The European version of the free online role-playing game Aion has proudly turned 4 years old today. Not only a wine, but also an MMORPG can mature over the years and provide a better experience when consumed.
Aion had a spectacular launch in 2009: A huge number of players flocked to the highly announced spin-off from NCSoft. Everything just sounded very good. Different factions waging war against each other; the seemingly limitless possibilities in the air while flying; a fantastic backdrop thanks to the Cryengine, and so on.
But unfortunately, the then version did not resonate with the Western world – some did not like the high PvP ratio, while others found the game too grind-heavy. In any case, critical voices increased.
Then everything took its natural course and players left the sinking ship. The operators then decided to switch to a different payment model instead of giving up the project. This last chance turned out to be a stroke of luck – the switch from subscription to free-to-play model got the Asian MMO back on track.
The MMORPG Aion makes a successful return
Not only the adjustment to the changing market, which increasingly fell victim to P2P games, brought new players to the role-playing game. A large part is also due to the developers, who managed to continuously improve the gaming experience. Whether it’s various adjustments to PvP and PvE, the introduced housing, the new classes, as well as numerous comfort improvements – many of these changes gradually increased the quality of the game. Also those that were missing at launch.
It is not only important to deliver extensive updates, but also to recognize where the weaknesses lie or with which innovations one can best keep players entertained. The mistake of the premature release has been compensated. The free-to-play MMORPG is certainly still not for everyone, but a large player base has formed – with now 7 completely localized versions in Europe.
Statistics confirm the upswing and version 4.5 on the horizon
Publisher Gameforge, which has been taking care of the game operation since the changeover, released interesting numbers about the MMO. Since the MMO became free and is in the hands of Gameforge, more than 4 million accounts have been created to date within 1.5 years! The very extensive update 4.0, which was released not too long ago, alone attracted more than 350,000 new players to Aion. The newly added classes, the bard and the ranger, seem to be quite popular – over 100,000 characters have since chosen these paths.
The content update 4.5 will be released at the beginning of next year, by the way. A highlight here is certainly the Aethertech, a new character class.
Celebrations in the sign of the birthday
Several events and surprises are meant to help keep this anniversary in good memory. More information about the Shugo-King’s Tomb, the boost events, the AION birthday cake, the in-game gifts, and the offers in the shop can be found on the official page.
