Rift turns 5: Trion Worlds CEO reflects on massively multiplayer game’s success

Online team strategy games like League of Legends and Dota 2 may dominate right now, and World of Warcraft may be at its lowest ebb since its debut a decade ago. Yet a number of massively multiplayer online role-playing games still find success.

One of those is Rift, which recently celebrated its fifth birthday. This MMO was Trion Worlds’ first game when it launched to a positive reception in 2011. At the time, critics lauded it for a number of innovations, such as its dynamic events and Souls class system that prized customization. I dug it five years ago when I did a solo-player review for the now-defunct GamePro.