ArcheAge (PC) is an MMORPG from 2014 that brought great potential and many problems. In 2024, the sequel ArcheAge 2 is set to be released as a new MMORPG.
In 2014, ArcheAge was seen as a great hope among MMORPG fans. It offered numerous features that other MMORPGs did not have at the time and showed great potential: In a world of theme park MMORPGs, it provided new freedom as a sandbox MMORPG for many fans in the West.
ArcheAge was developed by the Korean studio XLGames, with publishing handled by Trion Worlds at the time. However, the company faced significant financial difficulties in 2018 and was ultimately acquired by the German company Gamigo.
In 2019, ArcheAge Unchained was released. It is a version of ArcheAge with fewer Pay2Win aspects. However, this version had to be purchased as a one-time payment, while the Pay2Win version is free. When the publishers suddenly switched to a subscription model, many players were angry.
Despite great features, the game slowly went downhill
ArcheAge is a sandbox MMORPG with many freedoms and numerous opportunities for character development. You can choose three from 13 different specializations and create your own build from hundreds of possible classes.
The focus of the game is primarily on the player-driven economy, housing, and battles in an open world. Combat can even take place at sea with your own ships.
ArcheAge exhibited great potential to be a good MMORPG in 2014. Especially the beginning phase with the “Landrush” was a highlight for many, as players fought over important building spots. However, due to numerous problems, fewer and fewer people are playing it:
- Numerous bugs. They had to remove an entire dungeon from the game.
- Pay2Win, which is so dominant that playing the free version is hardly bearable.
- Hacking problems.
- Publisher Trion Worlds did not respond to player criticism – they pointed to the Korean developers XL Games, who hindered larger changes.
- Every few months, new servers are introduced that do nothing better than their predecessors but bring back the exciting experience phase of the beginning phase.
Since it could be a great MMORPG without these problems, many fans hope that ArcheAge 2 will be better.
A new MMORPG resembles ArcheAge with a playful graphic:
ArcheAge 2 – The hope?
Recently, Kakao Games took on the role of publisher for ArcheAge 2. They were previously responsible for Black Desert Online but lost the rights. Elyon also belongs to Kakao Games, but is going offline permanently at the end of the year.
The publishing deal was confirmed by the developers at XLGames. According to them, over 100 developers are currently working on ArcheAge 2.
What we know so far about ArcheAge 2:
- It is set to become a AAA MMORPG, and the developers are using Unreal Engine 5.
- Kakao Games supports not only as a publisher but also in the development.
- It will focus on an open game world.
- There will be new playable races that the predecessor did not offer.
- It will have housing, vehicles, and naval battles.
- ArcheAge 2 is being developed as a cross-platform game, with the PC being the focus.
- It was originally supposed to be released in 2022.
When is the release? We now know for sure that ArcheAge 2 will be released. However, unfortunately, that will not happen before 2024, the developers confirm. It could even take longer.
What do you think – Can ArcheAge 2 avoid the mistakes of its predecessor and unleash the full potential of the MMORPG? What do you think of Kakao Games as the publisher? Have you played the MMORPG and are you already looking forward to the sequel, even though it might take a while? Feel free to let us know in the comments here on MeinMMO!
1 year after release, the MMORPG New World has as many players as it hasn’t had in months – Why?
