On the 14th, as G-Star 2025, Korea's largest game show, was underway at the Busan Exhibition & Convention Center (BEXCO), a long line formed early in the morning in front of NCSOFT's new title Aion 2 demo zone. With it being a numbered sequel after 14 years and just a week before launch, the wait time surpassed 4 hours.
Right after entry, a large share of visitors rushed to the Aion 2 booth, and the line quickly grew. Visitors waiting for the 10 a.m. slot said, "It's worth it even if we have to wait more than 3 hours," and naturally joined the queue. As crowds spilled into the aisles, staff were seen reorganizing the flow and guiding visitor movement.
NCSOFT set up the largest demo zone with an exclusive 300-booth scale. Aion 2 stations were placed at the center of the booth, while an ultra-wide panorama screen and character artwork looped overhead to draw attention. With a large-scale booth and a numbered sequel returning after a long time, on-site interest was high from the moment the show opened. Users shared the sentiment, "We want to see if NCSOFT has changed this time." That indicates lingering distrust over recent years regarding a monetization model focused on probability-based items, an overreliance on the Lineage IP, and a string of new-title disappointments.
Users waiting even before the demo expressed high expectations. A person surnamed Shin (27) from Daegu and a person surnamed Oh (27) said, "We have memories of playing Aion 1 with our father," and added, "NCSOFT said it would keep its promises on monetization, so we want to trust them, and after watching the demo footage our expectations grew, so we came early on purpose."
A person surnamed Lee (33) living in Haeundae, Busan, said, "This is my first NCSOFT game, but when I was young, many people around me really enjoyed Aion 1," and added, "I know NCSOFT has been criticized for monetization and system issues, but this time I wanted to give them a chance."
Visitors who finished the demo also responded positively. A person surnamed Jeon (39) from Seoul said, "The action is more stylish than Aion 1, and the graphics are much better since they're based on Unreal Engine 5," adding, "I want to keep playing. I've played both Blade & Soul and Aion, but I still don't have much faith in the monetization model, so I hope they keep their promises."
A person surnamed Choi (23) living in Geumjeong District, Busan, said, "I'm a Lost Ark user, but Aion 2's hit feedback was better than expected, and it made me want to keep playing," adding, "I've heard talk about the monetization model, but since this is my first time trying an NCSOFT game, I don't have major concerns."
A female gamer in her 30s surnamed Lee living in Seoul said, "I used to only play mobile games, but the graphics in the ads caught my interest," and added, this was the first time trying an NCSOFT game and the graphics were pretty and good, so if it launches I want to keep playing. It exceeded expectations, and it was so fun I lost track of time."
NCSOFT has stressed that Aion 2 marks a break from the existing "Lineage-style BM." It removed high-spend structures such as transformation and awakening and adopted a membership- and battle pass–centric model, while rebuilding graphics, controls, and combat systems to set itself apart. At G-Star, character customization and part of the instance dungeon "Urugugu Gorge" were revealed.
While first-phase hands-on elements—such as graphics, modeling, and delayed-judgment action combat—drew many positive reviews, there is also caution that, given MMORPG traits, core elements like progression structure, economy, and endgame content can only be judged after launch. The industry expects that "early operations and whether BM promises are kept will be key to NCSOFT's rebound."
Meanwhile, NCSOFT will officially launch Aion 2 on the 19th in Korea and Taiwan. From the 16th, it plans to support pre-downloads and character creation.