Ncsoft Discusses Throne And Liberty Release, Dynamic Combat, Growth, And More

During the most recent conference call for the second quarter of 2023, Hong Won-joon, the CFO of NCsoft, provided insights into the progress of Throne and Liberty's development following the Korean beta. He acknowledged the need for improvements in the combat system and early growth experience after the domestic test of Throne and Liberty in May. As a result, the development efforts have been focused on enhancing these two aspects. After receiving feedback from players during the Korean beta test in May, it became evident that developers needed to address these issues before the game's official launch. Consequently, the release date was postponed. Originally slated for release in the first half of 2023, Throne and Liberty's release was rescheduled to October.

In the most recent quarterly report, NCSoft has announced significant revisions on the horizon. These changes will precede the game's release in Korea during the fourth quarter, with a delay in the global release by Amazon. Combat System Overhaul
Up to this point, Throne and Liberty featured a rigid tab-targeting combat system, which had already received substantial criticism. Many abilities compelled players to remain stationary, locked in lengthy animations. In close combat scenarios, this often led to enemies evading and avoiding damage. However, Throne and Liberty's combat system is set to become more dynamic in the future, allowing players to execute attacks and abilities while on the move. Although specific details regarding these changes are currently unavailable.

Progress System Enhancements
Numerous testers expressed dissatisfaction with the level progression, especially after reaching level 20. Improving equipment is also described as "highly complex," prompting the development team to introduce enhancements. "In order to enhance the enjoyment of character development, we have reduced a significant amount of monotonous, repetitive content and substantially increased the rate of leveling," Hong stated.

Throne and Liberty Release (Korea)
The release of Throne and Liberty in Korea is scheduled for December 2023, with a subsequent global release date for the rest of the world.

Throne and Liberty Global Release
NCSOFT has declared that the global release should not occur before 2024. However, no further details regarding this statement have been disclosed, and it was emphasized that any announcements regarding a global CBT or official release would be made by Amazon.