ArcheAge Chronicles Vision and Development
How ArcheAge 2 became an online action RPG, how much MMO is in it and how XLGAMES talks to its community.
The road so far
| September 2024 | Revealed as ArcheAge Chronicles, formerly ArcheAge 2, at Sony's State of Play, back then with Kakao Games as partner. |
|---|---|
| 12 September 2026 | First network test, about six hours and North America only. The servers stayed stable despite more players than planned. |
| September 2026 | XLGAMES self-publishes the game and talks directly to Western players, through producer Ham and the new Global PM Don. |
| October 2026 | Free demo at Steam Next Fest with the first public PvP. |
| Q4 2026 | Planned start of Early Access on Steam. |
How much MMO is in it?
Not a classic sandbox MMO like the original, but a shared online world with many MMO traits.
| What it is | What it isn't |
|---|---|
| A shared world with around 100 players per channel | One single huge zone for everyone |
| Voluntary PvP in dedicated channels | Forced open PvP everywhere |
| Life skills, housing, trade and guilds | A game you can only play in a group |
| Dungeons solo or in a group of four | A grind where you just level before every boss |
What matters to XLGAMES
- Progression should come from things you enjoy anyway: exploring, solving riddles, beating tough enemies.
- PvP should come from the players rather than from fixed scripts.
- No pay-to-win purchases and no shop at launch.
- Costs, trait trees and skills are meant to evolve during Early Access based on player feedback.
Classes and gender
Many players want free choice of gender. For Early Access each class stays tied to one gender, because XLGAMES wants to refine combat and classes first. More choice is planned for later, starting with select classes.
As of 18 October 2026, before Early Access. Numbers and skills may still change before launch.
Read on
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