It’s time for our MeinMMO format “MMORPG News in Two Minutes.” We summarize the most important news about the best genre in the world. Look forward to Ragnarok Online 3, server merges for Throne and Liberty, several discontinued games, and major Twitch dramas.
The highlights of the week:
- The former Blizzard developer Jason “Thor” Hall has had a great year on YouTube and Twitch as Pirate Software. His growth was enormous: he became the wise and relaxed world explainer with a confident answer to everything. But the image is currently going down the drain, showing a different side in MMORPGs like WoW Classic and Ashes of Creation .
- After his much-debated expulsion from the guild “OnlyFangs” on a hardcore server for WoW Classic, he called his kick from the Twitch guild stupid and stated that he did not want to showcase World of Warcraft on his stream anymore.
- Shortly thereafter, the claim from November 2023 blew up in his face, claiming that StarCraft 2 made less money than a mount from WoW.
- Things are going better for another streamer: In 2004, a Dutchman was the best in Warcraft 3, today he is 38 and bigger on Twitch than ever, thanks to World of Warcraft.
What else happened? The developers of RuneScape had sent a survey behind closed doors to selected members of the community. When the questions and topics came to light, a shitstorm erupted and players canceled their subscriptions. Though the developers backtracked, the video of a prominent gaming YouTuber shows how deep the disappointment runs.
RuneScape and Old School RuneScape are among the most successful MMORPGs of the last decades.
Old School RuneScape – Trailer for the Steam Release
I am Hugh
What happened with the big MMORPGs:
- A spell is causing unpleasant matches in Plunderstorm of World of Warcraft. Blizzard is backing down and implementing massive nerfs.
- Also causing trouble is WoW’s reporting tool: A player wanted to farm but was driven off by competition – a system from Blizzard makes that possible.
- After 7 years, we finally know what Sargeras was actually aiming for at the end of WoW: Legion.
- Many players from WoW would like to play the least popular class, but one thing prevents them: the restrictions on transmogrification or the humanoid form. Also problematic: 88% of WoW pros play the same tank.
- The heartbreaking story of WoW player Ibelin has received a new, sad chapter.
- Curious: At the World Championship in Excel, participants had to manage a raid for WoW. Players also discovered that Blizzard reused some designs from other mounts for the 78 euro gold-adorned merchant brutosaurus.
- The new patch 7.16 of Final Fantasy XIV was released on January 21, 2025 and brings some new features and adjustments. A seemingly small change could lead to a lot of wipes in the new chaos alliance raid.
- The next producer letter for FFXIV will appear on February 7, 2025. It will discuss the new features of patch 7.2 (via finalfantasyxiv.com).
- In the January issue of “Tico Talks” there was the announcement, followed by the specific details: Server merge comes in February 2025 for Throne and Liberty – here’s what you need to know. Additionally, the aim is to combat toxicity in dungeons, improve combat experience, and alleviate frustration from open-world content.
- For New World Aeternum the season of conquerors has started. Rather than enjoying the new leveling experience, the strong focus on PvP is ruining the fun for many heroes.
- How long will it take to master all in-game achievements and all Steam achievements in New World ? A player with a lot of time has now accomplished precisely THAT.
- “Frosty Fate” – that’s the name of the new update, that was released on January 22, 2025 for the MMORPG Lost Ark . Also available: a new raid and the anniversary party for the third birthday.
- The Elder Scrolls Online is awarding rewards from 10 years of the MMORPG, but you need to do a lot for it. Furthermore, on January 21, 2025, the new campaign of the Golden Endeavours has started (via elderscrollsonline.com).
- From January 28 to February 18, 2025, the Lunar New Year event will be celebrated in Guild Wars 2 (via X).
What happened with the small MMORPGs:
- A website has published exciting statistics from 2024 for Tibia. MeinMMO summarizes the highlights from the German MMORPG. The highlight: A player managed to sell their character for the equivalent of about 41,000 euros.
- The developers of Mortal Online 2 have published a first roadmap for 2025 at mortalonline2.com.
- The 64-bit server Cormyr from Dungeons & Dragons Online is no longer fee-based for a certain period (via ddo.com).
- For Star Wars: The Old Republic, Update 7.6d has brought many small improvements – you can find the patch notes at swtor.com.
- The new chapter Day of Reckoning of DC Universe Online is set to be released on January 28, 2025 (via YouTube).
- The developers of Albion Online have introduced the planned innovations for Season 26 at albiononline.com.
- For Ultima Online, there was a 2025 roadmap that also included the new legacy servers (via uo.com).
- On February 11, 2025, the 33rd season of Star Trek Online starts with Unveiled. Actor Jonathan Del Arco will be featured as Borg Hugh. The console launch is set to follow on March 11. You can find all details on playstartrekonline.com.
- In Tarisland, the Year of the Snake will be celebrated starting January 24, 2025, with events and rewards. You can find all the info at tarisglobal.com.
More about MMORPGs:
WoW: “The most useless trinket in the history of the game” – Strong, but it can cost you your life
MMORPG classic gets a new version after 27 years, aims to be the perfect game for people with little time
What happened with the MMORPGs in development:
- Due to high losses in the last financial year, the Chinese publisher Perfect World Games has announced severe cost-cutting measures. This includes the cancellation of several game projects, including the MMORPG Perfect New World.
- Originally, Blue Protocol was supposed to celebrate its global launch in 2024, but this never happened. This week, the Japanese servers of the anime MMORPG have also gone offline forever. Many players accompanied the end until the last moment.
- NCSoft has quietly halted development on several games, but it doesn’t seem to include the Horizon MMO.
- According to a former lead from Unchained Entertainment, almost half of the developers who worked on the MMORPG Camelot Unchained have been laid off. What this means for the completion of the MMORPG is unclear.
- On January 24, 2025, The Quinfall entered Early Access (via Steam). The ambitions are high, but the last test left a not-so-good impression.
- Pax Dei has received the resource Grace and further updates with the second part of the Market-Square Update. You can find the patch notes at playpaxdei.com.
- The developers of Eternal Tombs have released a short video on YouTube to showcase progress from 2024 and promise big things for 2025.
- For Ragnarok Online 3, there was a trailer and the confirmation that a global launch is planned (via mmorpg.org.pl). The official website can be reached at ro3global.com. In the comments under the trailer, fans are already complaining about possible Pay2Win and Gacha systems. Others feel that it could be a worthy successor to Ragnarok Online (ranked 15th in the list of the best MMORPGs of all time, chosen by the MeinMMO community). What do you think?
With that, we have summarized the most important things that have happened recently in the world of MMORPGs.
What have you been excited about this week? What have you been annoyed about? Let us know in the comments. If you’re looking for a fun yet informative overview of online role-playing games, make sure to check this out: Report, columns, talks, and the top list of the best MMORPGs of all time – that was the theme week from MeinMMO
