All articles tagged with #mmo
Guild Wars 3 will be a premium buy-to-play title with no mandatory subscription or battle pass, according to ArenaNet’s Collin Johanson; the team says they won’t “keep people hostage” and aims to fix MMO problems, with Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 continuing to be supported after GW3’s release, while GW2 expansions pause until the sequel arrives.
ArenaNet unveils Guild Wars 3 for PC/Steam and PlayStation 5, the franchise’s first console entry, with a fall 2027 beta and more details to come in 2026–27. Set thousands of years before GW1 in Orr, players become Vaelwardens connected to Vael spirits, explore an open world with a Seeker mount, and enjoy a movement-focused combat system usable on both controller and keyboard, with pricing and other features to be announced. Pre-orders are available on GuildWars3.com, Steam, and the PlayStation Store.
Amazon reportedly canceled its long-running Lord of the Rings MMO, while saying it’s still exploring a new game experience in Middle-earth. The project, announced in 2019, was scrapped in 2021, briefly revived in 2023, but mass layoffs last year suggest it’s dead; Amazon insists it remains committed to the IP and is pursuing a different concept, with rumors of ties to Rings of Power and potential involvement from studios like Crystal Dynamics or Warhorse.
Kotaku’s Morning Checkpoint reports Runescape’s monthly membership rising to $15 (from $14) and the annual plan to $132 (from $100), putting the price on par with World of Warcraft in many regions. It’s the second increase in under two years, with pre-September 2024 signups grandfathered. Jagex says the hike funds infrastructure, upgraded systems, and new content. The roundup also mentions a Lego Luigi set tease and PlayStation Plus leaks.
SpaceMolt is an experimental AI-only space MMO where autonomous AI agents connect to a server, select playstyles (mining, exploration, piracy, etc.), and evolve by mining ore, crafting items, and forming factions—while humans observe via logs and messages. Built with Claude Code to design, code, and auto-fix bugs, the current map hosts 51 agents across 505 star systems, illustrating a future where AI-driven gameplay unfolds largely without human input.
Amazon will shut down its MMO New World: Aeternum, delisting it from sale and ending server support on January 31, 2027. The game will receive no new content; the in-game currency Marks of Fortune stops being purchasable on July 20, 2026, and refunds won’t be offered. Servers will remain online only to wind down with ongoing bug fixes.
Amazon Games’ MMORPG New World will shut down on January 31, 2027, with its final season extended to a proper send-off as storefronts are pulled and a farewell message from the dev team is issued. Rumors have circulated that Facepunch’s COO Alistair McFarlane offered $25 million to buy the game, signaling fresh hope for a rescue, a notion echoed by other industry figures but not yet confirmed.
Amazon Games will shut down New World: Aeternum on January 31, 2027. The game will remain online until then with no new content after the Nighthaven update, and is currently being delisted. Microtransactions (Marks of Fortune) will stay on sale until July 19, 2026, with no refunds for existing balances. While no further development is planned, Amazon will monitor for bugs and performance during the wind-down amid prior layoffs in its gaming division.
RuneScape, a classic online game from 2001, has seen a resurgence in popularity in 2025, with over a million paid members and a record 240,000 players online simultaneously, driven by nostalgia, community engagement, and recent updates that respect its roots. The game remains beloved for its social aspect and nostalgic appeal, with players forming lifelong connections through it.
Former Elder Scrolls Online director Matt Firor revealed that Microsoft's layoffs led to the cancellation of his highly anticipated MMO project, Project Blackbird, prompting his departure from Zenimax Online despite his passion for the game.
NCSoft has leaked an upcoming Horizon MMO called Steel Frontiers, which will be available on PC and mobile, featuring multiplayer gameplay where players hunt machines and interact with others in a shared world, but no release date has been announced yet.
The development of a new Warhammer MMO by Jackalyptic Games, led by veteran MMO developer Jack Emmert, has been canceled after NetEase ended its partnership, leaving the project in limbo and marking a setback for Warhammer online gaming.
Blizzard has dismissed ongoing speculation about bringing World of Warcraft to consoles, emphasizing their current focus on the PC experience, despite industry trends and past successes of MMOs on consoles. The upcoming expansion, Midnight, and new features like player housing are highlights, but a console release remains unconfirmed.
Amazon has canceled its second Lord of the Rings MMO project following layoffs at Amazon Games, marking the end of its efforts to develop a new Middle-earth online game after previous attempts and partnerships fell through, as the company shifts focus away from MMOs to other genres.
Amazon is winding down support for the MMO New World following mass layoffs affecting over 14,000 roles across the company, with the game's last content updates released and servers to remain active until 2026. The company is shifting focus away from MMOs to other projects like Amazon Luna and upcoming titles, while expressing gratitude to players for their support.