Become an MMO blogger, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. What they forgot to mention is that covering this genre means as many ups as downs, especially where the industry is concerned, and so we dutifully round up all the bad stories under our This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things tag. And this year, we saw endless layoffs, blockchain gibberish, more layoffs, monetization shenanigans, and still more layoffs. And no, it was not fun.
Although we did get rid of Bobby Kotick. So there’s something.
As we do every year, we’ve gathered up all the articles that remind us we’re in the bad place, right here in our final post of 2023, and lowering them down into the pit of freakin’ flame until they are positively roasted. Take a last glance at the worst things that happened in our corner of the genre this year – and then discard them in the past where they belong. And don’t worry – we’ve got warm fuzzies tomorrow morning when the ashes are cold.
Square-Enix’s Yosuke Matsuda is still all-in on blockchain and NFTs even after 2022
Workers at Blizzard-owned Proletariat say management refused its union and is ‘forcing’ them to go through NLRB voting
NetEase lays off staffers who were working on Blizzard games in China
Blizzard claims NetEase rejected a license extension to keep Chinese games (including WoW) up another six months
It has once again been zero days since a War Thunder player used military documents to win a forum fight
Microsoft and Unity collectively shed over 10,000 employees in latest round of tech layoffs
War Thunder players have now leaked military documents a grand total of five times to win forum arguments
Halo Infinite and Elder Scrolls Online teams were hit by Microsoft’s 10,000-person layoff
Ubisoft’s CEO apologizes for responsibility dodge but fails to mollify strikers
Bored Ape Yacht Club’s upcoming ‘skill-based mint’ NFT game sparks a speculation market
Riot Games lays off 46 workers, adding to this month’s tech toll
Old School RuneScape player reportedly makes off with nearly $120K in cash thanks to an exploit
A nasty account-destroying exploit is currently ruining Grand Theft Auto Online
Blizzard’s Proletariat ends bid to unionize after unionbusting tactics succeed
Parent puts Roblox on blast for her first-hand experiences of troubling games and failed content filtering
Riot Games says it won’t be extorted by hackers who breached League of Legends’ source code
Final Fantasy XIV director expresses frustration and confusion as another world first clear is won via addon use
Workers call out Activision-Blizzard management as it reaches $35M settlement with SEC
Final Fantasy XIV, Guild Wars 2 communities erupt over GShade malware mod drama
Mobile MMORPG World of Zenonia resurfaces with a new name and planned connection to the blockchain
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go’s Niantic seems to care more about data collection than public safety
Survival MMO The Day Before struggles to secure trademark as YouTube bans its videos
Genshin Impact fires voice actor over allegations of grooming, harassment, and abuse
Blizzard’s Mike Ybarra stuns devs with demoralizing bonus-slashing and return-to-work meeting
Final Fantasy XIV’s Far Northern Attire is accused of appropriating Sámi cultural property by the Saami Council
Subreddit founder who started the 2021 Gamestonk craze sues Reddit over his ouster
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go’s Vegas Hoenn Tour was Absol-utely bad
Singapore detains teen for playing on Roblox terrorist worlds
Ubisoft swings the banhammer at nearly 19,000 accounts for using an unspecified ‘fraudulent exploit’
CWA files charges against Activision-Blizzard over latest unionbusting efforts
Square-Enix’s Babylon’s Fall went out with the wimpiest of whimpers
Bless Global is already delisted on Steam after trying to push crypto racket
Uncharted Waters Origin debuts on PC and mobile devices, runs afoul of gamers thanks to gacha monetization
Roblox confirms that it had $150M in Silicon Valley Bank, now shut down by regulators
Star Citizen’s alpha 3.18 craters its initial launch, causing players to riot across the internet
SMITE studio promises to hunt and ban accounts tied to a harassment campaign that targeted women
After 14 years, Enjin drops guild site building tools in favor of blockchain and NFT tech
Ukraine-based STALKER 2 dev studio has been hacked and blackmailed by a pro-Russian group
