NCSoft has partnered with Amazon Games to publish its free-to-play MMORPG Throne and Liberty in the West. The highly anticipated cross-play open beta for the game will be available from July 18 to July 23, giving players in North and South America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan a chance to experience the game before its official release. Throne and Liberty offers players a dynamic world full of depth and verticality, with changing geographical and environmental features that impact gameplay. The game features massive-scale player-versus-player (PvP) and player-versus-environment (PvE) combat, allowing players to turn the tide of battle by morphing into defeated bosses or triggering powerful environmental effects.
One of the key features of Throne and Liberty is its robust social experiences, including guild interactions and alliances. Players can engage in dungeon fights and castle sieges in an open world, with day and night cycles and unpredictable weather patterns adding to the immersive experience. The game also offers a variety of dual weapons that allow players to customize their playstyle.
In an interview with Merv Lee Kwai, head of third-party publishing at Amazon Games, and Daniel Lafuente, globalization design manager at Amazon Games, they discussed the progress of Throne and Liberty. The game has been in development for 18 months, with active collaboration between Amazon Games and NCSoft. The Korean version of the game has been live since December 2023 on PC only, but the partnership with Amazon Games aims to bring the MMORPG experience to console players as well.
The Korean version of Throne and Liberty has received positive reception from players, with feedback being used to improve the game for its global release. Kwai highlighted the challenges of running a game of this scale as a service and the lessons learned from other MMOs. Lafuente emphasized that Throne and Liberty has been developed with a global audience in mind, offering massive-scale combat, high-quality visuals, and a deep social system.
The game has already proven its ability to handle large-scale battles, with castle sieges in the Korean version accommodating over 1,700 players. The game’s infrastructure and technology, along with the support of Amazon Web Services, have enabled this level of gameplay. While the game is not a shardless world, it is designed to support a multi-sharded model, with players able to transfer between servers.
Throne and Liberty will offer a wealth of content at launch, including traditional leveling journeys, castle sieges, guild-versus-guild battles, dynamic events, and instanced PvE dungeons. One unique feature is the morphing system, where players can transform into different animals for travel. The game has undergone significant changes based on feedback from global players, ensuring a unified experience across all regions.
Overall, Throne and Liberty promises to be an exciting MMORPG experience with its immersive world, massive-scale combat, and deep social interactions. With the upcoming cross-play open beta and its official release on September 17, 2024, players around the world can look forward to diving into this highly anticipated game.