Diablo 4 and Path of Exile both had only themselves as competitors. With Last Epoch, another candidate came into the ARPG genre that could get involved, but the studio behind the game had no publisher – until now.
What kind of game is Last Epoch? Last Epoch is a new ARPG that wants to compete with the big brands Diablo 4 and Path of Exile since its release in 2024. The game initially struggled to establish itself, but with its first season, it managed to regain the trust of its fans. Above all, due to the good progression, its endgame, and the great crafting.
But before its 1.0 release, Last Epoch was a Kickstarter project (Source: kickstarter.com) that was funded by passionate fans. The studio behind the ARPG still did not have a publisher like Diablo 4 and Path of Exile to finance itself after its major release. The studio was therefore looking for a partner and only recently they even found one.
Good news for fans, but they are not happy
What has been revealed? In a large blog post, the game director of Last Epoch wrote about the future of the studio. It mainly discussed the recently mentioned financing and how the studio plans to move forward to survive (Source: forum.lastepoch.com).
The studio had actively been looking for a partner in the past year to realize the dream of becoming the best ARPG ever. Many conversations were held with potential partners, but only one could stand out, and that is Krafton.
For those who do not know Krafton: They are the company behind the battle royale “PUBG” – the competitor of Fortnite and Warzone. According to the game director, Krafton could offer exactly what they are looking for to achieve their goals and solve problems they have encountered over time.
One might think this is good news, as more content could be produced and Last Epoch could be better developed thanks to Krafton, but fans are skeptical.
How are fans reacting? If you look under the forum post, the news is met with mixed feelings. Krafton is not popular among many gamers, and there are many reasons for this, mainly due to their monetization methods and the debacle surrounding Subnautica 2. Here’s what can be heard:
- “I had to Google Krafton because I didn’t know who they are, and I’ve never played PUBG. I played Tera and know how bad that was and how much money was made from it. There is nothing online indicating that they have anything to do with the ARPG scene. I’m not looking forward to it at all.” – PKERJOCK
- “… I don’t like where this is headed. Only time will tell.” – ShadowDweller
- “Well, I mean, for you as a studio and a company, it’s probably a good thing, but for us players, this is one of the worst possible outcomes.” – BokuHagath
- “Krafton? Wow, that’s a bold step considering what’s happening right now and how the past generally looks. I personally have no trust in Krafton – good luck!” – HoodedTurtle
It remains to be seen how much Krafton will interfere in the development of Last Epoch, but so far the joyful news has not been well received. Apart from that, the ARPG is preparing for the release of its new season. You can find out more about this here: Path of Exile 2’s competition announces new season, but fans already have a concern
