Welcome back to MassivelyOP’s annual MMORPG awards for 2025!
Today’s award is for the Worst MMO Business Model, which was awarded to EVE Frontier last year. This award is intended to recognize a live MMORPG of any age that has demonstrated an abysmal, terrible, no-good business model specifically in 2025, regardless of its past performance. Don’t forget to cast your own vote in the just-for-fun reader poll at the very end!
And the MassivelyOP staff pick for Worst MMO Business Model is…
Ship of Heroes
“This year had some real stinkers, but it’s kind of telling that the winner was Ship of Heroes, and as someone who did indeed vote for it, I can say it was wholly deserved. Let’s be clear here: in a year when The Elder Scrolls Online completely torched itself, Roblox continues its business model focused entirely on child sweatshops, and Star Citizen and EVE Frontier exist, you wouldn’t think ‘box price and a subscription’ would even rate. But it’s all about perspective. Final Fantasy XIV has a lower box price and looks gorgeous while having years of content. Ship of Heroes cost $60 (at launch) plus a subscription and looked like an asset flip despite not being an asset flip, so asking for all that money up front just feels like it’d be respectable as a big swing if it weren’t such a categorical failure to read the room. It was bad enough that it’s already changed, but I’m sure all of the player will be annoyed they paid it.” -MOP’s Eliot
That’s our take. What’s your pick?
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How does MassivelyOP choose the winner? Our team nominates and discusses candidates to (ideally) reach consensus on our whole slate of awards each year. The site’s award goes to the staff selection, but we’ll include both it and the community’s top nomination in our debrief in January (here’s last year’s, along with historical winners for every category). Poll options are not exhaustive, so feel free to write in your picks if they weren’t nominated.