A new MMORPG for PC has launched in South Korea with Astellia. Astellia aims to come to Europe as well. Surprisingly, the developers are saying all the right things that MMORPG fans in Germany want to hear. A localization in German has now been promised for the launch.
We reported on Astellia for the first time in June 2017 on MeinMMO . At that time, it seemed like a typical Korea MMORPG published by Nexon: very colorful and typically Asian.
After that, we lost sight of the online role-playing game for years.
But two years later, Astellia has become much more interesting for us Europeans.
In anticipation of a port to Europe, the developers are cleverly clearing away many reservations that German MMORPG players have against Asian imports.
The special gimmick of the game: The special twist of Astellia are the Astels.
“Astels” are summons that a player can additionally bring onto the field. A warrior might summon a “Healing-Astel” that keeps him alive, or a DPS-Astel that helps him defeat enemies more quickly.
There will be more than 30 of these Astels. Three can be active at the same time. This is intended to give players strategic options, allowing them to focus on individual fights.
Astellia speaks German, loosens gender lock
That’s why Astellia is suddenly exciting: In recent interviews (via mmoculture), the developers are making every effort to say all the right things to us in Europe about a new MMORPG:
- They have opened an office in California to directly manage the West launch from there
- The game will be distributed from California for Europe and North America. Astellia will support three languages at launch: English, French, and German.
- The gender lock of the original version will be loosened: Two classes will be playable for both genders at launch. The rest will be released later. Players will have the opportunity to choose their gender for free when the option becomes available.
- Additionally, Astellia is focusing on Buy2Play and promises no Pay2Win intentions
- They want to develop the game in the long term
- They are emphasizing PvE elements with “Legendary Dungeons.” Astellia wants to offer enough for both PvE and PvP players.
This is the general MMORPG situation: Astellia is in the same situation as Bless 2018. The MMORPG market on PC is dried up and the gates are wide open for a “classic MMORPG.”
While many other companies are focusing on mobile, Astellia wants to cater to the PC market and makes that clear.
When does it start? Astellia is currently running in South Korea, and the developers are working on a version for Europe and North America.
A closed beta for Europe and North America is scheduled to start in summer 2019.
Read more about Astellia in our own big MeinMMO interview about the game:
