Aion 2 Global Launch: NC's MMO Hits #1 on Steam

Aion 2 has already topped Steam’s Global Top Sellers chart during its early access period, ahead of a free-to-play worldwide release on Oct. 5. Game director Kim Nam-jun told Screen Rant the team focused on letting players choose between solo play and traditional MMO grouping.

“We wanted to make sure that when someone playing solo bumps into other players, it doesn't feel burdensome,” Kim explained through a translator. “There's no pressure, no burden to meet other players if you don't want to. Of course, you can play with others too.”

Flight is a signature feature, but the team scaled it back after seeing players felt stressed navigating three-dimensional combat. “We made it specific moments where people are encouraged to use flight,” Kim said. “We wanted to keep players comfortable with flying.”

Kim said a year of live service in Korea and Taiwan helped NC figure out the right content cadence. “We wanted to remove that feeling of FOMO,” he added. “We wanted global audiences to be able to jump in and soar and have fun.”

The developer acknowledged the scarcity of big-budget MMOs these days. “Not many companies are making MMORPGs now,” Kim said. “We have seen a real drought period for the MMO genre. We really do hope that a lot of people enjoy this game.”

• Aion 2
• Early Access
• Kim Nam-jun
• MMO
• NC
• Steam