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Out of any genre of video game, MMOs provide some of the most fascinating long-term engagement for gameplay. What makes them so special is the sense of community they can create. Rather than relying on gameplay entirely, the most popular MMOs use their online nature to foster an experience that is impossible to recreate. However, at the same time, online games are ephemeral in design and only last as long as their servers are up. This means that eventually, players will be unable to play any MMO from previous eras unless they are preserved like Club Penguin. We have already seen some of the least popular MMOs shut down for the last time. Here are five forgotten MMOs that deserve a chance to come back.
5. City of Heroes
City of Heroes was a popular MMORPG involving creating your own superhero. Players had to level up to obtain new upgrades, powers, and health. With the game’s initial expansion, you could also play as both heroes and villains. On top of this, you could also form Super Groups reminiscent of classic superhero teams. Sadly, the game was shut down in 2012, with the developers shutting down production.
However, luckily, City of Heroes has been preserved with the source code released in the wild. This will allow players to create private servers that anyone can use. In this way, City of Heroes lives on in an unofficial capacity. Despite this, the capacity of popularity that City of Heroes experiences isn’t nearly what it used to be. In the end, though it still exists, City of Heroes is a forgotten MMO that deserves to come back in an official capacity.
4. TERA Online
A more recent example would be TERA Online, another forgotten MMO that deserves a second chance. Though TERA sometimes felt a bit generic, its world was a significant change of pace from other MMOs. The game was unique due to its exciting combat system and was heavily action-focused. Instead of being target-focused, like arguably the most popular MMO World of Warcraft, combat depended on using third-person aiming. Unfortunately, TERA was shut down very recently in 2022.
As far as MMOs go, TERA Online was shut down too early to inspire players to make a comeback. Right now, there aren’t any notably popular private servers that have brought the MMO back. Someday, players might feel nostalgic for TERA and endeavor to give it the comeback it deserves.
3. Club Penguin
Club Penguin was a classic MMORPG by Disney with players playing as penguins in an island community. When it was online, players could hang out, play mini-games, raise pets, and decorate personal igloos. Although there wasn’t a lot of gameplay, Club Penguin is an iconic game to many, which led to a massive outcry when the game was finally shut down in 2017. Though it ended with a bang, many were eager to see the game return.
Soon after the cancellation, dedicated fans created a private server called Club Penguin Rewritten. However, this was shut down in 2022 due to some legal troubles. This didn’t stop the forgotten MMO from wracking up 11 million players. Nevertheless, this game shows how much people want to see the return of games like Club Penguin.
2. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
For fans of Warhammer, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning was an amazing MMORPG. Even non-Warhammer fans could appreciate the game’s fun RPG elements and community. Plus, the inclusion of many cool classes that aren’t standard to your usual RPG was refreshing to see. Some of these classes included the Squig Herders, Slayers, and Witch Hunters. Despite positive reviews from critics, the game was canceled in 2013.
Once again, as is the case with many of these forgotten MMOs, dedicated fans have brought back Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Nowadays, the MMO has reemerged as the Return of Reckoning. Despite being up since 2014, the game still hasn’t been taken down yet, which is great for fans of the series.
1. WildStar
Finally, the forgotten MMO that deserves a chance to return is the MMORPG WildStar, a fusion of a fantasy and sci-fi adventure with zany humor and personality. Although this phrase often comes out when discussing new MMOs, many players thought this could have been a great alternative to World of Warcraft. With exceptional classes, fun quests, and engaging playstyle offerings, WildStar didn’t deserve to be canceled in 2018.
