WoW Factor: Flying ruined everything and shouldn’t be removed
Allowing flying mounts in World of Warcraft was a terrible mistake that should never have been corrected.
For those not up on their history, here's...
The Daily Grind: Would you play a stripped-down mobile version of your favorite MMO?
The (as of yet unspecified) plans to create a mobile version of Final Fantasy XI touches on a sore subject for me: the lack...
Five players clear most of WoW’s current high-end raid
How many players does it take to clear a high-end raid in World of Warcraft? If you said "20," you would be correct for...
Final Fantasy XIV launches Before the Fall patch
After more than a year of continuations, Final Fantasy XIV is wrapping up all of its stories today. Patch 2.55 has just gone live,...
Pathfinder Online launches head start access on April 1st
Early Enrollment players are now playing Pathfinder Online. Explorer Enrollment players, too. Starting on April 1st, Head Start players from the game's second Kickstarter...
Wisdom of Nym: The fall in Final Fantasy XIV
There is a crack in the foundation of Eorzea's defenders, and it's been there for a while. For all of Final Fantasy XIV's operation, we've...
