Post by Morreion on Dec 30, 2021 15:50:03 GMT -5
Massively OP’s 2021 Awards: MMORPG of the Year (Massively)
FINAL FANTASY XIV & NEW WORLD
Andy McAdams: In my nomination, I said “grudgingly FFXIV,” not because I don’t think it deserves it, because it clearly does, but I would rather another game be able to take the mantle. I’d really anticipated New World being my vote here before it’s wildly successful launch followed by stepping on a rake and twapping themselves in the face, then faceplaning, and standing up to run face-first into a cement wall a few times. Last I checked, New World was still trying to break down that brick wall with its proverbial face.
Massively OP’s 2021 Awards: Best MMO Trend (Massively)
GAMING INDUSTRY UNIONIZATION EFFORTS
Tyler Edwards: It’s great to see some movement towards unionization in the gaming industry. I really hope it starts to lead to meaningful change so that the worker abuse that has become normalized in the industry can become a thing of the past. The people who’ve built the hobby we so love deserve so much better.
Massively OP’s 2021 Awards: Best MMO Housing (Massively)
ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE
Brianna Royce: The same handful of MMOs always win this award in rotation, which isn’t a ding on them; it’s a ding on all the games that still haven’t got housing at all, let alone adequate housing. Since we must vote for a live MMO, I always throw a nod to RIFT, EverQuest II, and Elder Scrolls Online. I’d add New World to the list this year too, and frankly I had a blast on my Albion Online islands as well. I’m slightly grumpy about the idea of giving best housing to MMOs where the housing is chiefly a cash-shop tool, but even I must admit ESO’s housing is gorgeous. I mean seriously, I wish I were made of money to snag all of these.
Massively OP’s 2021 Awards: Not-So-Massively Game of the Year (Massively)
VALHEIM
Chris Neal: Valheim. I got to be a cart horse. Emergent gameplay! Also an illustration of the kind of freedom and collaboration that a good survival sandbox can provide – one that doesn’t throw up stupid limitations in the way and let’s people come together and have fun. Valheim is easily the best of an otherwise extremely bad (to me) sub-genre.
Colin Henry: Valheim.
Eliot Lefebvre: Valheim. Look, you can’t avoid the impact that this little viking game has had on the overall zeitgeist and the way that it’s kept its place even when bigger games have come along since it first launched. Besides, what other game is likely to kill you with trees?
Colin Henry: Valheim.
Eliot Lefebvre: Valheim. Look, you can’t avoid the impact that this little viking game has had on the overall zeitgeist and the way that it’s kept its place even when bigger games have come along since it first launched. Besides, what other game is likely to kill you with trees?
Massively OP’s 2021 Awards: Biggest MMO Blunder (Massively)
BLIZZARD & WOW’S ONGOING CLOWNSHOW
Brianna Royce: Blizzard is going to walk away with this “award” rather handily, but I want to stress specifically what the “blunder” really was. Activision-Blizzard’s leaders betrayed their workers, customers, and the public. They misled their own investors and dissembled during financial calls. They covered up abuses including the death of an employee caused by those abuses. They stand accused of destroying evidence and lying about corporate memos. They tried to pacify the public by axing middle-managers who bore the least responsibility. They intimidated workplace organizers and tried to bust the emerging union. They lobbed cash at government agencies and charities instead of paying workers and fully compensating victims. They played games with the justice system and denigrated counsel attempting to hold them accountable. They laid off more workers while boosting their own compensation. They have refused to take real responsibility at every single step, to the doom of their plunging stock value and their dwindling reputations. They have embarrassed themselves in front of the entire industry and destroyed the legacy of a legendary studio. And these unforced errors have led to a botched pipeline and critical delays for the games themselves, whose underpaid developers have been forced to watch their “mentors leaving in droves.” This is not just a story that happened to the genre, and it’s not just a single blunder. This is an ongoing series of disastrous decisions that will leave a lasting impact on the industry and the MMORPG genre, one way or another.
Massively OP’s 2021 Awards: MMO Story of the Year (Massively)
ACTIVISION-BLIZZARD’S SCANDALS
Colin Henry: New World’s launch. I know that Blizzard’s clownshow was huge, and I don’t want to downplay how disappointing that has been, but for me, I think the biggest MMO story of the year was New World’s launch. It has been so long since we’ve had a big, public win like this that has gotten a lot of people to realize that MMOs are still a force to be reckoned with, even topping Steam’s most played charts. It’s sad that it has been plagued with so many issues because once it finds its footing, I think New World could remind a lot of people of how much fun a good AAA MMORPG really can be.
Eliot Lefebvre: Blizzard is a gigantic cesspit of sexual harassment that should be thrown into the ocean if it wouldn’t qualify as pollution.
Justin Olivetti: Blizzard’s scandal just wrecked the studio, the dev teams, and the playerbase — and continues to do so. It was a terrible story of coverups, discrimination, and abuses of power that may taint World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and other properties for years to come. It also was the pits, and I hated every time we had to report on it (even though we had to report on it).
Eliot Lefebvre: Blizzard is a gigantic cesspit of sexual harassment that should be thrown into the ocean if it wouldn’t qualify as pollution.
Justin Olivetti: Blizzard’s scandal just wrecked the studio, the dev teams, and the playerbase — and continues to do so. It was a terrible story of coverups, discrimination, and abuses of power that may taint World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and other properties for years to come. It also was the pits, and I hated every time we had to report on it (even though we had to report on it).
Seriously, such a fun game.