Aion 2 was released in South Korea and Taiwan about a year ago, and now the highly anticipated global launch is just days away. Although it hasn't fully opened up yet, the hype for this MMO has been soaring, landing it among the top titles on Steam's popular games chart.
Two pieces of data are enough to prove its popularity. First, Aion 2 has topped the Steam Best Sellers chart. Although the base game is free-to-play, players currently must purchase one of several Founder's Packs to access Early Access. The cheapest pack costs £18.49 and includes numerous in-game cosmetic items and consumables.
Thanks to these Founder's Packs, Aion 2 has outsold many other major recent releases. In terms of revenue, this week's earnings from Aion 2 Founder's Packs have surpassed those of EA FC 27, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Servius, and Gears of War: E-Day.
As for the actual scale of players participating in Early Access, the data from Steam's Most Played chart is quite convincing. At the time of writing, the game ranks ninth, though it has yet to surpass top-tier titles like PUBG, Apex Legends, and the recently explosive multiplayer hit War Dogs.
Achieving this rank is already quite impressive, and the ranking is expected to climb even higher in a few days when the game opens to non-Founder's Pack players and transitions to free-to-play.
This title is a typical MMORPG, but it also features many interesting innovations and unique characteristics that set it apart from similar works. The combat system sits somewhere between the traditional tab-targeting mode and more action-oriented gameplay like that of Black Desert. The game boasts a massive amount of collectibles, over 1,100 achievements, and rich PvP and PvE activities.