AION 2 is NC’s free-to-play MMORPG that has been making waves for a hot minute, but on October 5, it hits a global launch. It has been available in South Korea for almost a year, but NC America is facilitating a worldwide release that commenced today with an early access period.
This early access success has managed to push the game to the pinnacle of Steam’s top sellers list, but it hasn’t come without some struggles. The review scores aren’t indicative of positive sentiment for the game, which might hamper things when the full release comes around on October 5.
Not The Best But Still Celebrated
In a statement, Merv Lee Kwai, the Co-CEO of NC America, spoke strongly about AION 2‘s achievement as the game lands in the top spot on Steam ahead of the full release:
Reaching #1 on Steam ahead of launch is a strong start, but a launch is only part of how we measure success.
NC has been making MMOs for more than 30 years. What matters is doing right by the AION franchise and its players while building a game that holds up over time, with steady content and earning trust with players. That work hits a big milestone today, September 30, and I can’t wait for you to be a part of this journey.
He’s at least pragmatic, and that’ll be helpful, given that the game has received poor reviews thus far from the early access crowd – those who have paid for the privilege of getting into the game ahead of everyone else.
At the time of writing, 61% of all reviews for AION 2 on Steam were negative.
One user had written: “Not having server capacity in an MMO is the worst possible insult,” addressing server queues and a lack of accommodation for what is expected to be a large audience.
Another said: “Horrible launch. Paid for accessing a game, and they should use that money to provide the service. Can’t play at all with hours (long) queues and full servers.”
One took a stab at the development process: “One of the first major AI slop games. NC Soft was a decent company when I was a kid. Grew up playing the Guild Wars games with my family and friends, when you didn’t have ot pay a subscription to access a market. I would personally avoid this aggressive microtransaction simulator.”
AION 2 maintenance has already landed, server queues have been stood up, and the server status has come into question, all during a window that people have parted ways with cold, hard cash to access, which is not a good look. With the game’s launch date growing closer by the hour, prospective fans are hoping that things will stabilize.
If not, well, the full game is free to play, so there’s no risk beyond the early access period.
Are you going to play AION 2 when it comes out on October 5? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
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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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