A Counter-Strike player shelled out six figures for an AK-47 skin because it had flowers and stickers on it
Square-Enix is still all-in on its NFT game, Symbiogenesis
CCP Games officially unveils plans for a new blockchain game set within the EVE Online universe
EA is sunsetting another trio of online games from the Battlefield IP
FTC finalizes fine for Fortnite’s dark patterns as Epic talks up NFT ‘games’ on EGS
Nexon dives further into NFT and blockchain games with MapleStory N and a MapleStory Universe ecosystem
Warner Bros. pulls MultiVersus’ beta offline in June, plans full launch next year
Disney axes its fledgling metaverse division as part of a 7,000 employee layoff round
Wizard101 players are already ruining the fun of its recent Rate My Stitch feature
Ubisoft Paris is accused of developer crunch and poor project management by French game workers union
Eden Eternal starts pre-registration… and offers players NFTs for participation
ARK 2 is delayed into 2024, original ARK will get an August UE5 remaster you’ll have to re-buy
Galaxies of Eden devs cancel plans for social sandbox MMO to develop dubious AI-generated playground
A year after FTC complaint, Roblox will now hide ads for players 13 and under
Massively on the Go: It’s Pokemon NO time again for Pokemon Go players
Monster Energy drink is hassling indie game Dark Deception: Monsters & Mortals over its name and logo
NCsoft is taking Kakao’s ArcheAge War to court over alleged plagiarism of Lineage 2M
Dark and Darker studio claims Nexon is trying to ‘bleed [it] dry in court fees’
MUD Aetolia used ChatGPT to generate NPC dialogue and grant a fake quest
Swords of Legends Online continues to focus its updates on cash shop items instead of content
Genshin Impact’s latest update replaces Tighnari’s English voice actor after sexual allegation scandal
Microsoft president and US intel say Russian operatives are targeting gaming for espionage
EVE Online players commandeered a dormant guild and made off with $22K in plunder
Steam’s automodding of Counter-Strike skin-selling bots is catching legitimate players in its dragnet
Players cry foul over Call of Duty Warzone cash shop skins that offer unfair advantages
Nexon formally files a copyright infringement lawsuit against Dark and Darker studio Ironmace
Square-Enix claps hands with a blockchain game platform that ‘hides web3 technology under the hood’
That NetEase lawsuit against Blizzard turns out to have been a… bizarre clerical error?
Amazon is shutting down New World’s and Lost Ark’s forums next week in favor of Discord
MapleStory is deleting a whole character – Jett – after 11 years in the global version
Idea Fabrik, the company behind Hero Engine and The Repopulation, disappears from the internet
Unity slashes 600 jobs in its latest round of layoffs
Redfall’s messy release prompts apology from Xbox’s Phil Spencer
Mike Ybarra defends patent filing for AI art generator in Blizzard style
World of Warcraft reviews Community Discord program following backlash over non-disparagement and tracking software clauses
Blizzard devs lament talent bleed and Diablo IV support capacity following return-to-office mandate
Little Orbit’s ‘Web 2.5’ platform that lets players sell digital creations is just another blockchain pitch
Gamer who leaked classified military intel was first sharing documents in – wait for it – a War Thunder Discord
Studios working on Battlefield would like players to stop harassing its developers, please and thanks
Ubisoft is trying to get in on the NFT racket for a second time with Assassin’s Creed ‘smart collectibles’
Whatever happened to Legends of Aria aka Britaria? (2023 edition)
Overwatch 2 devs admit team strategy on PvP/PvE development shifted ‘about a year and a half ago’
Perfect Ten: Overwatch 2 is peak Blizzard
An investor group is trying to mangle Daybreak’s EG7 for shareholder payouts
Blizzard introduces the WoW Token to Wrath of the Lich King Classic
Blizzard suggests WoW Token RMT in WoW Classic is ‘for the good of the community’ because of RMT bots
Richard Garriott’s NFT-based MMO, Iron & Magic, appears to have vanished already
No, we didn’t write a ‘testimonial review’ supporting Kickstarter MMO Magic to Master
Bobby Kotick decries ‘aggressive labor movement’ trying to ‘destabilize’ Activision-Blizzard
Former World of Warcraft dev claims he was fired over greedy goblin text lines
World of Warcraft announces price hikes on subscription plans for Turkiye and Ukraine
