Here’s a list of the most promising and popular MMOs (Massively Multiplayer Online games) currently in development by independent studios. It’s not guaranteed that all of them will be high quality at launch, but hopefully some of them will be fun to test and play. I’ve posted the list (with a different intro) to some other places.
Dual Universe [Beta]
Setting: Science-Fiction || View: First-Person || Focus: PvP || Budget: ~$25M* || Engine: Unigine 2 || Origin: France/U.S.
- Single shard persistent universe shared by all the players
- Voxel-based universe: player-made cities, stations and warships
- Space warfare: pirate ships, coordinated attacks, skirmishes
- Player-controlled global economy: mining, crafting, building, optimization, barter and trade
Camelot Unchained [Beta]
Setting: Medieval Fantasy || View: Third-Person || Focus: RvR || Budget: ~$25M* || Engine: Unchained || Origin: U.S.
- Heavily inspired by Dark Age of Camelot
- Large-scale RvR battles and sieges featuring more than a thousand players and hundreds of siege weapons
- Open world with islands that players can move to strategically reshape the world
- Block-by-block construction with server-side stability and destruction
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen [Pre-Alpha]
Setting: Medieval Fantasy || View: Third-Person || Focus: PvE || Engine: Unity 5 || Origin: U.S.
- Spiritual successor to EverQuest
- Deeply social: dungeons require teamwork and group strategy
- Combat focuses on preparation and awareness: players will face challenging scenarios that require understanding and skill
- Perception system: the world reveals its secrets through the environment
Crowfall [Beta]
Setting: Medieval Fantasy || View: Third-Person || Focus: PvP/RvR || Budget: $38M || Engine: Unity 5 || Origin: U.S.
- Heavily inspired by Shadowbane
- Player-created worlds with parcels of land and pre-fab building pieces
- Time-limited GvG/RvR campaigns that guilds or factions can win thanks to sieges, skirmishes and capture mechanics
- Deep crafting system inspired by Star Wars: Galaxies that is a central part of the player-driven economy
Seed [Pre-Alpha]
Setting: Science-Fiction || View: Isometric || Focus: PvP/PvE || Budget: +$36M* || Engine: Unity || Origin: Germany
- Players voyage across a persistent, Earth-like planet to harvest resources, collaborate with other players, and conquer new lands
- The exoplanet is abundant with all forms of biomes, filled with various habitats, seasons, unpredictable weather, and ecology
- As a colony grows, resources, research, and construction will increase, which can permanently impact the economy of the planet
- Players can freely construct structures and organize offensive missions to raid other colonies, or join skirmishes
Starbase [Alpha]
Setting: Science-Fiction || View: First-Person || Focus: PvP || Engine: Frozenbyte’s || Origin: U.S.
- Voxel-based, fully destructible and infinitely expanding universe shared by all the players
- In-depth physics simulation make fights (structural durability), exploration and flying spaceships more creative and fun
- Focus on building and designing spaceships and stations, exploration, resource gathering, crafting, trading, and combat
- Ships are hand made by the players, wired and controlled with a in-game programming language
Ashes of Creation [Alpha]
Setting: Medieval Fantasy || View: Third-Person || Focus: PvP/PvE || Budget: ~$30M* || Engine: Unreal 4 || Origin: U.S.
- Nodes system: player participation influences the type of content in the surrounding areas
- Open world housing: players have the ability to survey and develop land anywhere in the world
- Castle sieges with hundreds of players with many moving parts
- Harsh, unforgiving and stunning environment
Corepunk [Alpha]
Setting: Cyberpunk || View: Isometric || Focus: PvE/PvP || Unity 5
- Seamless open world with fog of war
- Players explore the world, participate in trading, complete dungeons, or engage in PvP battles
- Day / night cycles as well as weather conditions
- Flexible character customization with a wide variety of builds
TitanReach [Pre-Alpha]
Setting: Medieval Fantasy || View: Third-Person || Focus: PvP/PvE || Engine: Unity 5
- Heavily inspired by RuneScape
- Focus on a deep skilling system, massive fantasy open-world, engaging quests, and a complex, skill based combat system
- 20 skills offering various bonuses and unlockable content
- Players play through open-world mini dungeons and bosses, as well as instanced raids
Star Citizen [Alpha]
Setting: Science-Fiction || View: First-Person || Focus: PvP || Budget: $350M || Engine: Lumberyard || Origin: U.S.
