Who said the MMO genre was dead? Most major publishers may have abandoned the genre, considered too risky, but this has allowed an entire ecosystem of independent studios to get onto the market. A good idea, a successful Kickstarter and anything can happen!

For more than 2 years, we have seen many titles full of imagination, to attract an often niche audience. The major trends have been sandbox content and heroic fantasy universe (timeless!), but we see more and more titles that are out of the box. We let you discover a sample of what awaits us for this year in MMORPG 2018.

MMORPGs announced for 2018

Bless

After a long test period, Bless is supposed to be out this year in buy-to-play. The developers promise us a MMORPG based primarily on mass PvP (100 against 100) with the presence of two factions at war.

Aside from the huge battlefields and citadels, this role-playing game will also have lots of dungeons and quests (PvE), all backed by a solid background and choices that will guide your destiny.

Dual Universe

Exploring the universe is good, but colonizing it is better! Dual Universe applies the sandbox principle to the galactic scale by allowing us to build real civilizations on planets that no one else has explored before. This space MMO benefits from a novel tool specially designed to allow players to build various types of buildings in record time.

However, Dual Universe does not only offer a building experience, PvP is also very present because colonization is also a matter of survival. Especially in a future where humanity had to flee the Earth following a major natural disaster.

The release of this ambitious game is scheduled for December 2018.

Lost Ark

We’ve been talking about it since 2014, the beta started in 2016 and now it should finally be released this year in paid version but without subscription. Lost Ark has taken us a lot of patience and we hope it’s worth it!

This title stands out by offering dynamic gameplay with hack’n slash fighting without targeting, while remaining a full-fledged MMORPG with its quests, open world to explore and 18 heroes to customize. It is also about going to sea and conquering islands.

Rend

Rend does not talk much about itself, yet this MMORPG is developed by former Blizzard employees (Just that!). Players must join one of the 3 factions available and fight it out. In this heroic fantasy universe that is in perpetual war, the goal is to annihilate your enemies.

However, it is not only about battles and slicing ​​heads off, victory requires, above all, a solid preparation. The latter goes through farming, the building of strong fortresses and of course the development of your hero according to your style of play.

In the end, Rend is a kind of giant battlefield with elements of survival and construction.

Already available for early access via Steam, an official release is planned for 2018.

Survived By

Another UFO of the genre developed this time by Canadian Digital Extremes, the studio already at the origin of Warframe (among others). Survived By surfs along the retro wave with pixel art graphics and hardcore difficulty. Indeed, death is definitive in this rogue-like MMORPG .

However, you continue your adventure by embodying the descendant of your previous hero. This massively multiplayer RPG gathers up to 100 players per server and focuses primarily on fighting with the ability to make your own stuff.

Currently in alpha test, Survived By is scheduled for 2018 in free-to-play.

Project TL

Project TL is expected for this year with a beta that should show up shortly. This is once again a massively multiplayer RPG with a wide variety of classes, but developers want to go further in realism with an open and alive world, a day / night cycle, weather effects and even destructible environments for PvP.

A first beta should begin in the coming weeks and the release is expected by the end of 2018.

Sea of ​​Thieves

Here is a title that is out of the ordinary by its nature and its universe. Sea of ​​Thieves proposes to embody a pirate in need of adventure, but the originality of this title lies in the fact of being able to create, or to integrate, a crew made up of other players and to skim the seas on your own ship. You will then compete with other groups (PvP) in an open world filled with sea monsters, islands of fine sand and buried treasures.

Developed by Microsoft, Sea of ​​Thieves is like an MMO, yet the studio speaks of a simple multiplayer adventure game. The fact that it is crossplatform (PC and Xbox One) adds to its particularity.

The beta is already on the way but the treasure hunt will officially start on March 20th.

Wild West Online

From memory, Wild West Online is the first MMORPG where players embody a western cowboy! This makes Wild West Online a special title that focuses a lot of attention from players who want to play the revolver. The rest seems classic with exploration, resource gathering, PvE and a good dose of PvP.

Players can choose to be a representative of the law, a renegade or a simple gold craving . In any case, your actions will build your reputation and the opportunities will vary depending on it and your interactions with other players. The developers highlight the immersive side of WWO with a day / night cycle, large spaces reproducing the beautiful environments of this region of the US, but also with the presence of a lifetime embodied by many NPCs.

Announced in 2016 only, this MMO is already accessible for owners of the pack founder and is expected for a very likely official release in 2018.

The MMORPGs we hope to see in 2018

Gloria Victis

Forget magic and the role of a hero fated to save the world, Gloria Victis is about history and realism. Without referring to a definite period of history or characters that have existed, this MMORPG offers a medieval universe that is immersive, with a player-driven economy, craftsmanship and housing.