Embracer (Gearbox) announces major restructure with layoffs and canceled games
The Magic to Master mess devolved into DMCA abuse as Laniatus promises launch ‘regardless of Kickstarter’
Funcom has unceremoniously axed Advisors of Rubi-Ka, Anarchy Online’s player volunteer program
Gameforge’s DMCA filing took the Magic to Master Kickstarter down, alleging stolen Metin2 assets
Reddit CEO remains unfazed by blackout protests, calls organizing moderators ‘landed gentry’
Blue Protocol reportedly unleashes a banwave against players accessing the MMO outside of Japan
Discord announces additional monetization via new subscription gating tools for server creators
Pokemon Go’s top datamining community site announces ‘soft shutdown’ over Niantic’s antics
Independence Day’s Roland Emmerich announces Space Nation MMORPG: It’s another token-encrusted NFT game
Niantic lays off 230 workers, affecting Pokemon Go, in cost-slashing reorganization
Unity adds AI tools to its asset store while Electronic Arts reasons AI generation is a ‘co-pilot’ for artists
Ragnarok Online has a mobile play-to-earn NFT version called Ragnarok Labyrinth NFT
‘PvP tactical RPG’ Champions Tactics Grimoria Chronicles is Ubisoft’s next foray into blockchain gaming
Albion Online faces DDoS attacks presumably over a recent anti-botting update
Rainbow Six player responsible for a swatting of Ubisoft sentenced to three years of community service
Pokemon Go studio Niantic stands accused of sexual discrimination and retaliation in new lawsuit
Albion Online, under DDOS attack yet again, promises compensation and renewed defense
Bungie prevails in court over racist creep who harassed and doxxed Destiny 2 staff
Genshin Impact voice actors claim that they haven’t been paid for months [Updated]
Marvel Snap introduces gacha-like ‘premium mystery variants’ and retools its card cache reward system
Roblox aims to be ‘one of the biggest virtual economies on Earth’ through additional creator monetization tools
All hail Glorbo: The WoW community baited and trapped AI scrapers with a Reddit prank
Reddit isn’t backing down over API changes, but it’s trying to woo mods back anyway
Roblox apologizes for data breach that leaked nearly 4000 employees’ personal details
Massively on the Go: Pokemon GO Routes are already problematic and unsafe
Blizzard promises a fix for Diablo IV’s season battle pass ‘dark pattern’ after widespread player complaints
MMO and gaming companies enjoy some fun ribbing Twitter’s needless X rebranding stunt
The ESRB seeks a COPPA provision to let apps scan children’s faces for age verification
World of Warships is the latest MMO to replace official forums with Discord servers
Wurm Online internal comms show staff discontent, mass departures over conflict with owners
EVE Online removes a contentious item from a cash shop bundle after player backlash
Dungeon Fighter Online grants compensation after catching former dev criming with an RMT ring
Following Final Fantasy XIV Fanfest COVID outbreak, one fan admits guilt – in a comic
Hi-Rez Studio president adjusts a contract rider for voice actors after being called out for potential AI use
Palia’s open beta has apparently been hit with a house-burgling bug
Roblox faces class action lawsuit that accuses the game of turning a blind eye to third-party gambling rings
Elder Scrolls Online disables player gifting because of ‘fraudulent behavior’
Conan Exiles was forced to roll back 780 official servers thanks to bugged thrall decay
Embracer Group is killing off Flying Wild Hog’s Jagex-pubbed Space Punks
Star Citizen showcases alpha 3.20’s updates, declares it won’t answer ‘when’ questions anymore
Roblox conference cut short after police arrested an allegedly armed community developer
Unity is adding excessive new per-install fees – game developers aren’t having it
Unity begins backtracking on new runtime fees, but it hasn’t addressed indies
Unity asks game studios to trust its download estimates, closes offices over death threat
PvP MMO Abyss admits it began life as a crypto game selling ‘satirical poop’ NFTs
Chronicles of Elyria studio tosses ‘quick release’ strategy after inking a licensing deal
Unity’s runtime fee scheme sees game devs shut off Unity ads and employees turn in resignations
Unity promises ‘changes’ to its deeply unpopular install fee policy after a week of backlash
Unity’s leaked install fee concessions include a fee cap, self-reporting, and end to retroactivity
Roblox sheds 30 ‘talent acquisition’ employees as part of a company plan to improve its profits
