Aion 2 hits nearly 400,000 concurrent players on Steam at international launch as Korean MMOs turn to the West

NCsoft's Aion 2 launched globally on October 5, drawing more than 400,000 daily active players and a Steam peak of 398,000 concurrent users, briefly topping Steam's global top sellers. Its Steam rating sits at 64%, with complaints focused on auction house and player trading still requiring a paid membership. The piece argues that scarce high-quality MMO releases in the West explain the early surge, while Korean MMOs have yet to solve long-term retention, and asks whether Chinese studios such as NetEase should follow.