This week saw new footage for the MMORPG Palworld and the sad news that Swords of Legends will be shut down. Additionally, new gameplay for Ashes of Creation was shown and WoW faced negative headlines surrounding Activision.
The highlights of the week:
- Swords of Legends will be shut down at the end of June. The MMORPG launched in 2021 and looked promising. Gameforge closes it exactly one year after the discontinuation of TERA.
- Palworld is a crazy MMORPG where you can equip Pokémon with machine guns or use them as shields. For our author Mark Sellner, it’s already his game of the year, even though it is set to launch in 2023.
- Life is Feudal returns, a medieval MMORPG that had died in 2021. However, it will now have a subscription that is ridiculously expensive and is already required for testing.
This week’s controversy: Activision CEO Bobby Kotick stated in an interview that the company has never had a problem with systemic sexism. External forces have unfairly impacted the company and caused an image problem.
A former developer reported that he was fired for funny goblin quips like “Another record for the quarterly report!”.
This week in the podcast: In their own podcast MMO News, editors Alexander Leitsch and Mark Sellner discuss the most important news surrounding MMORPGs again this week. Topics included the “Lord of the Rings” MMORPG from Amazon, Throne and Liberty, the release delay of Blue Protocol, and the new patch for New World.
You can listen to the podcast on Apple, YouTube or here on Spotify:
Trouble in WoW, a test in Palia, and new gameplay for Ashes of Creation
What happened with the major MMORPGs:
- In WoW, players are currently complaining about shop services like character transfer or faction change and are demanding better alternatives for active players. Additionally, developer Brian Holinka has left Blizzard. He was, among other things, responsible for the talent system in Dragonflight. However, YouTuber Bellular has a positive update. He sees many indications that WoW will be completely overhauled with the next expansion.
- ESO will release the new expansion Necrom on Monday, June 5. We have summarized all the important things here: Is Necrom worth it? The short check.
- In Guild Wars 2, you can currently get a free glider with rainbow feathers for Pride Month (via Twitter).
- In Black Desert, the new expansion Land of the Morning Light is set to release on June 14. This week saw the awakening of the class Wuse (via BDO).
What happened with the smaller MMORPGs:
- Fiesta Online is getting its first major update in 2 years and we have summarized everything about it.
- Lord of the Rings Online, with update 36, not only received a revamp of Gondor and new quests but also delighted the father of an 8-year-old son with a small feature.
- Gloria Victis has released its new roadmap, with new textures, leaderboards, guild islands, and new beginner quests (via MMORPG.com).
- Tarisland, the MMORPG that is supposed to replace WoW in China and also come to the West, has released two new trailers (via YouTube). Here you can check out the gameplay overview:
What happened with MMORPGs in development:
- Twitch streamer Asmongold watched the latest gameplay video for Ashes of Creation and does not seem impressed.
- Blue Protocol has released a video for the new version of the character editor, but it’s not being well received.
- Magic to Master is a new Kickstarter MMORPG, but it has advertised with fake reviews from gaming sites.
- War of Dragnorox is a new MMORPG where gamemasters are supposed to influence events and quests. A blog post shared new developments in the project, including the completion of the entire leveling process and the first two dungeons (via War of Dragnorox).
- The new MMO for Warhammer is set to be developed in Unreal Engine 5, led by the former head of City of Heroes (via WCCFTech).
- Palia has announced that its second tech test will take place on June 8, 2023. You can register for it (via Palia).
These are the MMORPG news of the week at a glance. What was your personal highlight? Did you experience anything interesting this week that you would like to share? Or have we perhaps forgotten something important? Feel free to write it in the comments here at MeinMMO.
If you are looking for the currently best MMORPGs, you will find them here:
