8BitMMO

VS

Ilysia

8BitMMO is a sandbox-style indie MMORPG that launched in 2015. While it is a persistent world with MMO elements, its indie status and age make it unlikely to have a large active playerbase today—most similar indie MMOs decline to a small but loyal community after 5+ years. The lack of major publisher support or recent updates further limits its reach. Estimated daily players likely in the low hundreds.

Ilysia is a VR-focused MMORPG that launched in late 2023 by indie studio Team 21. As a niche title in the VR MMO space, its player retention is modest but active, likely engaging hundreds of daily players. The scale and indie market position suggest an estimated 500–1000 daily active players, biasing conservatively toward the lower end due to genre constraints and limited platform reach. It meets MMORPG criteria thanks to its persistent world and focus on large-scale player interactions in VR.