2022 wasn't the year of the MMORPG. Not even close. New World had its ups and downs, Final Fantasy XIV had Endwalkers, and dragons breathed some new life into Guild Wars 2 and World of Warcraft, but most long-running MMOs just…existed. Several MMOs played their swan song this year. Elyon withered on the vine and took Tera with it. Bless Unleashed continues to hang on by a thread on PC, although the console version lost its grip and plummeted to its death.
It's the end of the year, though, and that means it's time to end our grieving for the year that was. It's time to look forward to a new year with hopes and dreams of finding a new MMORPG that will breathe new life into the genre. Welcome to our list of the most anticipated MMOs for 2023.
Blue Protocol
At first glance, Blue Protocol looks just like Genshin Impact or Tower of Fantasy. It shares the same anime art style and action-based combat as those titles, but Blue Protocol is expected to have the deep character customization of an MMORPG. The gameplay footage we’ve seen shows off some group play, but the question of how massively multiplayer Blue Protocol will be remains unanswered.
Throne and Liberty
Originally introduced as Lineage Eternal back in 2011 before being renamed Project TL when the title got a new game producer in 2017, Throne and Liberty is the current working name for NCSoft’s upcoming MMORPG. With so many changes during its decade-plus development, it is difficult to tell what Throne and Liberty will offer players when it finally releases in 2023. We do know that the gameplay will be PvE focused, with the trailer released earlier this year showing large-scale open-world battles against gigantic foes. A developer’s preview is scheduled for today, Tuesday, December 27th, so hopefully, we will have more solid information on what Throne and Liberty will look like and when it will finally be released.
Ashes of Creation
Sure, maybe 2023 is the year. I mean, Ashes of Creation is highly anticipated, so if we continue to put it in our annual roundups, we will be right sooner or later. Right? Intrepid Studios continues to hire staff and ramp up development, and we are expecting (aka hoping for) Alpha 2 in early 2023. That doesn’t leave a lot of time to plug in a couple of Beta tests and the final release before the end of 2023, but I’m still giving Ashes of Creation a slim chance of releasing before the end of the year.
The Day Before
To be honest, I almost forgot about The Day Before. It’s not that I’m not excited about a survival zombie MMO. It’s just that PR announcements are few and far between. We do have a release date of March 1, 2023, so there’s no doubt we will begin seeing more about the scavenging, the role of vehicles, and what types of PvE and PvE activities players will be engaging in flooding the internet very soon.
Ark 2
A PC and Xbox exclusive, Ark 2 is Studio Wildcard’s sequel to Ark: Survival Evolved. Ark 2 will be played in third-person and will feature Souls-like melee combat. And dinosaurs. And Vin Diesel. Like some of the other titles on this list, Studio Wildcard is touting Ark 2 as an MMORPG. I’m sure the open-world sandbox will be massive, but we have yet to learn how many players will inhabit a single server.
Mad World - Age of Darkness
Mad World - Age of Darkness may not be on your radar, but it should be. A classic MMORPG, Mad World is a browser-based romp through a dark and grotesque world presented in a 2D isometric perspective. Mad World had several Closed Beta Tests throughout 2022, and in a recent AMA, indie developer Jandisoft announced that development was complete and the team is preparing for testing and services, almost assuring enough time for a 2023 release.
Palia
With a focus on player housing and other less violent aspects of MMORPGs, Palia is being touted as “a community sim game for you and your friends.” Players will explore, mine, forage, and craft away the hours in a world full of NPCs to meet and befriend. Combat will not be a focus in Palia, but developer Singularity Six believes players will find other, non-combative opportunities for competitive play.
