You saw our picks for the Best Games of 2019 last week, and almost 2000 of you voted in our Players' Choice Awards 2019 poll. Now it's time to unveil your picks! Here are your winners in the 2019 MMORPG.com Players' Choice Awards!
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Biggest Disappointment: Anthem
Runners-up: Ashes of Creation: Apocalypse, ArcheAge: Unchained
Oh Anthem, from your troubled development to your lackluster launch, you ride this year has been a bumpy one. Going form one of the most hyped games to release in 2019 to one of the most disappointing games of the year is quite the fall from grace, and while the development team would try their best to reclaim their footing, the sci-fi looter shooter from Bioware just couldn't make up the ground it lost with its myriad of launch issues and missing promised features.
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Best Battle Royale: Apex Legends
Runners-up: Fortnite, PUBG
As mentioned previously, our Battle Royal category last year replaced the MOBA category in these awards. No game mode has defined the state of the video game industry much like the Battle Royale. Apex Legends, though, has proven to disrupt the kingpins of the market (Fortnite and PUBG) by providing unique gameplay features in the genre, as well as the tight movement and gunplay seen in Respawn's other title, Titanfall. It'll be interesting to see where Apex goes from here in 2020, as they came on the scene and smashed it this year.
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Best Role-Playing Game: The Outer Worlds
Runners-up: Kingdom Hearts III, Disco Elysium
Obsidian's return to their RPG roots really took hold with players and critics alike this year. The Outer Worlds is a fantastic ride and a true old-school style RPG in the vein of the old Fallout games. As the original creators of Fallout, Obsidian has the perfect formula for its open-world, branching storyline, fun dialogue and characters and quirky, yet downtrodden world. On the whole, The Outer Worlds is a fun, eclectic adventure that definitely should be experienced by any veteran RPG fan.
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Best Persistent Online Game: Path of Exile
Runners-up: Warframe, Destiny 2
Path of Exile has had a good year. Everyone seems to agree as Path of Exile won this poll with more than half the vote! With massive updates coming with the announcements made during ExileCon last month, specifically Path of Exile 2 and the changes that new campaign will bring, Path of Exile is poised to have a stellar 2020.
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Most Improved MMORPG: The Elder Scrolls Online
Runners-up: Black Desert Online, Star Wars: The Old Republic
ESO keeps trucking along, and MMORPG.com fans have been saying it for years: it's one of the most consistent MMORPGs on the market since its One Tamriel revamp a few years back. While it still has issues, mainly with combat and its performance in spots, the stories The Elder Scrolls Online tells are some of the best in MMOs. With Elsweyr and the year-long storyline wrapping up, as well as the Skyrim teaser hinting at a reveal in January, ESO feels primed to continue its run as one of the best MMOs on the market right now.
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Most Anticipated MMO/Persistent World: Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen
Runners-up: New World, Lost Ark, Crowfall
With almost half of the total vote, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is named the Most Anticipated MMO by the MMORPG.com readers. This group-focused MMO has had it share of ups and downs, especially within the last month with the tragic passing of legendary game designer Brad "Aradune" McQuaid, but Visionary Realms' upcoming MMO is still one of the most talked about games on the MMORPG forums. It's going to be interesting to see where VR takes Pantheon's development in 2020 as the team moves ahead without McQuaid, but the sandbox MMO feels poised to continue his legacy into the new year.
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Players' Choice Best MMO of 2019: Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
Runners-up: World of Warcraft: Classic, The Elder Scrolls Online
When Final Fantasy XIV first released earlier in the decade, many didn't think it would last thanks to the myriad of issues it launched with. When A Realm Reborn rebooted the MMO, however, everything changed. This is one of the best MMORPGs on the market, full stop - and Shadowbringers takes that to a whole new level. It's not a shock that the readers of MMORPG.com voted Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers as the Best MMO of 2019. Congrats to the team at Square Enix!
Thank you to everyone who voted in this poll, as well as the spirited discussion the last few weeks surrounding these GOTY awards. It's been an interesting 2019 in the world of MMOs and 2020 feels poised to be even moreso with new games releasing and the ever present question as to whether or not old, announced games will ever release.
Have a Safe and Happy Holidays to you and yours this week!
