In the current financial report, publisher Kakao Games announced updated release windows for the two MMORPG hopes ArcheAge Chronicles and Chrono Odyssey.
What new information is there about the upcoming MMORPGs? According to the new financial report for the third quarter of 2024 (via kakaogamescorp.com), the updated release schedule from publisher Kakao Games is as follows:
- Path of Exile 2 – Kakao Games is managing the Korean launch (Early Access starts on December 7, 2024)
- Project Q – MMORPG for PC and Mobile (Korea release in Q3 2025)
- Chrono Odyssey – MMORPG for PC and console (Release in Q4 2025)
- Ares: Rise of Guardians – MMORPG for PC and Mobile (Release in Q4 2025)
- ArcheAge Chronicles – MMORPG for PC and console (Release during the fiscal year 2026)
- The Swordmaster’s Youngest Son – Action RPG for PC and console (Release during the fiscal year 2026)
While Chrono Odyssey has only received a minor adjustment, the successor to ArcheAge 2 has been pushed from 2025 to 2026, with developers aiming for the first half of the year or summer 2026 for the launch (via kakaogamescorp.com).
The first trailer for ArcheAge Chronicles:
Full focus on the Western market
What else has Kakao Games announced? During the conference call, the officials emphasized once again that they want to focus strongly on the Western market with ArcheAge Chronicles (and especially on the new target audience on consoles) and therefore prioritize PvE and story content that can be tackled alone or in small groups.
PvP elements and large-scale battles in the open world, which were considered at times, are to be removed. PvP should mainly be available in clearly defined, competitive areas for fixed teams and guilds.
Additionally, they want to adopt a Buy2Play model without Pay2Win, but with service elements. In other words: ArcheAge 2 should also generate revenue in the long term. Regular content updates will be used to attract players to the servers.
In the new financial report from Kakao Games, it is noteworthy that the publisher refers to ArcheAge Chronicles not as an MMORPG, but as an online action RPG. This has been seen before with New World Aeternum, which also targets the new console audience in the revised version: ArcheAge Chronicles is following in the footsteps of New World and Crimson Desert, confusing many MMORPG fans
