A happy Independence Day greeting to our readers! Headlining this week's MMORPG Weekend Warrior are talks of a new Blizzard MMORPG, even as we cover news of Age of Conan's staggering population growth since its launch several weeks ago. It's a good thing Funcom's right there to keep it running properly.

RuneScape is in the business of facelifts, while EVE Online's latest expansion gets its very first  patch update. Let's not forget about Gotham City, where a caped crusader along with a couple memorable DC characters have been spotted making their online debut.

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World of Warcraft may already be quite the epic MMORPG - with a gamer population the size of a small country -  but that doesn't seem to be stopping Blizzard from planning bigger things. Recent reports indicate that the company is looking to recruit new employees for a yet-to-be named MMO project, one which Blizz exec Rob Pardo hinted at in a separate interview.

Link: Blizzard claims another next-gen MMO, planning new Battle.net features, hints StarCraft 2 Beta
 
As the old saying goes, time waits for no man. If you happen to have been thinking of signing up for Runescape recently, you may be surprised to know that Jagex Ltd. has upped the subscription fee on their long-running MMORPG. On the lighter side of matters, progress on its graphical facelift is going along well - just remember to check if your PC's up to specs if you want to go along for the ride.

Link: RuneScape gets price increase for new subscribers
Link: RuneScape HD hits beta for subscribers
Link: Runescape HD compatibility FAQ update

Patches are a regular part of any MMORPG's life, serving to provide the game with much-needed bug fixes and mechanics-balancing. Included for this week is CCP Game's very first patch for EVE Online's Empyrean Age expansion, which has much to do with fixing the game's voice chat. For the Tolkien fans, there's Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar's Book 14 patch, where players can now journey to the place of origin of the Elven Rings.

Funcom is also hard at work with Age of Conan, rapid-firing a couple of patches for their steadily growing MMORPG. While this meant extended downtime for the players, at least we know they are dead intent on keeping the game running in tip-top shape. By Crom - a dissatisfied barbarian is not something you want to cross.

Link: EVE Online: Empyrean Age 1.0.1 patch notes released
Link: The Lord of the Rings Online: Book 14 patch notes released
Link: Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures - July 3 patch update
Link: Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures July 2 patch notes

By now, you've probably heard of Sony Online Entertainment's upcoming new MMO based on the DC Universe. While details are still scarce for the moment, a couple of new screenshots have made it into the wild.

For record, the Joker's face scares the bejeezus out of me. Given this is DC after all, expect the game to pop up at this month's Comic-Con event in San Diego.

Link: DC Universe Online party at Comic-Con, first-look screenshots revealed

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning may not be hitting open Beta just yet, but that doesn't mean we can't know just a little more about its diverse lore. This week includes an entry on Bastion Stair, the dungeon created by the Chaos god Khorne. Call it a lust for power or call it a death wish, either way, visiting Khorne's lair and the avatar residing within will require blood, sweat, and tears. Probably more on the blood.
 
Link: Warhammer Online: a look at the Bastion Stair

Seven hundred thousand subscribed players. Admittedly, that doesn't sound like such a big number within the realm of MMO gaming. But when we mention that's Age of Conan's subscriber base just two months after its official launch, you know we've got a contender.

Link: Age of Conan dominates retail charts, surpasses 700.000 mark

What's better than the start of an MMORPG's open beta run? Easy - an an open beta run with free swag! Mgame is opening up Ghost Online's OB with a bang by announcing a series of special events to help both new and experienced players get some much-needed supplies.

Link: QJ.NET's Ghost Online Open Beta item event giveaways

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If AoC's figures are to be believed, it looks like the game's already made quite a hit with the MMO gaming community. Then again, we are talking about a game based on a franchise well over 70 years old, with Funcom going the extra mile to keep it working without a hitch.

Still, it will also be interesting to see how DC Universe will turn out - The fact Batman and the Joker are in the earlier screens already implies Gotham City will be part of the setting. How will the developers render its crime-filled streets? Or how's this for food-for-thought: Which version of Coast City will they render in?