Blizzard finally said it out loud at BlizzCon 2026: the thing the WoW Classic community has been arguing about and demanding for years now has a name (World of Warcraft: Forever), a (very close) release date, and more content than most fans reasonably expected. World of Warcraft: Forever launches on November 4, 2026, for PC and Mac, and access is included with any active World of Warcraft subscription or game time, but the beta opens next Thursday, with Skyborne Edition and Warcraft Forever collection buyers getting in from September 17. Crucially, Blizzard is positioning this as a third permanent World […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/world-of-warcraft-forever-blizzcon-2026-release-date/

With Aion 2's global launch now less than a month away, NC has brought the MMORPG to gamescom 2026 with a straightforward pitch: this is the game the original Aion was always meant to be. At the beginning of the presentation, the developers stressed that the 2008 original was limited by the technology of its era, while Unreal Engine 5 finally lets the team realize that vision at the scale it was originally imagined. The world of Atreia is now a fully open, seamless MMORPG world, and the claim is the ambitious kind: if you can see it on the […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/aion-2-qa-dlss-5-console-cross-play/

Earlier today, I shared my impressions of the Guild Wars 3 presentation ArenaNet held at gamescom 2026, the first proper look at how the game actually plays following its Summer Game Fest announcement. As I wrote there, the studio's two headline features, the momentum-driven movement system and the action combat it feeds into, look like the real thing, even in a rough Pre-Alpha state. But the demo was only half of the appointment. Once the presentation ended, Studio Head Colin Johanson and combat designer Kevin Stocker stayed to answer questions from the assembled press, which on this occasion consisted just […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/guild-wars-3-gamescom-qa-defined-roles/

While the genre is certainly far from its peak, one of the more successful MMORPGs in today’s day and age is Final Fantasy XIV. That said, Square Enix’s first take on the formula – FFXI – remains just as popular in many regards. Following in the footsteps of its successor, the original Final Fantasy XI is now receiving a new Unlimited free trial.

Making the official announcement as part of their latest livestream (translated by Reddit user ‘hikiri’), Square Enix / the Final Fantasy team revealed that FFXI’s free trial is being vastly expanded.

Set to go live sometime next month, the update will come in two phases. First, free trial users will now have their level caps raised from 50 to 75. More excitingly however, Square will then follow this up with a backend server change which will allow for unlimited playtime – as opposed to the previous 14 day trial.

Of course, being a ‘free trial’ there are plenty of restrictions, including but not limited to:

• Fewer available jobs
• A maximum of 3 characters on your account
• 100,000 gil currency cap
• You cannot trade with other players
• Smaller max party size
• More limited communication
• Can only access zones from the Vanilla game

The full list of limitations is pretty exhaustive and can be found HERE. That said, Square’s Final Fantasy free trials remain some of the best in the MMO space. If you’ve not checked out FFXI before, next month is as good a time as any.

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KitGuru says: What do you think of the Final Fantasy MMOs? Between FFXI and XIV, which do you prefer? Let us know down below.

XL Games and Kakao Games have announced ArcheAge S: Strait of Freedom, an upcoming PC MMORPG targeting a 2027 release. Following the shutdown of North American and European ArcheAge servers two years ago, the new title aims to modernise the franchise while building on its original foundation.

Original ArcheAge lead designer and producer Kim Kyung-tae is leading the project as project director. Inspired by fantasy novels from author Jeon Min-hee, the title aims to preserve core franchise elements while updating mechanics for modern PC audiences. XL Games CEO Kwan-ho Choi stated the team is committed to preserving the identity of the original game while delivering a fresh experience.

Kakao Games co-CEO Siwoo Lee echoed this focus, noting that the title aims to carry forward the franchise's main appeal to global players. Separately, the multiplatform open-world action-RPG ArcheAge Chronicles, which is technically still slated for a Q4 release, has also started detailing its class lineup, revealing the Warrior and Ranger.

KitGuru says: Bringing ArcheAge back as a full PC MMORPG in 2027 will certainly draw interest from long-time fans of the original game, provided XL Games can deliver on its promises.

Today, South Korean duo XL Games (developer) and Kakao Games (publisher) announced a partnership on a new MMORPG titled ArcheAge S: Strait of Freedom, which is targeting a 2027 launch on PC. To clarify, this is a different game from ArcheAge Chronicles, which itself was originally titled ArcheAge 2. When XL Games and Kakao Games announced the title change, they also revealed that Chronicles would be quite different from the original ArcheAge, which launched in Korea in 2013, and in Europe and North America in 2014. That game delivered a uniquely balanced formula that mixed PvP and PvE elements, as […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/archeage-s-2027-true-sequel-2013-mmorpg/

The devastating layoffs mandated as part of Xbox's big reset hit Maryland-based developer ZeniMax Online Studios very hard, cutting 213 of its employees. Former Senior Encounter Designer Morgan Goin publicly stated that the studio couldn't possibly keep up the pace of The Elder Scrolls Online update it had strived for. Indeed, ZeniMax Online Studios swiftly told fans that the roadmap would have to change, and today Game Director Nick Giacomini has posted a letter outlining exactly how. As you'd expect, it's a bit of a good-news-bad-news situation. Let's start with the good news: The Elder Scrolls Online is here to […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/elder-scrolls-online-survives-xbox-reset-trial-combat-overhaul-2027/

MMORPG fans were treated to a surprise during Summer Game Fest 2026, as ArenaNet took the stage to unveil Guild Wars 3, which had been unceremoniously teased by an NCSoft executive during an investors call in March 2024. Earlier this year, a job ad suggested the project was in development with Epic's Unreal Engine 5. The announcement of Guild Wars 3 was particularly important given the near-complete lack of triple-A MMOs in development by Western studios (with the notable exception of Riot Games' elusive Runeterra MMO) and the recent cancellation of Amazon's The Lord of the Rings MMO. Indeed, in […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/guild-wars-3-end-decade-mmo-stagnation/

ArenaNet has announced Guild Wars 3, the third entry in its MMORPG franchise and the first new game in the series since 2012. The title is scheduled to launch globally on PC, Steam, and PS5, making this the debut of Guild Wars on console as well. 

