We Speak Gaming
AION 2 Launches Globally as a Free-to-Play MMORPG on PC
The war for Atreia has a new front. NC has launched AION 2 globally as a free-to-play MMORPG on PC, available through Steam and the publisher’s PURPLE platform, with local servers running in North America, South America, Europe and Asia, including Japan. The game is localized in eight languages — English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and Russian — and carries an ESRB T / PEGI 16 rating.
The launch follows a strong Early Access start on September 30, when AION 2 reached number one on Steam’s Global Top Sellers chart in more than ten regions. Korean outlet Aju Press reported more than 400,000 peak concurrent users across platforms on day one of the full launch.
Built in Unreal Engine 5, AION 2’s world is 36 times the size of the original game’s, and flight — the series’ signature — returns as a core system, joined by aerial combat. The combat itself blends precision, timing and positioning with tab-targeting across eight classes, and character creation offers more than 200 customization options.
The story is set 200 years after the original AION. The Elyos and Asmodians still face each other, but the Balaur have grown newly empowered, shifting the balance of the three-way conflict. PvE content scales from solo play and five-player dungeons up to ten-player raids, while PvP covers 1v1 duels, 4v4 arenas and cross-server realm-versus-realm battles — including the return of the Abyss, the original game’s iconic contested zone.
The original AION built its reputation on flight and large-scale faction war in 2008. AION 2 is NC’s attempt to rebuild that identity at modern scale, free to play from day one, and its chart-topping Early Access suggests the audience was waiting for exactly that.
THE FINALS Season 12 “PRIME TIME” Rebuilds Destruction and Adds Solo Showdown
Bandai Namco Announces Mobile Suit Gundam: Battle Operation 3 for PS5 and PC
ARC Raiders’ Frozen Trail Update Brings Pendola Pass and a Boardable Frigate on October 8
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Adds Tokyo Revengers’ Mikey and Draken on October 22
Flagg Scores 26 as Mavericks Hand Short-Handed Thunder First Loss, 120-96
Barnes Scores 28 as Raptors Rout Magic 129-99 in First Game Without Leonard
Wembanyama’s 36 Powers Spurs Past Jazz 117-111 in Overtime
Brunson Scores 38 as Knicks Erase 19-Point Deficit to Stun Bulls 133-127
THE FINALS has always sold itself on destruction, and Season 12 rebuilds the whole system. “PRIME TIME,” live now on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, is the free-to-play game show shooter’s largest update since its 2023 launch, headlined by Gradual Destruction: buildings now bend, sag and partially collapse under damage instead of shattering on cue, while Blast Waves displace objects and deform walls, and smoke and toxic gas have been reworked to interact with the geometry they move through.
The season’s new mode is Solo Showdown, launching in beta as the game’s first dedicated solo tournament. Twelve contestants play three rounds drawn from eight rotating mini-modes — Blast Off!, Heavy Hitters, Boom Brawl, Slam-A-Rama, Sniper Standoff, Winch Wars, Turbo Tussle and One and Gunned — with the four lowest scorers eliminated after each of the first two rounds.
The game show itself gets smarter with Dynamic Commentary, also in beta: announcer Scotty now calls contestants out by name for standout plays such as team wipes and revive streaks, turning the broadcast layer into part of the reward.
Light players get a full new playstyle, the Infiltrator. True Sight reveals opponents through smoke, the Mimic Device disguises a contestant as an object, and the Translocator swaps the player’s position with a marked object. Balance shifts around it: Light builds gain 25 health and Heavy builds lose 25, compressing the gap between the outer classes.
Three arenas — Monaco, Seoul and Skyway Stadium — have been remastered, the HUD and Side Panel redesigned, and sponsor rewards rebuilt around Contracts; the VR currency has been removed entirely. A Frights Galore Halloween wheel covers the seasonal beat.
Three years in, Embark is not coasting on THE FINALS’ formula — PRIME TIME re-engineers the thing the game is famous for, and bets that better destruction keeps the show on air.
Bandai Namco Announces Mobile Suit Gundam: Battle Operation 3 for PS5 and PCARC Raiders’ Frozen Trail Update Brings Pendola Pass and a Boardable Frigate on October 8Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Adds Tokyo Revengers’ Mikey and Draken on October 22
Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Arrives November 5 on Switch 2, With an Ocarina You Play by HummingFlagg Scores 26 as Mavericks Hand Short-Handed Thunder First Loss, 120-96Barnes Scores 28 as Raptors Rout Magic 129-99 in First Game Without LeonardWembanyama’s 36 Powers Spurs Past Jazz 117-111 in OvertimeBrunson Scores 38 as Knicks Erase 19-Point Deficit to Stun Bulls 133-127-
We Speak Jazz6 days agoToronto Jazz Singer Ori Dagan Announces First Live Album ‘Live in the Market’ for October 23 Release
-
WE Speak MMA7 days agoUFC 334: Gane vs. Hokit, Harrison vs. Nunes Title Fights Set for November 14 at Madison Square Garden
-
We Speak Comedy7 days agoNate Bargatze Plays Rexburg Tomorrow, Then Settles Into Las Vegas on the Record-Breaking Big Dumb Eyes Tour
-
We Speak Celebrity News5 days agoJennifer Lawrence Steps Into Beauty With Biodesigned Haircare Brand mes°