Each week, we scour the internet for all things indie MMO-related, so you don’t have to. This week, Palia talks villagers, Corepunk pokes its head up for a new video, and Zenith: The Last City prepares for a major update and PS2 VR release. Oh, and to debunk a rumor that none of the games covered in the Indie MMO Spotlight will ever reach release, we have seen 14 of our beloved indie MMOs make it to launch. That number doesn’t include the titles that entered Early Access or had already launched prior to the inception of this column. Anyway, plenty of positive stuff is going on, so let’s quit wasting time and get started with this week’s Indie MMO Spotlight.
BitCraft
After last week’s visit to the desert biome, BitCraft’s weekly Twitter vignette takes us to the sea. I sort of neutral to the art style of the game, but this is the first vignette where I have to give the look a thumbs down. The little dude swimming looks like a fish out of water. What do you think?
There's nothing more refreshing than jumping into the sea after a long day of work. pic.twitter.com/rGiFnCvTrV
— BitCraft (@BitCraftOnline) February 14, 2023
Cinderstone Online
The Cinderstone team released a Valentine’s quest chain this week. In true Cinderstone development fashion, the first quest wasn’t actually ready on Valentine’s Day. Sorry, I’m in a snarky mood today, but I’m leaving that in because I think it is hilarious.
Corepunk
Oh, heck yeah! It’s been a while since we got a new gameplay video from Artificial Core, so it was nice to see they shared a new gameplay video this week. Video #4: Professions previews the four crafting and gathering professions in the video that shows off over one hour of gameplay.
The Cycle: Frontier
Yager posted another Season 3 blog entry this week. This time, the post covers the upcoming upgrades to Prospect Station.
The Day Before
Fntastic posted a new video this week to show off all of the advancements the team has made while developing TDB over the last few years. There is a definite difference in the art style and environment, but the zombie AI still looks as one-dimensional today as it did back in 2019.
Dual Universe
I’m always up for a good pun, and Dual Universe didn’t disappoint with their “Luv Me DU” event this week. The Valentine’s themed event runs through February 20th.
Elethor
As we mentioned last week, Elethor v33 was released this week. You can find the full patch notes here.
Embers Adrift
Wednesday’s State of the Game forum post takes a look at all of the updates the team made to Embers Adrift in January.
Genfanad
Genfanad’s Valentine’s Day update did add a new event to the MMO. However, the big news of the update was the combat rework. Genfanad also has a new Patreon page, with all revenue going directly to development.
Gloria Victis
The GV team posted a Week 1 Summary on Wednesday. Over 2000 support tickets were submitted, and the team is confident they have fixed most of the frequent critical issues. SteamCharts show a peak player count of 3,580 and an average of 918. Both numbers are much higher than pre-launch.
Mad World
A new video introduces us to the Outcast Cave dungeon. The dungeon is filled with spiders, including the Spider Queen Araginion.
Margonem
Margonem celebrated its 11th birthday on Wednesday. A new birthday event will run until March 8th. Players level 25 and up will be able to participate.
Nightingale
Nightingale posted a new dev vlog on Monday. The video still sets 2023 as the launch window, and players can expect more playtests coming soon. The team is currently working to improve the gameplay based on recent playtest feedback. It also looks like dedicated servers and player modding will not be available when Nightingale enters Early Access.
Palia
What’s an MMO without NPCs? We’ll never know in Palia, as a new blog post covers all of the NPCs you will meet during your adventures.
Profane
Profane took to Twitter to show off some more WIP screenshots.
Hey, peeps!We have been super excited (and busy) with development, and more and more assets are being tested in-game. pic.twitter.com/uj1TymnwDh
— Profane MMORPG (@ProfaneMMO) February 16, 2023
Prosperous Universe
Development Log #373 covers more of the updates coming to the new player experience.
Ravendawn
Ravendawn will have a livestream on Saturday, February 25th. The stream will cover everything about the upcoming Open Beta, including a new trailer premiere. The stream will also preview some of the upcoming updates, like the main continent expansion and other new features.
Tatsumeeko
Get your weekly devblog goodness right here. This week’s post covers the new combat prototype, a look at equipping your allies, and plenty of artwork.
Villagers & Heroes
The Sugarsweet event is now live. You can see all of the patch notes on the V&H forums.
Zenith: The Last City
Patch 1.2.2 went live this week. Check out the patch notes here. Zenith has also been teasing the changes coming with the 1.3 patch, including a peek at the Cyber Ninja and a new enemy type.