Amazon Games is bringing free-to-play Korean MMORPG Throne and Liberty to the West in September, and we now know all the ways the publisher is changing the game’s business model to better fit the expectations of western players.
In a recent blog post on the Throne and Liberty website, Amazon and developer NCSOFT outlined how the game’s monetization will differ from the Korean version, explaining its goals, the main currencies players will be interacting with, and detailing how its five-day paid early access period will work.
For starters, one of Amazon’s stated goals is to make combat and power upgrades accessible to all players, not just ones who pay real money to get ahead. To further that mission statement, its in-game store won’t sell one of the game’s core currencies used to craft and upgrade gear, nor will it sell potions or food that may give players who have them an advantage. Quests and rewards exclusive to the paid battle pass will be removed. An optional subscription seen in the Korean version of the MMO that grants players various benefits, the Blessing of Solisium, won’t be available (at least at launch), as Amazon is continuing to “evaluate how this offering needs to change to serve the needs of our players.”
Other changes coming with the western release of Throne and Liberty include a reduction in price for both its premium battle pass and leveling pass. Both will be purchasable with a currency earnable from in-game activities or selling items on the auction house called Lucent, instead of real-world money. The battle pass has been upgraded too, with additional cosmetics and an improved final reward for those who do decide to purchase the premium version. That aligns with one of Amazon’s other stated goals for the game’s monetization model: The idea that purchasing items from the shop should feel rewarding but not necessary.
Throne and Liberty will offer a Early Access Pack prior to the game’s launch that will let owners begin playing five days early, causing concern among some players that those who spend money will gain a noticeable headstart and advantage in Throne and Liberty’s PvP-heavy endgame over those who opt to wait. To address those concerns, Amazon announced Throne and Liberty will launch with early access servers. All players who purchase early access will start on those servers, and players who join on the free-to-play launch date will have the option of picking new launch servers or joining an existing early access server should they so choose. Those who purchase early access will not be able to transfer a character from an early access server to a launch server for a period of time to ensure fairness, and the auction houses for early access servers and launch servers will not be connected.
More details about Throne and Liberty’s early access offering will come alongside the game’s open beta, which will run from July 18-23. Throne and Liberty is set to release on PC and current generation consoles on September 17 or September 12 for those who purchase early access.
Throne and Liberty won’t be Amazon’s only MMO releasing this year. It’s in-house developed New World, originally released in 2021, is being rebooted for consoles and PC in the form of New World: Aeternum Edition.
