AION 2’s global launch is here; the early access window has ended, technical issues have been resolved, and the South Korean MMORPG is taking the world by storm. It managed to skyrocket on Steam to hit almost 400,000 concurrent users, and when you consider the people also playing on Purple, it goes far beyond that number.
It’s one of the year’s most stellar MMORPG releases, and while a lot of that success is driven by the fact that it’s free-to-play, a huge hand has to be given to the game for how it presents the MMO experience to a modern audience.
Why is AION 2 so damn successful right now?
AION 2 is Keeping Players Engaged
AION 2 hit massive numbers before it had even hit the market, with tens of thousands of players parting ways with hard-earned cash to buy their way into the game ahead of the global, free launch. But why? In the ‘Western world’, this game is pretty unheard of, but the global Steam launch paints a different picture.
Basically, AION 2, from what I’ve been able to glean about the game, offers a recognizable and familiar gameplay loop while also offering sumptuous visuals, an innovative combat loop, and a massive open world ripe with exploration opportunities. It’s everything the average MMO player wants, and you can create a character through a seriously advanced creation menu.
That visual presentation layer is super important in AION 2. It’s not just eye candy, though.
NC, the game’s developer, has made sure there’s plenty of meat on the bones, incorporating stacks of content in AION 2 that keep players engaged, which is so important for an MMORPG title. You’ve got raids, side activities, farming, combat loops, and the general exploration elements that keep things fresh enough, and just the base game promises hundreds of hours of content.
The game’s reviews have veered into the realms of positivity after a mixed reception, with some claiming that AION 2 offers World of Warcraft players ‘a new home’ that they didn’t necessarily expect.
One user summed it up nicely:
As an MMORPG enjoyer, I’m having a great time playing so far. It follows the same formula as the original AION, but with tweaks to modernize certain mechanics and systems. The combat is smooth and fluid, combos feel good to use and easy to understand. The world is absolutely gorgeous, will be taking plenty of screenshots.
Sure, there are still some complaints about optimization, and some folks have issues with some monetization elements that could lean towards ‘pay-to-win’, but overall, it’s doing very well for itself.
Time will tell how far down the game settles from that 400,000-user peak, of course.
Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord server if you’ve managed to play AION 2.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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