We’re continuing our tour back through 2024, one month at a time, in MassivelyOP’s MMO Year in Review today.
October was far and away the biggest month for MMORPG of the year, thanks both to the formal launch of Throne & Liberty and New World’s Aeternum reboot.
Meanwhile, Diablo IV rolled out Vessel of Hatred, World of Warcraft began its 20th anniversary celebrations, Wayfinder made its formal debut, and classic MMORPG Ultima Online turned 27 years old with its New Legacy launch.
We also saw – you guessed it – even more layoffs across the industry, including veteran MMORPG studio Cryptic. It’s really sucked, fam.
Here’s the whole recap from October of this past year, from our top news stories of the month to our best editorials.
TOP NEWS STORIES OF OCTOBER 2024
Microsoft’s latest game division layoffs affect nearly 400 Activision-Blizzard employees
Hi-Rez hit with layoffs as it reduces teams on Paladins and Classic SMITE in favor of SMITE 2
Nexon America lays off an unspecified ‘small number’ of employees as part of a ‘hyperlocalization’ strategy
Puzzle MMO Islands of Insight will sunset at the end of October – here’s how to keep playing offline
NCsoft’s MMORPG Throne & Liberty has officially arrived at its global F2P launch
Vampire MMORPG Shadow’s Kiss sunsets, with a dire warning about the early access trap
EverQuest II opens preorders for its November Scars of Destruction expansion
LOTRO: Legacy of Morgoth opens expansion pre-orders, aims for November 6 launch
Palworld is getting a mobile version thanks to Krafton partnership as server FPS improves with latest patch
Epic Games claims to be ‘financially sound’ with new concurrency records for Fortnite and EGS
EverQuest’s 31st expansion, The Outer Brood, launches in December
Game dev accuses Fntastic of asset flipping to create its upcoming co-op platformer Escape Factory
Ubisoft ponders a buyout by Tencent and Guillemot family’s company after second quarter stumbles
Diablo IV’s Vessel of Hatred expansion officially unlocks tonight
Throne & Liberty counts 3M players in its first week as Amazon has now added 55 extra servers
World of Warcraft’s 20th anniversary update goes live on October 22
Brighter Shores confirms November launch date following October 22 closed beta
Embracer-owned Cryptic Studios will suffer devastating layoffs at the end of October
Roblox Corp denies short-seller’s report that it lies to investors and hosts ‘a pedophile hellscape’
Landing Party is a new mobile alternate reality RPG from an old-school Turbine founder
ArcheAge Chronicles video highlights its acrobatic combat and vast persistent online world
Star Trek Online ends grandfathered subscriptions – in exchange for free lifetime memberships
Microsoft is sunsetting multiplayer functionality for Age of Empires 3’s classic version
New World Aeternum, still an MMORPG but now on console, has officially launched
Ultima Online officially launches its first year-long New Legacy server and ClassicUO compatibility
Fractured is going free-to-play as it revamps its content model around seasons
Amazon says it’s cracking down hard on Throne & Liberty bots
Three-year-old New World is labeling new non-Aeternum PC player reviews as ‘pre-release’
Jagex’s RuneScape survival spin-off resurfaces asking for closed alpha testers
So apparently the PlanetSide IP’s new owner is a private equity firm named Astrapto Capital
Vindictus turns 14 years old as Nexon launches the Ruin of the Forsaken update
Warframe launches Warframe 1999 demo and new Halloween content for Nights of Naberus
Throne and Liberty’s first real patch ends free server transfers, opens dungeon matchmaking
Stars Reach is testing its very Star Wars Galaxies-esque ranger skill tree and combat in this weekend’s playtest
Ghibli-esque co-op sandbox Aloft delays early access from fall to January 2025
Conan Exiles adds new companions and improved thrall behaviors in today’s Age of Heroes update
World of Warcraft expands dracthyr classes for its 20th birthday, plus Blizzard patches Hearthstone and Diablo IV
Part one of Villagers & Heroes’ Crux expansion is live for subscription players
PlanetSide 2 fans seek to draw in new players to the shooter with the Bring Your Friends PlanetSide event
Wayfinder officially launches today on PC and PS5 after a year of early access
Hi-Rez’s Realm Royale Reforged and Divine Knockout will be sunsetting in February
NCsoft Korea confirms restructure and layoffs, renames Throne & Liberty team to Studio X
Rumor: Nintendo is running a 10K player test for its secret Switch MMO
Tarisland begins Season One and adds new content with the release of Blight Dragon Elegy
One week into Aeternum, how is New World doing? Here’s what we know
World of Warcraft launches the ‘biggest anniversary in the history of Azeroth’ today
So now we know: Dauntless dev Phoenix Labs was bought out by a blockchain company last year
World of Warcraft DPS players stage group finder protests over recent balance changes
NCsoft MOBA Battle Crush will sunset in November without ever leaving early access
Nightingale patches in Halloween and confirms layoffs at Inflexion’s UK subsidiary
DC Universe Online finally launches a native Xbox Series X|S client
Zenith shuts down legacy shards for PS VR 1 and Quest 1 on November 6
World of Warcraft is selling a $90 dino mount to ‘celebrate’ its 20th birthday
Halloween festivities across the MMO world, 2024 edition
Rumor: Guild Wars 2-themed digital CCG is called Lion’s Arch Guild Wars Arena – and it’s coming to Steam
Neverwinter reassures fans after layoffs: ‘We are still fully committed to the ongoing development’
Lord of the Rings Online is still working on closed server transfers, believe it or not
Star Citizen players raise the alarm over internet spaceship nerfs that conveniently favor newer options
Albion Online adds new open world objectives, Outlands portals, and content in today’s Horizons patch
