New Steam MMORPG is already a big hit

Throne and freedom has managed to attract a large player base on Steam just days ahead of its global release, data shows. Gamers in America, Europe and Japan currently only have access to the PC version of Throne and freedom via Valve’s platform, but that hasn’t stopped it from skyrocketing in popularity.

Developed by NCSoft, Throne and freedom is a free-to-play MMORPG powered by Unreal Engine 4. The title launched in South Korea last December and later became available in several other countries in July. The global version of Throne and freedom is now scheduled for release on October 1 with help from Amazon Games, but this build, coming to PC and ninth-gen consoles, has already become a hit.

Throne and freedom has reached a peak of 54,812 concurrent players on Steam since the early access period began, according to data from analytics tracker SteamDB. While Throne and freedom is free, those who purchase one of the game’s early access bundles can start playing in advance starting September 26. On Steam, the cheapest package that offers early access costs $39.99, while the most expensive bundle is just three cents shy of $100. The final package comes with several variants, outfits, titles, and an emote. It also includes 1,000 Lucent, the paid in-game currency that can be used to purchase items, as well as Throne and freedom‘s premium battle pass.

Throne and Liberty Peak Concurrent players count on Steam

NCSoft, known for handling the Guild Wars And Lineage games, announced the first version of Throne and freedom in 2011. The highly anticipated free-to-play game was initially intended as a sequel to the original Lineagebut it was converted into Throne and freedom in the future after a reportedly disappointing closed beta phase. To allow sufficient time to integrate major changes and systems, Amazon Games has postponed the release of Throne and freedom‘s general version from September 17 to October 1.

Amazon Games revealed in May that it had started work on an open-world MMO based on The Lord of the Rings. This untitled game, which will feature the stories of JRR Tolkien’s beloved literary trilogy The Hobbitcoming to PC and consoles. Amazon Games had already tried to make an MMO based on The Lord of the Rings in the past, but that project was ultimately canceled. Meanwhile, several MMORPGs are currently being developed by NCSoft, including sci-fi shooter Project LLL and a sequel to the long-running one Aion. Apart from Throne and freedom‘s global version, NCSoft has also released the 30-player brawler Crush battle in 2024.