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This Week in MMO: Expansions, Controversies & More
This week in MMO news saw major expansion announcements, industry controversies, and significant playerbase shifts. Star Wars: The Old Republic revealed its Onslaught expansion, Blizzard faced backlash over employee tracking, and Albion Online went free-to-play to heavy demand.
Star Wars: The Old Republic and Guild Wars 2 Announce New Content
Star Wars: The Old Republic kicked off the week with the official reveal of its Onslaught expansion, set to arrive in September. The expansion brings back the faction war and introduces the Nautolan species as a playable race. In the same patch cycle, patch 5.10.2 (Heralds of Victory) went live, adding guild sigils and a heraldry system. Guild Wars 2 also made waves by announcing its next living world episode, War Eternal, which will include a new mount: the Skyscale dragon, a flying dragon similar to the existing griffon but with distinct mechanics.
Industry Controversy: Blizzard’s Employee Monitoring
Blizzard Entertainment came under fire this week following a report that the company had tracked female employees’ sexual activity, pregnancy, and moods. The practice, which was reportedly part of a broader effort to manage productivity and morale, drew widespread criticism from media and players alike, raising renewed questions about workplace ethics in the games industry.
Free-to-Play Launches and Player Booms
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