The almost forgotten MMO-RTS Kingdom under Fire 2 makes a return with trailers at two major trade shows.
The story of “Kingdom under Fire 2” is a bit nebulous. The first titles “Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders”, “Kingdom under Fire: Heroes” and “Kingdom under Fire: Circle of Doom” were released before 2004, 2005 and 2007 on Xbox and XBox 360. For some time now, a massive sequel “Kingdom under Fire 2” has been announced.
Last year it was still considered a hidden gem for the MMO market, and the hype was even greater in the years before. The concept sounds enticing: A hero and his shining army go into battle, somewhat like “Rome: Total War” in the West, only that as a general, you are a martial arts master fighting in the front row of your troops. Many think of comparisons to Legolas and Gimli during the battles in the Lord of the Rings films.
There are indeed two different perspectives: One from above, the bird’s eye view, where you can control the troops, and then the “Hero View”, where you are at the center of the action, can carve out the decisive path or turn the battle with your own weapons.
Everything sounded great in the plans. However, the business side looks considerably bleaker. The hype has died down. The social media channels, including the homepage, have not seen any updates for quite some time. And even in its home market in Korea, the game is not yet out. A PC version only runs on servers in Southeast Asia.
However, the plans are still massive. Because Kingdom under Fire 2 wants to mix MMO and strategy game for the Playstation 4 and PC. This in three languages, including English. But who still has the game on their radar? To change that, publisher Blueside has now shown fresh trailers at the Chinajoy and Gamescom trade shows.
When will Kingdom under Fire II be released on PS4 and PC in the West?
Individual journalists have also been shown the game at the trade shows, presenting individual ideas and the timeline: It is planned for the game to start in the “East” on PS4 and PC later this year and then “ultimately” make its way to the West. As reasons for the staggered launch, publisher Blueside states that they want to address the “different cultures”.
Here in the West, players tend to prefer “realistic” fantasy and do not like it so “flashy”, as the fans in Asia do.
In the description, the game indeed sounds like an MMO. There will be PvE and PvP, and even raids are mentioned.
One can be curious whether Kingdom under Fire 2 will come back again and can turn its ambitious plans into reality. Last year it was still stated that they wanted to conquer the Playstation 4 as a free-to-play title.
Mixing MMO, RTS, and intense action is a flavor that would surely benefit the genre.
