The MMORPG ASTA has been called the Asian World of Warcraft and even looked quite good – but now the open beta has been postponed indefinitely.
What is going on with the MMO ASTA? According to the publisher Webzen, the response to the game has been mostly positive and they explain that this is not a given for a Korean game that is set to release in the West. Many were looking forward to the release of the MMORPG and were eagerly anticipating the open beta. However, fans will have to wait a bit longer, as the beta has now been postponed.
The quality of the localization must be right!
Webzen further explains that due to the positive player reactions, they have realized that they should not rush the release of ASTA. They must deliver quality to the players, especially regarding the translation. For this reason, they wanted to take more time with the localization, but encountered unexpected problems. The translation process for a really good translation is taking significantly longer than they had assumed. Moreover, there apparently are some difficulties regarding the voice recordings. There are currently no further details on this.
No open beta until they are satisfied.
Therefore, Webzen currently cannot say when the open beta of the MMORPG will start. They will hold back on an announcement until they believe ASTA has reached the best possible quality. For this reason, they will postpone the open beta indefinitely. This may be disappointing for many fans, but a really good translation is extremely important for a game from Korea if an Asian MMO is to be successful in the West. Therefore, fans currently have no choice but to wait…