You can answer this question one of two ways, and both are acceptable.

For example, you could say that Square-Enix and ArenaNet suck at maintenance mode because Final Fantasy XI and Classic Guild Wars are still getting nice updates, and that’s not what maintenance mode is. Bit cheeky, that.

Or you could tackle the question the way I originally had in mind, which is about MMOs that are basically in maintenance but aren’t really being treated well by their maintainers. It was actually Funcom that prompted this line of thinking for me. Funcom seems to act as if it wishes The Secret World and Age of Conan never existed, never mind Anarchy Online. I am obviously grateful that it’s kept its old MMOs online, technically, but it hasn’t done the best job of supporting them or even acknowledging them on their birthdays. It gives veteran players the distinct sense that they are superfluous.

Which MMORPG studios suck most at maintenance mode? What do you wish they would do differently?

Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!