The game takes place over a thousand years before the events of the original Guild Wars, set in the Tyrian region of Orr. This area is a wilderness frontier where players assume the role of a Vaelwarden, a member of an adventurer guild committed to protecting the land and the Vael spirits that embody the landscape. Players will use a notable spirit, the Seeker, as a mount.

The combat system is designed to accommodate both controllers and keyboards. ArenaNet states that the combat mechanics reward positioning by emphasising movement and momentum. Game Director Colin Johanson noted that the studio's approach is to create a responsive online world that respects players' time while advancing the MMORPG genre.

All of that sounds like we can expect a very different gameplay experience compared to the previous two Guild Wars games. We will know for sure when we get to try it but that won't be for a while, as beta testing is set to begin in Q3 2027. There is no specific release date for the game yet, but you can already wishlist it on Steam and the PlayStation Store.

KitGuru says: It has been a long wait for a new Guild Wars game. It sounds like the addition of console support will also bring a big shift in overall gameplay. 

Following the recent teases, ArenaNet took the stage at Summer Game Fest 2026 to unveil Guild Wars 3, the next iteration in the MMO saga. The developers are calling it an action-adventure MMORPG, a modern evolution of the genre that blends rich action combat, character building, and skill collection. In Guild Wars 3, players will master a combat system where depth is achieved through strategic skill use, positioning, and movement, thus mixing classic action RPG combat with Guild Wars-style build-making and creating a unique combat experience. Another trademark feature of the game is a movement system that transfers your momentum […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/guild-wars-3-announced-pc-ps5/

Today, NC America confirmed that the MMORPG AION 2 will launch later this year globally, following its original debut in South Korea on November 19, 2025. That version was made for mobile and accessible on PC only via NC's own Purple launcher. However, the global version has been built specifically for PC, according to the new press release, and it will also be distributed via Steam. In fact, you can already wishlist the game on Valve's store. The global servers will be hosted locally in North America, South America, Europe, and Japan, providing a latency-conscious gameplay experience for many users. […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/aion-2-global-steam-2026-pc/

During our recent GDC 2026 interview with NC America CEO Jeonghee “JJ” Jin, we couldn't pass up on the opportunity to inquire about the state of Horizon Steel Frontiers, the MMORPG set in the post-apocalyptic franchise created by Guerrilla Games. The first rumor about this project emerged in late 2022, when the Korean website MTN reported that Sony and NCSoft had signed a deal allowing NCSoft to develop an MMO game based on Horizon. All that appeared to be in jeopardy in early 2025, when the same source claimed the project had been canceled following an internal review, but that turned out to be […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/guerrilla-working-closely-nc-horizon-steel-frontiers/

During a recent remote press event, we had the chance to preview today's Elder Scrolls Online 2026 Seasons Direct, which outlined the main new features and content coming this year to the MMORPG, and also asked a few questions to ZeniMax Online in a roundtable format. First things first: The Elder Scrolls Online is coming to PC Game Pass, with Xbox Play Anywhere support, on June 2. Moreover, the Gold Road Collection (ESO base game + Gold Road Chapter + all previous Chapters, including the additional Warden, Necromancer, and Arcanist classes) is now free to grab for PlayStation Plus members […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/elder-scrolls-online-seasons-2026-overview/

There's been a major development in the ongoing Ashes of Creation legal battle: Intrepid Studios founder and CEO Steven Sharif has obtained his first legal victory against the board, obtaining a TRO (Temporary Restraining Order) from a judge. As a reminder, following the sudden implosion of the game and its removal from Steam, not to mention the fraud accusations levied by one of the game's investors, Sharif was targeted with a lawsuit filed by TFE Games Holdings on February 9, 2026, in the Nevada District Court, Clark County. However, he quickly filed his own lawsuit against Robert Dawson (the major investor behind […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/ashes-of-creation-steven-sharif-tro-tfe-board/

With exactly a week left before the official launch of World of Warcraft: Midnight, here's a semi-exclusive interview with Blizzard where four members of the development team open up on the key areas of the game's eleventh expansion, such as dungeons, raids, delves, the Zul'aman zone, and the new Prey system. I said semi-exclusive because I shared the remote interview session with Carrie Lambertsen from Screen Rant, so you'll see her name pop up as well throughout the transcript when she was the one asking questions. The following Blizzard developers were involved: Associate Game Director Paul Kubit, Lead Encounter Designer […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/wow-midnight-interview-prey-system-raids-zulaman/

The story behind the MMORPG Ashes of Creation, its development team (Intrepid Studios), its founder and CEO Steven Sharif, and its major investors (Robert Dawson, Jason Caramanis) continues to get messier. As you might remember, Jason Caramanis publicly accused Steven Sharif of fraud, embezzlement, and other illegal acts, and mentioned that Sharif would be the target of several lawsuits, including one already filed by TFE Games Holdings against Steven Sharif and his husband, John Moore, on February 9, 2026, in the Nevada District Court, Clark County. However, a few days ago, Sharif himself filed a counter-lawsuit in the United States […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/ashes-of-creation-riot-games-acquisition-sharif-counter-lawsuit/