- Spiritual successor to Freelancer
- Procedurally generated and handcrafted stunning worlds
- Open world PvP with high speed dog fights with multi-crew ships or intense FPS warfare
- Exploration: hidden outpost, abandoned ships and beautiful sunsets
Ship of Heroes [Beta]
Setting: Superhero || View: Third-Person || Focus: PvE/PvP || Engine: Unreal 4 || Origin: U.S.
- Spiritual successor to City of Heroes
- Players defend Apotheosis City from criminals and alien invaders and explore whole new planets
- Unique character customization with countless options
- Thousands of power combinations to form a unique playstyle
Gloria Victis [Beta]
Setting: Medieval Low-Fantasy || View: Third-Person || Focus: PvP || Engine: Unity 5 || Origin: Poland
- Skill-based combat mechanics à la Mount and Blade
- Class-less system with diversified equipment
- Open world territory control for guild castles and sieges
- Complex crafting system: leatherworking, armorsmithing, engineering, weapon forging, woodworking and more
Profane [Alpha]
Setting: Medieval Fantasy || View: Third-Person || Focus: PvP || Engine: Unity 5 || Origin: Brazil
- Territory conquest: guilds can leave their mark on the game’s history by conquering mines and castles
- Players can build small towns and great cities in the open world
- No class or level: combat style is determined by what players exercise the most
- Open PvP and full loot: karma system with restrictions to access cities if the player is a criminal
Mankind Reborn [Pre-Alpha]
Setting: Cyberpunk || View: First/Third-person || Focus: PvP/PvE || Engine: Unreal 4
- Eight player-run factions are locked in endless galactic strife of commerce, intrigue and warfare
- Brutal conflicts: combat is entirely skill-based, with full-loot on death rewarding those who master the art of war
- Players forge their destiny as an interstellar entrepreneur, a mercenary or a faction leader at the helm of the next chapter
- A detailed economic system provides the backbone for mining, production and manufacture fueling conflict and player greed
AdventureQuest 3D [Beta]
Setting: Medieval Fantasy || View: Third-Person || Focus: PvE/PvP || Engine: Unity 5 || Origin: U.S.
- Cross platform: can be played on PC and mobile
- Ever expanding world: exploration of the lively land with new exciting environments
- Randomly generated dungeons that are unique and offer a new experience every time
- Random events: dragons could swoop down, the undead may rise, or there could be an Easter egg hunt
Foxhole [Beta]
Setting: WW1/WW2 || View: Isometric || Focus: RvR || Engine: Unreal 4 || Origin: Canada
- Single shard with hundreds of players: wars that last several weeks and reset after each war
- Players are what they carry or drive: player progression is purely horizontal as characters have no stats
- Three main roles: soldier, logistics, builder, and many sub-roles: medics, drivers, gunners, artillery, partisan, etc.
- Deep logistics and building mechanics: transportation, factories, scrapping, trenches, bridges, defenses (AI), bunker bases
Mortal Online 2 [Beta]
Setting: Medieval Fantasy || View: First-Person || Focus: PvP || Engine: Unreal 4 || Origin: Sweden
- Open and realistic sandbox world
- True, real-time combat where outcomes are decided by skill rather than levels or gear
- Legendary crafters trading across the globe, famous warriors studying the art of combat
- Individual reputation: people will recognize you by the impact you’ve made on the world
Rise Online [Alpha]
Setting: Medieval Fantasy || View: Third-Person || Focus: PvP/PvE || Engine: Unreal 4 || Origin: Turkey
- Spiritual successor to Knight Online
- Full PvP-based maps and events
- PvE content like missions, creatures and bosses that take several groups to defeat
- An endless war between two kingdoms
Cross post. *Personal estimate, may be inaccurate
Feel free to suggest improvements to this post!