Tarisland’s arrival to Steam is met with low player numbers and mostly negative review scores
US Copyright Office rules libraries can’t access old games remotely because of ‘market harm’ and recreational use ‘risk’
Elder Scrolls Online’s U44 arrives to shake up the PvP meta and introduce two new companions
Path of Exile 2 delays early access to December 6 over account-linking database demons
PlanetSide 2 is abruptly (and happily) merging its European servers into one today
Embers Adrift says Digital River has been stiffing it since June, so it’s going temp F2P and heading to Steam
Sony didn’t just sunset Concord – now it’s closing Concord’s studio, Firewalk
Bill Roper’s upcoming cowboys vs. Cthulhu game, Codename: Skinwalkers, has itself a trailer
Corepunk says it’s a month and a half behind schedule, but early access is on track for November 26
RIP Harry Potter Magic Awakened – NetEase officially killed it off last night
Nightingale suffers second round of layoffs in two weeks as staff say the game’s early access will continue
Fntastic is hosting a map-making contest for its revised prop hunting game, and no, players won’t get paid
EVE Online’s multiplayer mobile-only 4X strategy game EVE Galaxy Conquest officially releases
Star Citizen pushes alpha 4.0’s engineering gameplay features back over game stability concerns
Elite Dangerous launches its Ascendancy update and teases a brand-new player colonization system
City of Heroes rogue server Rebirth delays its next patch to 2025 – but it features full-color costume customization
Embers Adrift’s devs discuss the Digital River payment fiasco and temporary F2P shift
New World Aeternum says multiplayer PvE and PvP let you ‘continue your solo experience alone in a crowd’
Ubisoft stealth-launches its NFT figurine PvP tactical battler Champions Tactics
FAVORITE EDITORIALS OF OCTOBER 2024
Wisdom of Nym: The key takeaways from Final Fantasy XIV’s Crossroads update live letter
Choose My Adventure: The progression conflict in Once Human
Perfect Ten: 10 MMOs that let you bring a whole squad of pets and minions
Four Winds: Throne & Liberty’s opening hours were fun AF, but I’m still on my guard
Vague Patch Notes: The dark side of meaningful MMO leveling
Casually Classic: World of Warcraft’s delves have real evergreen potential
Fight or Kite: Is Wild Card Football ready to be the new NFL Blitz for 2024?
Global Chat: What’s World of Warcraft Cataclysm’s best zone?
Storyboard: Yes, there really is actual roleplaying happening in MMORPGs
Vitae Aeternum: The best New World Aeternum solo builds in 2024
Choose My Adventure: Throne and Liberty continues to both intrigue and concern
Perfect Ten: The complete list of CCP’s weird EVE Online projects and offshoots
Vague Patch Notes: What is good meaningful leveling in MMORPGs?
Massively Overthinking: How do you stop MMOs from feeling like (or becoming) a part-time job?
Design Mockument: How would you make a good mecha MMORPG?
LOTRO Legendarium: Should all LOTRO expansions include ‘special systems?’
Global Chat: Does the MMO genre need a good rebranding?
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s DPS jobs need a balance pass post-Dawntrail
Not So Massively: Songs of Silence is a stylish blend of multiplayer 4X and auto-battler
MMO Hype Train: Concern for the fragile labor and delivery of Pantheon
Choose My Adventure: The steady climb upward in Throne & Liberty levels and power
Vitae Aeternum: New World Aeternum leaves veterans, casuals, and PC players behind
Four Winds: Looking back at the early Throne and Liberty journey from the vantage of endgame
Perfect Ten: Ranking the top 10 cities in Final Fantasy XIV
Vague Patch Notes: MMOs rely on other people – but what does that really mean?
Star Citizen devs report drying funds, micromanagement, overspending, and episodic release for Squadron 42
Design Mockument: How might we build a Stormlight Archive MMORPG?
Massively Overthinking: Are we over early access MMOs and the ‘early access trap’ yet?
Fight or Kite: Dungeonborne gives Elder Scrolls vibes with a hint of battle royale
LOTRO Legendarium: The rise and fall and rise of Mines of Moria
Stick and Rudder: Star Citizen talks tools, gear, social features, and Squadron 42 at CitizenCon day one
Stick and Rudder: On CitizenCon day two, Star Citizen talked MMO design and full 1.0 release
Wisdom of Nym: The dark side of role quests in Final Fantasy XIV
Not So Massively: ZeroSpace is the last hope for multiplayer RTS fans
Choose My Adventure: The final push to level cap in Throne & Liberty
Perfect Ten: 2024’s MMO soundtrack themes ranked from worst to best
MMO Hype Train: Is Corepunk really ready for prime time?
Vague Patch Notes: The MMO world you don’t control
Massively Overthinking: How much does gross monetization really affect your MMO play decisions?
Design Mockument: Alternate trinities in MMORPGs and the challenge of other roles
Massively on the Go: Hands-on with Super Mario Party Jamboree’s online modes
Wisdom of Nym: Contrasting the storytelling of Final Fantasy XIV and Final Fantasy XI
Hands-on with Lynked Banner of the Spark, an adorable roguelite with base building, crafting, and co-op
Choose My Adventure: Throne & Liberty’s endgame blends genuine fun with intense social requirements
The Daily Grind: What was the worst-designed class in the history of MMOs?
MMO Hype Train: Wayfinder is a genuinely good little RPG – but a missed opportunity to be an MMO
Perfect Ten: The 10 types of tanks in MMORPGs
Vague Patch Notes: Solipsism and what it means for playing MMORPGs
Casually Classic: Looking back at my 20+ year journey in World of Warcraft
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go’s November looks overstuffed and underseasoned
Massively Overthinking: Have you ever been booted from an MMORPG group because your class wasn’t the meta?
THE FULL 2024 YEAR-IN-REVIEW
