Actually, Legends of Aria was supposed to bring back the old feeling of Ultima Online. However, the game completely flopped on Steam and the company behind it was sold. The new owner plans an unusual comeback, but first lets the game die a second time.
What kind of game is this?
- Legends of Aria has been in development for over 8 years. Originally, the game was supposed to be called “Shards Online” and excited old-school fans on Kickstarter. There, it was able to raise over $100,000 in budget.
- It was advertised with a feeling that resembled what the classic Ultima Online conveyed. The MMORPG aimed to forgo levels, and players were supposed to enhance their characters only through skills. Housing and the ISO perspective also reminded players of the classic.
- However, upon its release in August 2019, the game flopped on Steam quite badly. The MMORPG could only capture the interest of 1,150 people simultaneously there (via Steamcharts).
- In 2020, the developers changed the game to Free2Play, but that didn’t bring the desired success either. Since September 2021, the number of simultaneous users has consistently been in the double digits. Currently, only 7 players are online at the same time on average.
- In December 2021, the company Blue Money Games purchased the studio along with the game and wanted to make some changes, especially to the business model. They aimed to save the MMORPG.
How it all played out is shown by YouTuber TheLazyPeon in the video:
New Plans and Their Surprising Problems
What did the new owner want to do? Legends of Aria was supposed to remain, but a lot was meant to change in how the game would generate revenue. The new operator wanted to rebuild the MMORPG with a cryptocurrency and Play2Earn concept.
Aside from that, they also wanted to make some adjustments to the game itself. This included an optional third-person view that would offer an alternative to the ISO perspective. However, fans often do not receive this well.
Apart from crypto and Play2Earn, NFTs were also supposed to play a role in the new Legends of Aria. On an NFT marketplace, players were supposed to be able to buy and sell items, assets, and even complete characters. An alpha was supposed to start in May but got delayed.
The official launch was planned for October, but that didn’t happen either. Instead, they are now pursuing other plans.
What alternatives were there? For those who did not want to engage with this gameplay concept, at least an alternative was offered. Under the name “Legends of Aria Classic,” the game was meant to continue as usual.
There, they relied on a Buy2Play concept with an optional subscription system, similar to what is the case with Elder Scrolls Online. However, that could not hold up for long, either.
The new Ashes of Creation, on the other hand, relies on a pure subscription model:
Legends of Aria Dies for the Second Time and Rises Again
What happened to Classic? Since LoA Classic essentially was the same game that had already flopped once, it is not surprising that this version could not hold up either. The developers announced that the official Legends of Aria Classic servers would be shut down on December 23, 2022.
This is not the end; community-run servers are allowed to continue running, but no further updates will be provided for this version. Thus, Legends of Aria has officially died for the second time. However, the studio continues to hold on to the original crypto plans, but now, yet again, under a different name.
What is the game called now? Legends of Aria has now launched its cryptocurrency plans under a new name. The project is now called Britaria and differs only slightly from the original game. Even the game world retains the same name, and the core game concept is supposed to remain.
Britaria also brought with it a new cryptocurrency called $DREAD. However, it dropped significantly right at launch. Originally, there were to be initial playtests in November for fans to get a glimpse of the truly new Legends of Aria.
However, that didn’t happen. As the developers announced via Discord, they would have to postpone the playtests again. The reason given was the need for further improvements to the combat system and a rethinking of the original payment model.
Originally, players were supposed to pay for Britaria on a per-character basis. They now want to adjust that and offer a Buy2Play title for 40 dollars that includes 4 character slots, but players will likely still have to pay for additional slots. They also want to hold on to crypto, NFTs, and Play2Earn, with details coming in December.
When the new tests are set to take place is currently unknown.
What do you think of Shards Online, which was originally Legends of Aria, but is now called Britaria? Can you still take the game seriously after so much back and forth? Or do you think the developers’ new plans are good? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments here at MeinMMO.
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