NCSoft, the developer of MMORPGs such as Lineage and Blade & Soul, is currently facing a backlash in its home country. The focus is on the Battle Pass and boosters in the game Blade & Soul 2. Many players felt compelled to purchase the Battle Pass.
What is happening at NCSoft? On August 26, the new MMORPG Blade & Soul 2 (PC, Mobile) was released in Korea. The interest in the game was substantial, as 7.4 million players had already pre-registered. However, shortly after the release, there was a rude awakening.
The game turned out to be Pay2Win and received significant criticism:
- Important items that provided gameplay advantages were included in the purchasable part of the Battle Pass and could not be traded with other players. This led many players to feel compelled to make a purchase.
- Additionally, there were loot boxes with weapons that had good attributes.
- The shop also offered numerous boosters for XP and gold.
The game subsequently experienced a backlash. In the Google Play Store, Blade & Soul 2 temporarily had a rating of 2.6 stars (now 3.1). From 2nd place in the charts, the MMORPG fell to 12th place in just 24 hours.
The release also had consequences for NCSoft. The stock of the Korean developer dropped from 870,000 Won (about 633 Euros) to 622,000 Won (about 450 Euros). This is the lowest value since early 2020.
How did NCSoft respond? On September 1, changes were made for Blade & Soul 2. The contents of the paid Battle Pass were made available for free and many boosters were disabled. Players also received gifts as compensation.
Moreover, the overall loot system was revised to provide players with better equipment more frequently.
Those wanting to gain a first insight into the game can find a video with information here:
NCSoft is working on more MMORPGs that are also expected to come to us
What is the significance of the backlash? According to the Korean website Joongangdaily, Blade & Soul 2 was actually supposed to be the answer to Odin: Valhalla Rising from competitor Kakao Games (via joongangdaily.com). However, while Odin is a success and currently very popular, the website already refers to Blade & Soul 2 as a flop.
The outcry regarding NCSoft’s latest game could, however, have positive consequences for the future. NCSoft is currently still working on additional games, including:
- AION 2, which is set to come for PC, consoles, and mobile
- Project TL, which will be released for PC and consoles
From the perspective of Western players, Project TL is likely the most interesting new MMORPG, as it strongly resembles Lost Ark and is also set to be released globally. Due to the backlash, NCSoft will likely now carefully consider how the monetization of this game will look.
Can you play Blade & Soul 2 in Germany? Sort of. Blade & Soul 2 has not officially launched here yet, but NCSoft did not impose a region lock on the game. You can even verify with a German phone number.
However, the downloader on Google blocks IP addresses from abroad. Nevertheless, some users have uploaded an external download file that allows you to play Blade & Soul 2 easily. However, there is currently no English patch for the game, which makes gaming more difficult:
New MMORPG Blade & Soul 2 is now playable – A little trick makes it possible
