Since April 10, the MMORPG Albion Online has been playable as a Free2Play game. This switch has visibly benefited the online game. The number of players has tremendously increased, and even after three weeks, there are still queues when logging in.
How is Albion Online doing after the switch to Free2Play? The switch took place on April 10. According to Steamcharts, the number of players has exploded since then:
- In the past 30 days, there have been an average of about 5,600 players online at the same time. At peak times, it was even 13,312.
- In March 2019, the game had an average of about 330 players online and a peak of 758.
The Steam numbers are thus 52 times (average) and 16 times (peak) higher than in the previous month.
These are very good numbers. Especially the Easter weekend and the weekend following that were a great success for the MMORPG.
The record of 13,312 players was reached by Albion Online on April 28. Will this record be surpassed next weekend?
The Downsides of Success
What problems have arisen due to the success? This high number of players is causing the performance of the game to suffer. Queues are also appearing because too many fans want to log in. Some of these queues are over 6,000 players long. However, it is slowly stabilizing.
Nevertheless, there are still queues and lags due to the high player numbers. And this is three weeks after the switch to Free2Play. This shows that the success is lasting longer than one might have thought.
Fans also report that the world is too small to accommodate this large number of players. But the developers are already working on new areas.
Reasons for the Success
Why is the MMORPG currently doing so well? There are several reasons for the success of Albion Online.
- Especially in Eastern Europe, the MMORPG is extremely popular. It is seen as the spiritual successor to the classic Tibia, which is one of the most popular online role-playing games in Poland. With the switch to Free2Play, many Tibia fans are trying out the title now. And apparently, they are enjoying it.
- Generally, many players test a new MMORPG when it switches to a Free2Play model.
- Albion Online is well received by PvP fans, as it heavily focuses on player-versus-player battles and territorial wars.
- The MMORPG offers a lot of freedom, especially through its character system, where your equipment determines what role you play.
- Team play is important. A good guild is basically essential for surviving in the world and achieving something. The team play is well received.
- Albion Online offers players many challenges. It does not guide the player as much as other MMORPGs do. Many find this appealing.
- The Free2Play system is considered fair, as you can essentially earn everything through gameplay. Although it is possible to spend a lot of money to progress faster, it is not strictly necessary. You can even earn the premium status. Spending money just minimizes the grind a bit.
Is Albion Online free of problems? As well as the MMORPG is currently doing, there are also some critical voices. The character creation with too few options for customization is a point of criticism.
It is also not well received that other players can take loot away from you. And if you’re not interested in PvP, you won’t be happy in the open PvP zones, as you can’t avoid entering these areas later in the game.
Will the success last? The coming weeks will show whether Albion Online can establish long-term success. So far, the situation looks good. If the developers can tackle the issues with queues and lags and continue to provide many new contents, the MMORPG could experience a second spring.
