NCSoft has once again angered the Aion 2 community with the announcement of three new “optional” passes for season 2, which just launched in Asia (the subscriptions we mentioned in our previous articles actually take the form of passes that are renewed each season. So it’s this new version of the passes for Season 2 that we’ll be discussing here. The combined price of these new passes is particularly high and raises serious concerns. Although no specific Western release date has been announced for Aion 2, the MMO is expected in Q3 2026, according to NCSoft’s Co-CEO Park Byung-moo. This aggressive monetization is likely to cause even greater problems with Western audiences, who are less tolerant of such pricing and P2W practices.
Season 2 introduces three passes presented as optional. The first, « Blessing of the First Step, » costs 2000 Quna. The second, « New Wave, » is priced 1500 Quna. The third, « Paradise, » comes in at 3000 Quna. The total cost of these three passes reaches 6500 Quna, or 55 dollars. This represents a considerable investment for seasonal content, especially since Aion 2 seasons only last 28 days. The current season running from January 21st to February 18th.
The $105 ‘Error’
If this price already shocks you, what follows is even more surprising. Initially, these three passes were announced at a combined price of 105 dollars! Faced with the backlash, NCSoft reduced the price and claimed there was « no intention to test player tolerance. » This justification seems hard to believe for such a massive pricing error. From my perspective, it appears obvious that NCSoft is indeed testing the limits of what its community is willing to accept in terms of subscriptions. It’s no coincidence that these excessive prices appear during the second season. The publisher is clearly seeking to exploit those who have already invested time and money in the first season and don’t want to lose that investment.
Despite the price reduction following legitimate community reactions, one can question the relevance of the content offered in exchange for these supposedly optional passes. NCSoft must realize that 55 dollars represents nearly the price of a full AAA game. This proposition seems completely disconnected from reality and clearly aims to take advantage of a playerbase held captive by their initial investment.
The Free-to-Play Illusion
What’s more, these passes aren’t truly optional, contrary to NCSoft’s argument that they aren’t mandatory to play the MMO. Certainly, the title is free-to-play, but to fully experience it, purchasing at least some of these passes becomes virtually essential. They offer core functionalities that should be part of the base game. For instance, in season 1 one of the passes allowed players to run more dungeons and therefore obtain more loots. Another enabled trading between players through the auction house. In practice, for a complete experience, these passes are indispensable. It would be more accurate to say they’re required to enjoy the game under good conditions or remain somewhat competitive in term of gear progression.
Moreover, these passes are limited to a single character. However, in Korean MMOs, it’s common to use alt characters to feed your main one, a practice that’s practically mandatory at the highest levels. Players will therefore potentially need to pay for multiple passes. NCSoft thus demonstrates great skill at extracting maximum value from its most invested players. An absolutely toxic monetization policy.
When Predatory Pricing Pays
Reactions were immediate and extremely negative, both from Western observers watching from afar and from Asian players currently playing the Korean and Taiwanese versions. With Aion 2 set for a global release likely in Q3 2026, this type of practice will likely not be accepted here. However, it appears that NCSoft only plans to make minor modifications to the global version (see quote below). The way players are being taken for fools here is simply unacceptable.
« The business model and gameplay mechanics were designed from scratch with the global release in mind. So we believe that at a higher level it wouldn’t significantly change. »
From NCSOFT’s IR communication team leader in the 4Q 2025’s Conference Call at 57min24s
(From NCSoft’s Q4 2025 Earnings Release)
Unfortunately, this strategy seems to be working for NCSoft. Aion 2 has already generated over 100 billion Korean won (approximately 68 million dollars) in roughly three months. These impressive financial results are personally tragic in my view, as they legitimize a deplorable monetization model where competition has become synonymous with relentless and exorbitantly priced microtransactions. Obviously, NCSoft’s executives clearly don’t share this perspective. The architects of this « success » have been promoted internally, with numerous promotions from the Aion 2 division to other projects within the group. Internally, the Aion 2 model is perceived as a tremendous success. Financially, that’s undeniable. In terms of gamedesign and player respect, it’s catastrophic, but that doesn’t appear to be a priority for the publisher.
It suggests that this monetization model underlying Aion 2 might become a pillar of NCSoft’s strategy in the coming years. We can reasonably anticipate that the publisher may adopt this monetization approach in future projects, such as the recently announced Horizon MMO. Put in perspective with the situation in Western MMOs where not much is happening anymore, it’s truly immensely sad.