In 2024, the new MMORPG Throne and Liberty is set to be released in Europe. Amazon plans to bring it from South Korea to Europe and America. Now, unexpectedly good news has arrived: The online role-playing game plans to forgo the “Gacha mechanics” that are hated in the West, it is said. Here in Germany, the system is known as “Loot Boxes.”
What mechanics do they intend to forgo?
- A Korean site reports that Throne and Liberty intends to avoid probability mechanics for items. Essentially, this refers to loot boxes: non-visible boxes from which a desired item can be obtained with a certain probability or only a disappointment.
- Such loot boxes are considered a “gambling mechanic” and are viewed with increasing skepticism. In Belgium and the Netherlands, some games with this mechanic are no longer sold.
- Because the probability of actually obtaining one of the desired items from such loot boxes is often microscopically small. Players spend way too much money trying to obtain a desired item.
Battle Pass instead of Loot Box
What do they plan instead? Instead of loot boxes with probabilities, as is common in Asian gacha MMORPGs, NCSoft is apparently orienting itself towards western live-service games and plans to implement a Battle Pass.
Those who reach certain milestones in this subscription-based season pass are promised items: This is not luck-dependent but calculable.
As a fan site reports about Throne and Liberty, players already got a taste of the season pass with cosmetic items during the last closed beta.
The reputation of loot boxes as a cash grab is getting worse
Why is NCSoft doing this? According to the Korean news site mt.com, loot boxes have fallen out of favor in recent years; high prices have led to controversies. Because they also want to reach the West with Throne and Liberty, NCSoft is therefore orienting itself towards a calculable model.
Because, with a loot box system, success is not guaranteed even if a lot of money is spent.
NCSoft seems to be redirecting after negative experiences
Here’s what’s behind it: NCSoft launched the game “Blade & Soul 2” in South Korea in 2021, and it was extremely successful at the beginning. However, they overdid it with monetization, leading players to voice strong criticism, and Blade & Soul is now considered a burned license.
After Throne and Liberty had only moderate reception in initial tests, NCSoft seems to have decided to make significant concessions to the players.
How the system will look in practice, we will probably find out soon. A showcase for the Korean version of Throne and Liberty is scheduled for November 2, which is set to be released in South Korea in December.
The combat system of Throne and Liberty has also been significantly revised:
The new MMORPG Throne and Liberty showcases its revised combat system – now promises PvE dungeons
