Throne and Liberty was originally set to release in the first half of 2023, but has been postponed to October. NCSoft has now announced in the latest quarterly report that major revisions are underway. This means a release in Korea in Q4 and a global release by Amazon in 2024.
What did NCSoft say? During the conference call, it was mentioned that the release has to be postponed. The reason for this is the player feedback from the beta test in Korea in May. There were several criticisms that the developers want to address.
The first point is the combat system:
- So far, it is a rigid tab-targeting system and has received a lot of criticism. Many abilities force the player to stand still and remain in long animations. In melee combat, this even led to enemies simply running away and thus escaping damage.
- In the future, combat is expected to be more dynamic. You should be able to move more during attacks and abilities. However, there are no precise details.
The second revision concerns the “progression system”. Many testers complained that the leveling phase, especially from level 20, is supposed to be very tedious. Improving gear is also described as “very labor-intensive”. Improvements are expected here.
Moreover, NCSoft hopes for more word-of-mouth in the future. The postponement of the release should also help with this.
When will Throne and Liberty be released now? The MMORPG is supposed to be released in Korea in December 2023. For the rest of the world, there will then be a global release date. However, this is in the hands of Amazon and is not expected until 2024. The details will be shared by the publisher itself.
Positive feedback on the open world and PvP battles
What else did the developers reveal? According to Hong Won-joon, the CFO of NCSoft, there was also positive feedback during the test in May. Especially the open world, the large-scale battles in PvP, and the payment model were well received by the testers.
Throne and Liberty relies on Free2Play, but with a season pass and upgrade materials for the gear directly for real money. Additionally, there are the bonuses:
Happy Collector
: Items that drop during hunting are unbound and can then be traded.Offline Play
: If the connection drops or ends, the character continues to farm for up to 8 hours a day.
However, it is currently unknown whether these contents will be released the same way in the West. Amazon has already made some changes to the shop for Lost Ark and plans to do the same for Blue Protocol.
NCSoft is struggling with significant losses, now focusing on “non-MMOs”
What else was said during the conference call? NCSoft is facing significant financial losses. The company made 790 billion Won (550 million euros) in the first quarter of 2022, but in the second quarter of 2023, it was only 440 billion Won (300 million euros). Mainly, mobile games have experienced a significant decline.
For the most important title in the West – Guild Wars 2 – things are stable. NCSoft’s MMORPG generated around 13 million euros in revenue and is holding above the values from 2018 to 2021. At the low point in 2020, there was only about 8 million euros in revenue in a quarter.
What does the future look like? NCSoft has high hopes for Throne and Liberty, especially due to the console release. However, no “explosion” like with the mobile titles is expected.
Overall, the company will also focus on games that are not MMOs in the future. This is unusual for NCSoft. In 2023, the puzzle game Fuzz Up is set to be released. For 2024, the real-time strategy game Project G and Battle Crush, a melee action game, are planned.
Additionally, NCSoft is reportedly working behind the scenes on a new MMORPG for the Horizon franchise: Sony is reportedly planning a new MMORPG for Horizon: Zero Dawn – Bringing in the developers of Blade & Soul
What do you think about the postponement and the plans for restructuring? Will it help Throne and Liberty or rather harm it?
