The new MMORPG Throne and Liberty is postponing its release to overhaul the combat system and leveling phase

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Throne and Liberty was originally scheduled for release in the first half of 2023, but was then pushed back to October. NCSoft has now announced in the latest quarterly report that major revisions are pending. This will be followed by a release in Korea in Q4 and a global release by Amazon in 2024.

What did NCSoft say? The conference call states 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 a few points of criticism that the developers now want to address.

The first point is the combat system:

  • So far it’s been a rigid tab targeting and has already received a lot of criticism. Many abilities force the player to stand still and freeze in long animations. In close combat, this even resulted in enemies running away and avoiding damage.
  • In the future, however, fighting should become more dynamic. So you should be able to move more with attacks and abilities. However, there are no exact details.

    • The second revision gets the “progress system”. Many testers complained that the level phase should be very tough, especially from level 20. Improving the equipment is also described as “very complex”. There should be improvements here.

    In addition, NCSoft hopes for more word of mouth in the future. The postponement of the release should also help here.

    When is Throne and Liberty out now? The MMORPG is scheduled for release in Korea in December 2023. There will then be a global release date for the rest of the world. However, this is in the hands of Amazon and should not take place until 2024. The details of this are shared by the publisher himself.

    Throne and Liberty – Summer Game Fest Trailer

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    Positive feedback on the open world and PvP battles

    What else did the developers reveal? According to Hong Won-joon, NCSoft’s CFO, the test in May also had positive feedback. Above all, the open world, the mass battles in PvP and the payment model are said to have been well received by the testers.

    Throne and Liberty is Free2Play, but with a Season Pass and gear upgrade materials directly for real money. Also, there are the bonuses:

  • Happy Gatherer: If items fall during the hunt, they are unbound and can then be traded.
  • Game disconnected: If the connection is lost or terminated, the character will continue farming for up to 8 hours a day.

    • It is currently unknown whether this content will also be published in the West. Amazon has already made some changes to the shop at Lost Ark and plans to do the same for Blue Protocol.

    NCSoft struggles with heavy losses, now relies on “non-MMOs”

    What else was said on the conference call? NCSoft has suffered severe financial losses. While the company made 790 billion won (550 million euros) in the first quarter of 2022, it was only 440 billion won (300 million euros) in the second quarter of 2023. Mobile games in particular have experienced a sharp decline.

    The main title in the West – Guild Wars 2 – is stable. The MMORPG from NCSoft brought in around 13 million euros in sales and is thus above the values ​​​​from 2018 to 2021. At the low point in 2020, there were sales of only around 8 million euros in one quarter.

    What’s the future like? NCSoft has high hopes for Throne and Liberty, also because of the console release. However, one does not expect an “explosion” as with the mobile titles.

    Overall, the company will also focus on games that are not MMOs in the future. This is unusual for NCSoft. The puzzle game Fuzz Up is to be released in 2023. The real-time strategy game Project G and Battle Crush, a close-combat action game, are planned for 2024.

    In addition, NCSoft is probably still working in the background on a new MMORPG for the Horizon franchise: Sony is probably planning a new MMORPG for Horizon: Zero Dawn – get the developers of Blade & Soul on board

    What are your thoughts on the postponement and plans for the revamp? Will this help or hurt Throne and Liberty?

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