If someone’s trying to convince you that the MMORPG genre is dead, don’t believe it! Sure, it may not be as lively as the years following the massive success ofWorld of Warcraft—you know, when we sawLord of the Rings Online, Age of Conan, Warhammer Online, Star Wars: The Old Republic,andStar Trek Onlineall released within a few years of each other—but it’s still a good time to be an MMORPG fan and this week proves it. In a four-day window, we will see the release of two brand-new MMORPGs as well as the relaunch of a classic version of a popular MMORPG. Let’s take a look at what’s coming this week.
Pax DeiEarly Access Launch – June 18
It all kicks off on June 18 with the Early Access launch of the highly anticipated sandbox MMORPGPax Dei. I hada hands-on experience withPax Deiin November 2023and was blown away by developer Mainframe Industries ability to create a massive world that felt like the players truly molded it how they wanted. In a nutshell, if you’ve ever played an MMORPG and thought, “It would be cool to just be a blacksmith all day and actually be able to progress and be useful in an MMORPG”,Pax Deigives you the opportunity to do just that.
Even though it’s launching into Early Access, the core meat and potatoes ofPax Deiare there. The 116 mi² map tasks players with finding their own slice of life to settle down and build a homestead, eventually building up to an entire village or fortress. In a purely player-driven economy, it’s up to the inhabitants ofPax Deito work together or fight over resources as they build and tech up.
Mainframe Industries expects the Early Access period to last at least a year as they enhance and evolve the MMORPG based on player feedback.
Pax Deilaunches in Early Access on Steam on June 18.
EverQuest 2Origins (Classic) Server Anasthi Sul – June 19
The very popular MMORPGEverQuesthad a sequel release in November of 2004, though many people didn’t get the opportunity to play it then. Why? Well, just two weeks after its release, an MMORPG you may have heard of calledWorld of Warcrafttook the genre by storm.EverQuest 2is still supported today, with theBallands of Zimaraexpansion dropping last year, and a new expansion codenamedEverQuest 21(indicating the 21st expansion) is set to launch in November of this year.
Back in April the new owner ofEverQuest, Darkpaw Games, announced that a classic “origins” server forEverQuest 2was in the works. While the game has evolved over the years, especially to be more solo-friendly, many miss the times when MMORPG’s had a bit more of the MMO part, primarily due to mechanics being built around socializing and working with other players.
This unique server aims to bring the social back toEverQuest 2. The server will launch with just the base vanillaEverQuest 2experience, with a focus on group play. Mechanics that have become trivial over the years like relying on other players to craft gear, putting together parties to tackle dungeons, and leveling groups, will be front and center with this server.
TheEverQuest 2Origins server, Anasthi Sul, is set to launch on June 19.
TarislandGlobal Launch – June 21
At the beginning of 2023, the popular MMORPGWorld of Warcraftwent offline in China due to a dispute between Blizzard and the game’s Chinese distributor NetEase. This was a big deal asWorld of Warcrafthas a massive player base in China, and all of a sudden millions of players suddenly couldn’t access their account overnight.
In the midst of all the madness, Level Infinite and Tencent saw an opportunity to fill the void and announcedTarisland, an MMORPG with a plethora of race and class combinations where players would work together to explore, craft, and take down massive bosses in raid encounters.Tarislandhas been developed to allow cross-platform play between PC, Android, and iOS devices all at once.
In April 2024, Blizzard and NetEase resolved their differences and came to an agreement which broughtWorld of Warcraftback to China.Tarislandis still hoping to provide an enticing experience in a F2P format that uses the standardWoW-like MMORPG formula.
Tarislandlaunches globally on PC, Android, and iOS on June 21.
