These major MMORPGs will only come in 2026 or later
ArcheAge Chronicles
In the already mentioned financial report from Kakao Games for the third quarter of 2024, the publisher announced that the successor of ArcheAge will not be released in 2025, but during the financial year 2026 (for Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series), with the developers likely targeting the first half of the year or summer 2026 for the launch.
ArcheAge Chronicles is expected to focus more on the western market than its predecessor and thus offer comprehensive PvE and story content that can be mastered alone or with small groups. The key features of the MMORPG are as follows:
- Social and community features: Collaborate with other players and participate in a constantly changing world that creates a vibrant and dynamic player community.
- Extensive open world: Explore a vast, interconnected world with varied landscapes, from lush forests and dry deserts to bustling cities and treacherous seas.
- Dynamic combat system: Experience an overhauled combat system that combines strategic depth with fast-paced action.
- Player-driven economy: Build and design houses and engage in crafting professions.
- In-depth narrative: Embark on an epic journey with a rich story, deep lore, and engaging quests that unfold as the game progresses.
However, planned PvP elements and large-scale battles in the open world are to be removed. PvP is to be primarily available in clearly defined competitive areas for fixed teams and guilds.
Furthermore, there is to be a buy2play model without pay2win elements but with service elements. In other words, ArcheAge 2 is also expected to generate revenue in the long run. Regular content updates will lure players onto the servers.
Project Ghost
Project Ghost is being developed by Fantastic Pixel Castle, which was founded in 2023, and is set to be an exciting mix of theme park and sandbox. The team of veterans is led by Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street, who has been involved in the development of WoW and the LoL MMORPG.
A special feature of the project: The developers are allowing the community to influence and provide feedback during the conceptual phase. Since it just began last year, there is still a lot of work ahead for the team.
Fresh sounds also come from the concept surrounding the blue and red zones. Red areas are intended to resemble theme park MMORPGs, offering well-developed maps with exciting locations, world bosses, and resources. Blue areas, however, will be randomly generated, though Ghostcrawler promises that they will feel handcrafted as well.
The new studio by Ghostcrawler introduces itself:
The new Warhammer MMORPG
Since July 2023, it has been known that MMORPG veteran Jack Emmert (City of Heroes, City of Villains, Neverwinter) is working on a new MMORPG for the Warhammer universe with his studio Jackalytpic, specifically for the Chinese company NetEase.
However, not much is known about the project. It appears that the new online role-playing game is being developed for PC and consoles. Some statements from Emmert also suggest that the game will have a strong PvE focus. Release date? Uncertain!
Amazon’s MMORPG for The Lord of the Rings
Amazon Games is developing a new MMORPG for The Lord of the Rings, as we have known since May 2023. However, not much has happened since the announcement. In August 2024, Christoph Hartmann, Vice President of Amazon Games, stated that they are still in a very early development phase.
They are currently trying to find the unique twist, the hook for the online role-playing game, as they do not want to simply copy The Lord of the Rings Online or other existing games in the franchise. Accordingly, the release date is still far off.
Meanwhile, The Lord of the Rings Online is receiving expansion after expansion:
The LoL MMORPG
Theoretically, the MMORPG for League of Legends has been in development for several years. In practice, there was a restart for the project after the departure of Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street, which was officially confirmed in March 2024.
After the announcement of the restart, there was another silence. This was only interrupted in October 2024 by open job postings at Riot, where experienced veterans for the MMO were sought. The goal is to “excite millions of players worldwide”.
In November 2024, the CEO himself provided a small update. Marc “Tryndamere” Merrill stated at the Worlds Finals:
We are working hard on it. It is the project I am currently spending the most time on. I believe that the team has now taken a great direction and has been able to build plenty of momentum. We know exactly how high the expectations are for us, and we are doing everything we can not to disappoint.
In any case, you will have to be patient. If the developers had to start at nearly zero, we could still expect a four, five, or six-year development phase.
New MMORPG for EverQuest
In September 2023, the executives of Enad Global 7 announced out of nowhere that they wanted to develop a new MMORPG for EverQuest. A premium title was mentioned, with the release planned for 2028.
In an interview celebrating the 25th anniversary on the YouTube channel MinnMax, the latest update on the project came in November 2024. They actually do not want to develop EverQuest 3, as it would cannibalize the first two parts.
Instead, they plan a reboot for the first part, with modern graphics and updated gameplay. Apparently, the project is still in the conceptual phase 14 months after the announcement. There is probably not even a prototype. So we should really not expect a new EverQuest MMORPG before 2028.
Depths of Erendorn
Depths of Erendorn is an MMORPG for PC that has been in development since 2015. It is supposed to offer a vast and open fantasy world where you can encounter randomly generated dungeons. Various races and classes are available for you to choose from. Combat takes place in turn-based battles, where planning occurs simultaneously in the group.
In endgame, leaderboards for dungeons will provide a challenge. It will use a free2play model without boosters or convenience items like inventory slots. There is still no release date, but the developers regularly publish devlog updates on their official website depthsoferendorn.com, most recently on November 29, 2024.
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen
Sometimes math is very simple. Since Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen starts in early access on PC on December 13, 2024 and the pre-access phase is to last for at least two years, the final launch in 2025 is definitely unrealistic.
The early access trailer for Pantheon:
However, whether early access or final: Pantheon is an old-school MMORPG that focuses on PvE. At launch, it should have 15 dungeons, nine races, and twelve different classes. The target audience is fans of old classics like EverQuest.
Exploration is expected to play an important role in Pantheon. Accordingly, there is a climbing system. The game also places a strong emphasis on groups. Even in the open world, you will need fellow players to overcome various challenges. You can find out more about the dungeons here: New MMORPG Pantheon is a great hope for PvE fans – Promises 15 “two-hour” dungeons at launch.
Scars of Honor
The development of Scars of Honor began in 2021. The first assets looked so much like World of Warcraft that the MMORPG quickly became branded by some players as a “cheap WoW clone for PC and mobile”.
The developers promise a “free2play model” without pay2win. There will be ten classes and eight races. Localization into German is also planned. Key features include scalable dungeons and raids, guild halls, diplomacy, large PvP battles, and in-game land ownership.
A good sign: The project is growing and thriving despite a failed Kickstarter campaign in March. In May, important technical upgrades were implemented, the team has grown to 70 employees, and more than 120,000 account registrations for the MMORPG were celebrated.
The regular updates and testing phases emphasize that there is progress in development. A complete release is planned for the first quarter of 2026 according to the timeline. You can find out more here: Everything about the release, classes, gameplay, and races of Scars of Honor.
