Failed MMORPG dies twice, introduces new version, but has to postpone it immediately
Actually, Legends of Aria should bring back the old feeling of Ultima Online. But the game completely flopped on Steam and the company behind it was sold. The new owner plans an unusual comeback, but first lets the game die a second time.
What kind of game is this?
- Legends of Aria has been in development for over 8 years. The game was originally supposed to be called “Shards Online” and delighted old-school fans on Kickstarter. There it was able to collect over $ 100,000 budget.
- It was advertised with a feeling that the veteran Ultima Online conveyed back then. The MMORPG wanted to do without levels and you should only be able to improve characters via skills. The housing and the ISO perspective are also reminiscent of the classic.
- However, when it was released in August 2019, the game pretty much flopped on Steam. The MMORPG was able to inspire just 1,150 people at the same time (via Steam Charts).
- In 2020, the developers then switched the game to Free2Play, but that did not bring the desired success either. Since September 2021, the number of simultaneous users has been in the double-digit range. Currently only 7 players are online at the same time on average.
- In December 2021, the Blue Money Games company bought the studio and the game and wanted to change a few things, especially the business model. This was to save the MMORPG.
The YouTuber TheLazyPeon shows how the whole thing played out in the video:
New plans and their surprising problems
What did the new owner want to do? Legends of Aria should remain, but some things should change in the model of how the game is supposed to make money. The new operator wanted to rebuild the MMORPG with a cryptocurrency and Play2Earn concept.
Apart from that, they also wanted to make some adjustments to the game itself. This included an optional third-person view that was intended to offer an alternative to the ISO perspective. However, this is often not well received by fans.
Aside from crypto and Play2Earn, NFTs should also play a role in the new Legends of Aria. An NFT marketplace should be able to buy and sell objects, items, and even full characters. An alpha for this was supposed to start in May, but was delayed.
The official launch was then planned for October, but that didn’t happen either. Instead, they are now pursuing other plans.
What alternatives were there? If you don’t feel like playing this game, you were at least offered an alternative. Under the name “Legends of Aria Classic” the game should continue as usual.
There they relied on a Buy2Play concept with an optional subscription system, similar to what is the case with Elder Scrolls Online. But even that could not last long.
The new Ashes of Creation, on the other hand, relies on a pure subscription model:
Legends of Aria dies for the 2nd time and rises again
What happened to Classic? Since LoA Classic was basically the same game that flopped before, it’s not surprising that this version didn’t last either. The developers announced that they will close the Legends of Aria Classic official servers on December 23, 2022.
That’s not the end, self-operated community servers can continue to run, but there shouldn’t be any more updates for this version. So Legends of Aria is officially dead for the second time. But the studio is still sticking to the original crypto plans, but now, again, under a different name.
What’s the name of the game now? In the meantime, Legends of Aria has started with its crypto plans with a new name. The project is now called Britaria and differs only slightly from the original game. Even the game world has the same name and the actual game principle should remain the same.
Britaria also brought with it a new cryptocurrency called $DREAD. However, it fell off sharply right at the start. Actually, there should be the first play tests in November, where fans should get an idea of the really new Legends of Aria.
But nothing came of it. Because, as the developers announced via Discord, the play tests would have to be postponed again. The reason given is further improvements to the combat system and a rethinking of the original payment model.
Actually you should pay Britaria per character. They now want to adjust that and offer a buy2play title for 40 dollars, which then also contains 4 character slots, but you probably still have to pay for more. One would also like to hold on to crypto, NFT and Play2Earn, details of which should come in December.
It is not yet known when the new tests will take place.
What do you think of Shards Online, which was actually Legends of Aria but is now called Britaria? Can you still take the game seriously after so much back and forth? Or do you like the developer’s new plans? Write it to us in the comments here at MeinMMO.
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