Created by an independent studio, This game combines survival and sandbox, two styles that go perfectly together for players who want to experience a virtual but dangerous social life. Because beyond hunger, thirst and predators, the greatest danger is embodied by other players! In Gloria Victis, PvP will be at the center of the gameplay.

Currently in early access, it should be released officially this year in free-to-play version.

Citadel: Forged with Fire

No need to wait for the next Harry Potter game to become a sorcerer’s apprentice! Citadel: Forged with Fire is a MMORPG with sandbox content with a huge open world to explore (36km²), secrets that you will have to grab and above all, thousands of magicians to compete against.

Because apart from the classic PvE activities of a role-playing game, it’s an open war between the different houses waiting for you. Citadel has exploration, a guild system at the center of player interactions and a vast arsenal of spells and equipment that brings a wide variety of gameplay.

You can already learn your first spells thanks to the early access available on the official website or the Steam platform.

Camelot Unchained

Hang on to your old gamers’ briefs, the designer of Camelot Unchained is none other than Mark Jacobs, one of the initiators of the famous, the legendary, Dark Age of Camelot! We find the universe of Arthurian legends and a good dose of PvP with entire factions fighting in the same instance (RvR). Between two conquests of territories, you have a legend to write, yours! For that, a slew of challenges await you with the eternal dragons and magical spells.

We still have no release date for this MMORPG, but we at least know that in order to offer the best experience possible, the studio is moving towards buy-to-play and the obligation to pay a subscription.

 

Chronicles of Elyria

The Soulbound independent studio is trying to push the limits of the sandbox MMORPG with Chronicles of Elyria . It contains the essential components of the genre such as an economy managed entirely by players with limited resources, a great feeling of freedom (no predefined class and you choose your own way), housing , etc.

In good roleplaying, CoE also offers a lot of non-repeatable quests, a completely destructible environment and a progression of the character relative to his experience. PvP also occupies an essential place, with dynamic gameplay and permanent conflicts whose outcome can change the story. But what catches our attention is the fact of embodying an avatar that ages and dies over time, pushing players to approach the game from a different angle and unprecedented for an MMO.

In development since May 2016, we expect a beta by the end of the year.

Crowfall

Hardcore PvP fans are eagerly awaiting Crowfall! Imagine a merger between Game of Thrones and Eve Online, imagine a game of strategy focused on the dimensions of an MMO, with a war of territories that are settled on several levels, both at the political level, economically but especially on the field of battle. Each player embodies a hero of his choice from several available classes and races, before pledging allegiance to a house linked to a deity. Then begins a real crusade with territories to conquer and fortresses to build from resources earned in combat.

These fights take place over several days, even weeks, in huge instanced areas and in 3D. This is where you take control of your avatar as in a classic RPG, it must manage its vital needs while participating in the battles that succeed each other day after day. The successes and failures on the battlefield are then reflected in the persistent world your clan will have to conquer.

Already in early access, we cross our fingers for this title to come out this year!

Ashes of Creation

The MMORPG Ashes of Creation focuses above all on the interaction between players and their environment, impacting the latter significantly to create a dynamic virtual world in perpetual evolution. This is made possible by a system of interdependent “nodes” whose changes influence its neighbors.

It seems abstract on paper, but dive just a little deeper into the subject to realize the potential of this title! Concretely, we embody an inhabitant of a world in reconstruction. The goal being to build a new civilization on the ruins of the old ones, all in a fantastic medieval universe. Everything is made available to players to achieve this goal (collection of resources and building system), but the task will be difficult, especially because of the players themselves who will have to choose between diplomacy and the sword (or magic). Some cities will have to disappear to let others grow.

A first test phase started last December, with, hopefully, a release late in 2018.

Escape from Tarkov

In Escape from Tarkov you play as a former mercenary returning home, only to discover that your own city is in the throes of civil war. 3 factions clash for control of the city, you will have to choose your side and help innocent civilians while saving your own skin.

This MMOFPS mixes genres, between shooter, RPG and survival game, Escape from Tarkov offers an immersive and hardcore experience of the moment!

This title is already in beta for holders of the pre-order (with packs ranging from 30 to 110 €), we are waiting for the release for 2018.

Worlds Adrift

With Worlds Adrift , we move away a bit from the hell of battlefields to turn to explore an enchanting world but no less dangerous. Players fly around to collect the resources they need to survive and improve their base and equipment.

Indeed, the planet has suffered an unprecedented cataclysm and you play as one of the last survivors of humanity. The disaster has broken up the continents into a multitude of floating islands. In addition to the elements, the greatest danger remains the other adventurers. Some will be valuable allies, but the majority may pose some problems…

In early access since May 2017, the official release may well be for this year.