EverQuest is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) originally developed by Verant Interactive and 989 Studios for Windows. It was released by Sony Online Entertainment in March 1999 in North America, and by Ubisoft in Europe in April 2000. A dedicated version for Mac OS X was released in June 2003, which operated for ten years before being shut down in November 2013. In June 2000, Verant Interactive was absorbed into Sony Online Entertainment, who took over full development and publishing duties of the title. Later, in February 2015, SOE's parent corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment, sold the studio to investment company Columbus Nova and it was rebranded as Daybreak Game Company, which continues to develop and publish EverQuest.
A multi-user dungeon, also known as a multi-user dimension or multi-user domain, is a multiplayer real-time virtual world, usually text-based or storyboarded. MUDs combine elements of role-playing games, hack and slash, player versus player, interactive fiction, and online chat. Players can read or view descriptions of rooms, objects, other players, and non-player characters, and perform actions in the virtual world that are typically also described. Players typically interact with each other and the world by typing commands that resemble a natural language, as well as using a character typically called an avatar.
A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game.
Neverwinter Nights is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare. Interplay Entertainment was originally set to publish the game, but financial difficulties led to it being taken over by Infogrames, who released the game under their Atari range of titles. It is the first installment in the Neverwinter Nights series and was released for Microsoft Windows on June 18, 2002. BioWare later released a Linux client in June 2003, requiring a purchased copy of the game to play. MacSoft released a Mac OS X port in August 2003.
Jagex Limited is a British video game developer and publisher based at the Cambridge Science Park in Cambridge, England. It is best known for RuneScape and Old School RuneScape, both free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing games. The company's name is derived from the company's original slogan, "Java Gaming Experts".
Wemade Co., Ltd is a South Korean video game developer, based in Seongnam. They are the creators of the Legend of Mir series of MMORPGs, the two most successful being The Legend of Mir 2, and its sequel The Legend of Mir 3. Legend of Mir has attracted over 120 million users in Asia, and generated over $65 million a month in revenue during its height. Even today, in its ninth year of operation, Legend of Mir 2 still generates well over $20 million a month in China alone.
Soul of the Ultimate Nation was a fantasy-based massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) produced by Webzen, a Korean-based company. It was operated in South Korea by Webzen and in mainland China by The9. The game was launched in Taiwan on April 19, and in China on May 24, 2007 as a paid online service and closed on July 3, 2013.
Aion: The Tower of Eternity is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by the South Korean company NCSoft. The game combines PvP and PvE in a fantasy game environment. As of May 2009, Aion had 3.5 million subscribers in Asia. AION's first major expansion pack was released to North America and Europe on September 7, 2010 under the name Aion: Assault on Balaurea. Truly Free launched on April 11, 2012 with no restrictions. The second major expansion was released in North America on June 26, 2013 under the name Aion: Dark Betrayal. Its most recent expansion was launched on July 13, 2016 under the name Aion: Echoes of Eternity.
The history of massively multiplayer online games spans over thirty years and hundreds of massively multiplayer online games (MMOG) titles. The origin and influence on MMO games stems from MUDs, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) and earlier social games.
Grand Chase is a free-to-play, two-dimensional side-scrolling MMORPG, developed by the South Korean company KOG Studios. Alternative names for Grand Chase included Three Young Heroes, Eternal Adventures, both used in Taiwan prior to its closure, as well as Rainbow Warriors on the Mainland Chinese server.
Dragon Saga, called Dragonica before 2010, is a free-to-play 3D side-scrolling massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Barunson Interactive and Gravity Interactive. Development has been ongoing since March 2006. Operation of Dragon Saga is relegated to different publishers for their respective regions. Whilst being free-to-play, the game also includes a cash shop that allows for unique customization of player's characters. The game's commercial launch was in June 2009 in China and October in Europe and October 2010 in North America. Characters created during the open beta testing were carried over to the commercial release.
Atlantica Online is a free-to-play (F2P) 3D tactical massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by NDOORS Corporation. The game is currently published by Valofe. The game's primary setting is a fantasy-themed alternate history Earth composed of a diverse blend of historical, cultural, allegorical, and mythological elements. The game world is primarily modeled after real-world geography with accessible locations on six of the seven continents as well as the mythical floating continent of Atlantis from which the game's name is derived.
Blade & Soul is a Wuxia-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Korean NCSoft. Blade & Soul was released in Western territories on January 19, 2016. A Japanese animated television adaptation aired in 2014 from April 3 to June 26 on TBS and other stations.
World of Tanks (WoT) is an armoured warfare-themed multiplayer online game developed by Wargaming, featuring 20th century (1910s–1970s) era combat vehicles. It is built upon a freemium business model where the game is free-to-play, but participants also have the option of paying a fee for use of "premium" features. The focus is on player vs. player gameplay with each player controlling an armored vehicle, from the time of Pre-World War 2 to the Cold War-era.
Dragon Nest is a free-to-play fantasy MMORPG developed by Eyedentity and available in different regions and languages. Aside from boasting a non-targeting combat and skill system within instance dungeons, Dragon Nest revolves around a rich story which is told in different points of view depending on the player's chosen class. Dragon Nest receives new content, balance patches and cash shop items on a monthly basis. Major expansions that include several new dungeons, Nests, new classes, multiple new features or remake of old ones, extensive class adjustments and a raise on the level cap take place every year.
Firefall was a science fiction free-to-play massive multiplayer online open world shooter video game developed and released by Red 5 Studios in 2014. Officially announced in 2010, the game entered closed beta in 2011 and open beta in 2013. It was the first and only game to be developed by Red 5 Studios, combining elements from both the shooter genre and some role-playing aspects from the massive multiplayer online genre. Firefall was shut down in 2017.
Kunlun Group or their alternative name KoramGame, is a Hong Kong software developer and publisher.
PangYa was a free-to-play MMO casual golf simulation video game, designed by South Korean development company Ntreev Soft for Microsoft Windows. Although the game was a realistic simulator, it had fantasy-themed courses and anime-style characters, and the game made use of microtransactions to customize characters. Released in its home country in 2004 before expanding to Japan and other territories, it was released the following year in North America published by GameFactory, where it was initially titled Albatross18. PangYa servers were discontinued in most territories as of 2017, and the last official server, serving Thailand, was shut in 2024. Other PangYa games were also made for the Wii and PlayStation Portable game consoles, as well as a mobile game on Android and iOS.
Changyou.com Ltd. operates online games, primarily massively multiplayer online games, in China. Originally a division of Chinese Internet company Sohu, Changyou was spun off and went public in 2009 through a variable interest entity (VIE) structure based in the Cayman Islands. The company claims it was operating independently of Sohu as early as 2007.
Dragon's Prophet was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Taiwanese developer Runewaker Entertainment. After going through an open beta phase, the game was officially launched in September 2013. The game client was free to download, and no monthly subscription fee was required as the service was funded by real money transactions. On October 5, 2015 Sony Online Entertainment announced that they would cease operation of the North American servers on November 16, 2015. European and Taiwanese publishers continuing operations until May, 2020, when servers were shut down worldwide.
