AION2

NCsoft is preparing to release AION2 worldwide in September 2026, following its initial launch in South Korea and Taiwan in November 2025. The game, built on Unreal Engine 5, emphasizes free flight, action-oriented combat, and deep character customization. It deliberately rejects modern MMORPG trends like gacha and auto-battle, instead offering a subscription-light model with a membership system priced around $15 per month that provides convenience features and cosmetic items, none of which affect character power.

The development team, numbering about 350 people, restarted the project from scratch in 2021 to realize creator Paek Seung-wook's original vision from 18 years ago, which was constrained by hardware and server limits at the time of the original AION's launch. The world of Atreia, set 200 years after the original game, is approximately 36 times larger than its predecessor and allows unrestricted flight in all normal fields. Players can choose from three factions (Elyos, Asmodians, and Balaur) and eight classes, with access to over 200 dungeons and a pet system.

Character creation offers extensive adjustments, including facial features, body proportions such as trapezius development and belly protrusion, and equipment material and color. Combat supports both traditional targeting and a non-targeting action mode, with skills customizable via a specialization system. The game will be available on PC only, with no mobile version planned for global players. Pre-registration is open, and those who pre-register receive the in-game pet Pagati and a choice of one additional pet from four types. An official Discord server has been launched with class-specific channels.