Long-Dead Warhammer Online MMO Just Received New Content Thanks To Fans

A Warhammer Online private server, Return of Reckoning, has seen dedicated fans bring the MMO back from the grave in an unofficial capacity, and the team behind the project is going beyond simply giving fans a place to play the game.

Released in 2008, the EA-published Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning was billed as a true World of Warcraft-killer. That, obviously, didn't come to pass. The game failed to find a sizable enough audience and the servers were taken offline back in 2013. But, as spotted by Eurogamer, that hasn't stopped dedicated fans from breathing new life into the long-dead MMO, even going so far to patch in unfinished content that was never officially released.

When Warhammer Online first released, it included two finished capital cities, Altdorf and The Inevitable City. But two additional capital cities, the dwarf city of Karaz-A-Karak and the Greenskin home of Karak Eight Peaks, were featured in the game's beta before being removed prior to the full game's launch.

The team behind Return of Reckoning has now reintroduced those two missing capital cities into the private server for players to enjoy. A new trailer for the resurrected content says the feat was only possible thanks to volunteers dedicating thousands of hours to finishing what former developer Mythic Entertainment started all those years ago.

Even though Warhammer Online may be technically dead, Return of Reckoning seems to be thriving. The server frequently hosts in-game community events, and even recently hosted a discussion with former Mythic Entertainment developers as part of Warhammer Online's recent 13th anniversary.

Though Warhammer Online may be no more, there is no shortage of Warhammer-themed games nowadays. Total War: Warhammer III recently saw a delay into 2022, but developer Creative Assembly says the game's release will just be the beginning, with several years of content and support planned.