Fans of the MMORPG ArcheAge have had to endure a lot recently. A new announcement from the new publisher Kakao Games, however, takes it to the next level for many players. We at MeinMMO summarize.
What is AAU? When the sandbox MMORPG was released in 2019 in the European market, the new game seemed promising. Publisher Gamigo took over the release in the West and devised a plan to counteract the Pay2Win aspect of ArcheAge.
What came out was a new old game: ArcheAge Unchained. The MMORPG was released in two versions – Free2Play and further with Pay2Win aspects under the name ArcheAge and Buy2Play without Pay2Win as ArcheAge Unchained. This decision was initially well received by the community.
Unchained completely renounced Pay2Win and largely offered cosmetic items and a Battle Pass in its cash shop. The MMORPG promised a fair Buy2Play experience without Pay2Win, monthly costs, or other gameplay advantages (via archeagegame.com).
What has happened in ArcheAge? Starting December 1, both MMORPGs, ArcheAge and ArcheAge Unchained, will be transferred to the new publisher Kakao Games. They are also known as publishers of Elyon and, for a long time, for the MMO Black Desert.
Players must transfer their accounts and will then be able to continue playing unhindered, for now. However, the first announcement of the transfer already caused outrage in the community, as Kakao announced that the houses and properties of the fans would not be transferred.
The players will receive the items in their house back to their inventory and have to search for a new property. A fresh start for the housing market of ArcheAge, which has disappointed many fans.
New announcement escalates mood in the community
What’s new? On November 17, a community manager from the new publisher posted information on Discord that caused significant unrest among fans.
Kakao Games announced that the business model of ArcheAge Unchained will be changed from Buy2Play to Pay2Play – a monthly subscription will be mandatory for all players. Those who have already purchased ArcheAge Unchained will receive 60 days of play for free; after that, everyone must pay €9.99 per month to continue playing.
The fans feel betrayed: On Discord, the announcement currently has 379 dislikes and 150 votes for the word “Scam.” The fans believe that they paid for a game to play it permanently. Now suddenly demanding monthly costs is too much for most.
Kakao Games justifies this decision by arguing that they want to minimize the Pay2Win aspects in Unchained even further. However, this does not seem to satisfy the majority of players.
- User Chris writes about it on Facebook (via facebook): “Great, that was the reason I stopped playing ArcheAge and then bought Unchained. I am really mad.”
- Nico also chimes in and says: “Then [Unchained] will finally die. Many active players have second and third accounts, which will then disappear.”
- Mae Jewell shares the same opinion: “That means AAU is done for me. They must have lost their minds.. Why keep two games that cost monthly? That makes no sense.”
- User Christian Otto keeps his comment short: “RIP Unchained”
What will happen to AAU? Time will tell. On Steam, the game had an average of only about 155 players in the last 30 days, with a 24-hour peak of only 64 players (via steamcharts.com).
Although the game also has its own launcher, the player numbers currently do not seem to be good. The change to a subscription model could further scare away active players and eventually shoot the game down.
What do you think about the changes in Unchained? Are you still playing actively and will you remain an active player despite everything? Or do you prefer to view the situation from the outside? Please let us know in the comments here at MeinMMO.
