It’s that time again – the time when we take a look back at all the big stories of the year and gather them in one convenient place. To be honest, I do these recaps as much for myself as for everyone else because it’s so easy to forget everything that happened. So it’s now tradition: as we did in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, let’s take a look back at our MMO coverage, one month a day for the next 12 days, to discover the highlights and set our next trip in 2023.
January 2022 wasn’t bad for big MMOs and industry news; we had just a few days of peace before the genre broke the news that Microsoft was trying to buy Activision-Blizzard for $68.7 billion in a transparent move to help the latter company escape the legal and cultural dramas of 2021, all on the back of a union organizing effort by several factions of Acti-Blizz workers that continued its narrative thread throughout the year. The news all but snuffed out Sony’s plans to take over Bungie, as 2022 has become the year game companies eat each other alive.
MMO players also had no shortage of choices for new games this month; we saw no less than Deadly online 2, Broken rowsand the Kickstarters Zenith take their launch run.
Here’s the full roundup of January from the past year, from the month’s top stories to our best editorials.
TOP NEWS OF JANUARY 2022
Square Enix President Praises Blockchain for Game-to-Win Potential and ‘Autonomous Game Growth’
China’s continued freeze on new gaming approvals shuts down 14,000 gaming businesses in the country
Interview: ArcheAge Studios moves to Kakao, bans, landrushes and the future of the game
The Elder Scrolls Online has begun teasing what looks like a Breton-centric chapter in the High Isles
Raven Software strike stretches into third week as Activision-Blizzard claims management is listening
Mortal Online 2 developer gets Epic Games MegaGrant, confirms move to Unreal Engine 5
Chronicles of Elyria now estimates a late 2024 release
The tibia receives sound for the first time at the age of 25
Amazon Prime’s Fallout TV series begins production this year
Red Dead Online’s first ugly update of 2022 sparks a community movement to save the game
Jagex 2020 financial results show increase in revenue, subscriptions and microtransaction sales
Ember’s Adrift is aiming for a 2022 launch while combat and character creation are beefed up
Cross-platform creature taming MMO Chimeraland officially launches on mobile and PC
Star Citizen and Squadron 42 are still years away from launch, CIG confirms
Neverwinter’s 22nd module, Dragonbone Vale, is available today on PC
Black Desert claims 230% increase in new daily western players on PC thanks to class reboot
DC Universe Online turns 11 and gave you a huge gift
Elder Scrolls Online PvPer’s Grumpy Over Out-of-Context Stream clip
A former Activision-Blizzard employee compares the company to the Titanic
Elyon adds Archer, balances all classes and revamps RvR in today’s update
Riot Games presents a five-year plan, partial ownership for employees
PUBG is now a free-to-play title on PC and console with today’s update
Lord of the Rings Online defends – and now stops – controversial Pay-to-Win currency changes
Elite Dangerous Odyssey had a “difficult calendar year,” but Frontier claims a “recovery in player sentiment”
EVE Online’s surprise Doctor Who crossover event is live
Avatar: Reckoning feels like a mobile MMO shooter backed by Disney and Tencent
The Game Archaeologist: Talking About 25-Year Old Tibia with CipSoft
The original Second Life founder joins the project to create the ultimate metaverse
Activision-Blizzard Addresses Call of Duty Mess, Striking Developers Report “Radio Silence”
Microsoft buys Activision-Blizzard, Bobby Kotick remains CEO
Riot Confirms Runeterra MMO’s Party-Centric Design Philosophy
Webzen closes five-year-old Mu Origin in the west
Acti-Blizz takeover, day two: labor, inventory, Kotick and the reasons for the sale
Activision-Blizzard sends useless questions about Microsoft acquisition to employees
Nightingale was originally an MMO, but scaled down to be more intimate
Reddit co-founder believes crypto games and players ‘getting properly rated’ for playtime will be the norm in five years
Blade and Soul adds new Soul Fighter specs and celebrates six years of Soul Resurgence update
State of the GDC Gaming Industry: NFTs, Metaverse, and More Than Half of Game Developers Want to Get Connected
Gamigo launches new division and plans new acquisitions to increase publishing efforts
Blizzard turns to regaining player trust as Kotick AGM leaves workers in limbo
New World Interview: Mutators, Midgame, Level 30 Wall and more
Activision-Blizzard’s Raven Software is officially syndicating
New World Mutator Dungeons goes live in today’s January patch
Mortal Online 2 Full Loot PvP MMORPG Sandbox officially launches today
Star Trek Online is bringing Kate Mulgrew to the game as part of its latest anniversary celebration
Blizzard is hiring for an untitled new survival game set in a ‘brand new universe’
Chinese martial arts MMORPG Justice Online announces western release, but it’s now playable via cloud gaming
Raven Software files union election lawsuit after ActiBlizz ignores request for recognition
Broken Ranks has officially launched, servers are melting down almost instantly due to demand
The Global Agenda is back from the dead at least temporarily, Hi-Rez confirms
PlanetSide 2’s long-delayed continent of Oshur is officially live today for PC players
VR MMO Zenith hits the ‘big red start button’ today
Atlas expands and bosses multiply in Path of Exile’s Siege of the Atlas expansion, launching February 4
The Elder Scrolls Online has just announced the High Isle chapter and the Legacy of the Bretons arc
MMO superhero City of Titans is looking for more money: ‘We operate on a limited budget’
Ubisoft’s Singapore studio cleared of wrongdoing, Ubisoft exec claims users ‘don’t get’ his Quartz NFTs
Newly launched Mortal Online 2 postpones subscriptions for a month
The union is calling on the SEC to investigate Activision-Blizzard’s ‘inaccurate and misleading’ acquisition disclosures
World of Warcraft finally bans boosting rings – but doesn’t boost itself
Sony buys Destiny developer Bungie for $3.6 billion
Kritika:REBOOT closes February 16
Swords of Legends Online announces free game changer and Firestone Legacy expansion for February