The MMORPG ArcheAge will be relaunched 5 years after its launch as a “Free2Play” game. This time as a premium MMORPG ArcheAge Unchained, completely without Pay2Win elements. Now the release date and prices are known. However, the message sounds absurd.
This is the story of ArcheAge: The MMORPG ArcheAge was a hopeful sign for MMORPG fans in Europe and North America in late summer 2014.
At that time, WildStar and The Elder Scrolls Online had just launched but had already failed quite badly. The new WoW expansion “Warlords of Draenor” was still far off, and MMORPG fans longed for something new and different.
ArcheAge had a good reputation in Korea at that time, as it was developed by MMORPG legend Jake Song and offered interesting sandbox concepts – many found it exciting back then, it was something new. Nowadays, sandbox MMORPGs are more of the standard than the exception.
Technical problems and Pay2Win caused ArcheAge to fail
Why did ArcheAge fail? At launch in the West, ArcheAge was a huge success for Trion Worlds. The servers were overloaded. But the good mood faded quickly:
- ArcheAge relied on “Pay2Win” mechanics – those who spent real money in the shop could buy advantages.
Trion Worlds later admitted this, saying there was little they could do – they had signed contracts with the Korean developers.
Burdened with a multitude of technical problems, the MMORPG could not achieve long-term success – numerous restarts in the years that followed and major content updates ultimately failed, with only a hardcore remaining loyal to ArcheAge.
However, some players said that the MMORPG itself was great – especially for guilds. It offered so many freedoms, especially in housing, trading, and the economic system. If it weren’t for the cash shop…
Once again with feeling
This is new now: Trion Worlds has since been dissolved and the German company gamigo is now leading the MMORPG. Some of the leading minds from Trion Worlds have been acquired.
gamigo is now releasing a premium version of the MMORPG with ArcheAge Unchained. The big promise is not to sell any “Pay2Win” elements.
It is repeatedly emphasized that players can earn everything, there are no overpowering premium items.
Release date and prices of ArcheAge Unchained
When is the release? The release of ArcheAge Unchained is on September 30, 2019.
What does ArcheAge Unchained cost? Gamigo offers 3 founder packages:
The cheapest for €25.99, the middle one for €49.99, and the most expensive for €79.99. However, only cosmetic items and emotes are supposed to be included. Pre-orders receive special bonuses. Here is the website for pre-orders (via archeageunchained.com).
ArcheAge was Pay2Win – ArcheAge Unchained is not
This is what it’s about: The absurdity in the version is that the new team behind ArcheAge Unchained indirectly admits with each press release just how terrible Pay2Win the “original release” of ArcheAge was. This is evident from every other sentence.
It is somewhat absurd when a major selling argument is that now everything “can be earned by any fan equally.”
Or that there are “No shortcuts to obtain powerful equipment.”
Nice also is the message: “Your gameplay progress will only be limited by your own ambitions.”