Sony is investigating claims that hackers ‘compromissed all of sony systems’ – big sigh
Layoffs hit Blizzard’s Hearthstone team as Chris Metzen upgrades to new World of Warcraft exec title
Fortnite’s Epic Games confirms mass layoff of 830 workers
Fall Guys developer Mediatonic ‘hit very hard’ by Epic Games’ mass-layoff – but not shuttered
Epic Games raises Fortnite prices in wake of layoffs and financial woes
Sega’s cancelled PvPvE shooter Hyenas was reportedly a doomed project from the very start
Former Ubisoft execs and employees were detained by French police over sexual misconduct allegations
Yet another Sony data breach sees personal info of nearly 7000 employees exposed
Activision-Blizzard’s latest internal town hall meeting was bizarrely helmed by a celebrity host
Rocket League confirms an end to player trading December 5, sending the community into a tailspin
Remember that report about cops fired for playing Pokemon Go on duty? There’s video now, and it’s worse
Old School RuneScape addresses its botting problem, confirms nearly 2.4M bot bans this year
Whatever non-layoff thing is going on at Cryptic sounds ominous and we don’t like it
Court docs show Activision-Blizzard helped a gun manufacturer market to ‘young consumers’ in Call of Duty title
Roblox is forcing remote staff back into the office next year
Bungie studio hit by layoffs, delays of Destiny 2’s Final Shape and Marathon
Bungie bosses admit Destiny 2 revenues missed expectations this year by 45%
Ubisoft and EA deprecate a dozen multiplayer games, including Star Wars Battlefront II of ‘pride and accomplishment’ fame
Nitrado CEO claims ARK Survival Ascended ‘would never have existed’ without its $4M loan
Nexon’s Embark Studios defends AI voice work in its arena shooter The Finals
New World’s latest big bug allows more than five players to enter an expedition
Cryptic confirms layoffs, claiming Star Trek Online and Neverwinter aren’t ‘affected’
Destiny 2’s Bungie addresses layoffs and prior releases as devs express ‘anger, sadness and fear’
Xbox announces plans for AI-based gamedev tools that generate game dialogue and quests ‘at scale’
The Epic Games Store is apparently still not profitable for Epic Games
Wayfinder suffers layoffs as Digital Extremes transfers the game fully to Airship Syndicate
Jeffrey Butler’s metaverse MMO Avalon reveals trailer and AI-driven player content tools
MapleStory addresses uproar over Sol Erda energy caps in New Age
Fractured Online suffers a nasty admin hack that sees every player city in the game wiped out
Ethyrial: Echoes of Yore loses 17,000 player accounts in ransomware hack
EverQuest players are raising the alarm over an economy-crushing dupe exploit
CCP Games’ EVE Online-adjacent blockchain game Project Awakening confirms a December 6 playtest
Diablo IV receives a sudden wave of positive reviews on Steam by suspected bot accounts
Unity ejects Weta Digital from its portfolio and lays off 265 more employees
Diablo IV surveys suggest Vessel of Hatred bundles will sell early access to ‘functional items’ and stash tabs
Destiny 2 swiftly stops sales of a baffling Starter Pack after players drag Bungie for the bundle
EVE Online players have formed a new corporation led by ChatGPT
Star Trek Online now has third-party ship model NFTs as new Cryptic boss DECA opens hiring
Tree of Savior gets a new Pontifex class… and stuffs its unlock into a lootbox
Bungie devs face the ‘soul-crushing’ pressure of financial targets, a Sony takeover, and threat of more layoffs
The Day Before devs downplay original massively multiplayer pitch as playerbase and reviews plummet
The Day Before dev studio announces its closure, claims the game ‘failed financially’
‘Shit happens,’ The Day Before devs tell disgruntled players as mass-refunds continue
Ubisoft’s 2014 racing game The Crew 1 is sunsetting in March 2024
Activision-Blizzard settles its 2021 California Civil Rights department lawsuit for $50M
Fortnite’s expensive race cars are now slightly less expensive after players revolt
QA employees accuse Activision-Blizzard of a ‘soft layoff’ after studios mandate a return to offices in January
Pantheon Rise of the Fallen pledges extra test sessions following a cancellation of alpha backer access
The Day Before Steam keys go for three figures on the grey market as Fntastic announces server closures
Star Citizen releases a new Legatus backer bundle that costs $48,000
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