The developers of NCSoft want to work on their image and promise significant changes for the future. In the end, the gamers should benefit.
Who is this about? When thinking of MMORPGs from Asia, the prominent titles from NCSoft quickly come to mind. With Throne and Liberty, there was the last big MMORPG on Steam and with Aion 2 is already on the horizon.
However, the developers have also adjusted their development philosophy due to the great success of Aion 2. Now, the MMORPG studio has made a decision that will have long-term consequences.
Here you can watch the trailer for Aion 2:
Bye-Bye Pay2Win
What is this decision about? In the future, NCSoft wants to listen more to its players instead of making decisions purely for monetary reasons (Source: enduins.com).
Thus, in the future, they want to listen less to the opinions of star developers and executives and instead give players more say in tests.
Titles that fail the initial tests should go directly into the trash instead of being developed for a long time and, in the worst case, failing at release (Source: MMORPG.org.pl). But this is not the only groundbreaking decision at NCSoft.
What else should change? The developers at NCSoft also talk about Pay2Win in their MMORPGs in their new development philosophy. The titles of the MMORPG studio are often equipped with mechanics that allow players to gain certain advantages for real money.
But that is supposed to change now. According to the new development philosophy, NCSoft plans to move away from aggressive Pay2Win mechanics. Monetization should follow the enjoyment of the players and feel more natural in the future.
Games should primarily be fun and good. If that were the case, then gamers would automatically engage with battle passes, skins, and more. This experience is also being shown by Aion 2, which is already taking some steps in this direction from the start.
No reason for joy yet
What does MeinMMO author and Asia expert Cedric Holmeier think of the announcement? That the developers of NCSoft are now listening more to the players and want less Pay2Win is primarily a good decision. However, this is still far from a reason for joy.
Considering the monetization of Aion 2, which the developers presumably brought on the idea of incorporating less Pay2Win, one sees battle passes and more for over €40 a month, which are almost mandatory, skins for real money, and many other ways to spend money.
Just at the release of Aion 2, NCSoft faced a shitstorm because the definition of “No Pay2Win” for the players actually meant no Pay2Win at all. This surprise led to changes alongside apology livestreams, which brought the monetization of Aion 2 to its current successful model.
I gladly give NCSoft a chance and hope that they have understood after the release of Aion 2 that Pay2Win and aggressive monetization are out and that MMORPGs like WoW and Final Fantasy XIV manage well with fair subscriptions.
This only works if you create a product that can hold the players. How the new strategy works, we will see in the West upon the release of Aion 2. That is supposed to happen this year and will show how serious the developers are with their new development philosophy: Even before you can play, Aion 2 is completely changing its classes
