Ashes of Creation
Upcoming 2021 MMORPGs
Ashes of Creation is among the most ambitious game on promising upcoming MMORPGs hopefully coming in 2021, and that’s because of its potentially revolutionary Node System.
Nodes are designed to give players an incredible amount of agency on how the world of Ashes of Creation evolves and changes over time. Nodes are areas on the map that players can settle into and build up to over time. As players gather, organize, and do quests, nodes will develop from small villages to massive cities that will have considerable influence and power. If player interest drifts elsewhere, the cities will degrade over time.
PvP will be an important part of the gameplay as well. Players with like-minded goals will influence a cities development, and groups with different views that have a need for that city’s resource may decide to siege it and forcibly take control.
All of this is on the back of a traditional MMORPG style combat that seeks to mesh the best of classic MMOs and modern ones, and a class system that allows for lots of creativity.
It all sounds very exciting on paper and if it works out, it could make for a very dynamic and exciting end game.
Right now Ashes of Creation is teetering between releasing in 2021 and 2022. The full release may get pushed to 2022, but likely there will be something playable for a wider majority of people in 2021.
Blue Protocol
Upcoming 2021 MMORPGs
Fans of anime-like art styles and MMORPGs will absolutely need to make sure they follow Blue Protocol closely.
Blue Protocol features gorgeous anime graphics that really stick out in a genre that has largely been dominated by western games that all have a similar look and feel.
Not Blue Protocol though, it looks more like Ni No Kuni than anything that’s currently popular in the MMORPG genre.
We’re still learning more about the nuts and bolts of the game, but we do know it will feature action-RPG combat and a diverse set of classes.
Check it out in action here. Blue Protocol is currently planned to release sometime in 2021 in Japan and then later worldwide.
Crowfall
Upcoming 2021 MMORPGs
We’re still waiting for Crowfall to come through and finally deliver on the promise of its Kickstarter that wrapped up all the way back in 2015. It’s 2021 and it’s officially getting into put up or shut up territory.
The reason why we’re still hopeful is that, like most of the other games on this list, it just has something special that should stand it apart from the games currently dominating the genre like WoW and Final Fantasy XIV.
Crowfall’s Throne World feature is incredibly promising. Each server is a “Campaign World” that will progress through all four seasons. You’ll have a limited amount of time, then, to complete objectives and ensure that your character is successful in order to maximize rewards. There will be different worlds that players can play on, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
After the period is over, the campaign world will reset and rules and objectives will change with the goal being a very dynamic end game experience that is constantly mixing things up.
Hopefully, Crowfall can finally start opening the gates to its Throne Worlds in 2021.
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen
Upcoming 2021 MMORPGs
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is for the old-school crowd like myself. If you grew up with games like Everquest, Final Fantasy XI, Ultima, or just prefer games that are a bit more hardcore and demand cooperation; Pantheon is the game to keep an eye on.
Its development over the years has been slowed, especially after the lead designer, Brad McQuaid sadly passed away in 2019. Delays have led fans to worry that Pantheon could be in trouble. Hopefully, that’s not the case.
The genre could use an MMORPG that actually encourages, rewards, and even forces players to interact with strangers and forge friendships (or rivalries) like they used to.
Admittedly of all the games on this list, Pantheon has the highest chance of not making it in time for 2021. Delays are common in the genre, but hopefully, the team catches some breaks and are able to speed up the progress.
Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis
Upcoming 2021 MMORPGs
Phantasy Star Online 2 finally reached the west last year, and fans of the online RPG series rejoiced. While it’s great to finally be able to catch up on what the series has been up to for the last decade, PSO2 is a bit dated (both visually and in its gameplay) and it has an overwhelming amount of content for new players to try and digest.
Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis intends to serve as a soft reset for PSO2, without having to actually throw out years worth of time for current players.
This is because players will be able to use the same character to play in both New Genesis content and also classic PSO2 content as well. At any point players, while in-game, can go ahead and switch up the version of PSO2 they are playing.
New Genesis is just what I was looking for as a long time fan of the series that had a hard time adjusting to a game as rich with content as the original PSO2. If you’re in the same boat as me or are just looking for a fast-paced, excited, and very pretty futuristic action-RPG, definitely keep an eye on the progress of New Genesis.
Sega recently released a motherload of information about New Genesis’ gameplay and future improvements to PSO2 that you can read out about here.
Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis, is slated for a release sometime in 2021.
Published: Feb 3, 2021 09:30 am