Throne and Liberty launched on October 1, 2024. The free-to-play MMORPG co-produced by NCSoft and Amazon Video games instantly grabbed consideration with putting visuals, large-scale battles, and the promise of an expansive, ever-changing world. Over 300,000 gamers logged in concurrently on Steam alone throughout its launch window, and over three million gamers worldwide created characters throughout its first week.
That pleasure didn’t final. Slightly below a yr later, the sport has skilled a large collapse in its inhabitants. At this time, Throne and Liberty hovers round 13,000 concurrent gamers at peak hours on Steam. Which means a staggering 95% drop from its launch numbers. What went unsuitable?
The difficulty began from the beginning. It is not uncommon for MMOs to expertise lengthy queues and server congestion throughout their debut, however Throne and Liberty’s points have been notably disruptive. Gamers reported connection errors, character creation failures, and login issues that persevered past the primary few days. Though NCSoft and Amazon ultimately stabilized the servers, the harm was already finished. First impressions are the whole lot, in any case.
For many who truly bought to play, they seen that the development programs have been fairly the impediment. Throne and Liberty marketed itself as a fairer free-to-play expertise in comparison with NCSoft’s previous choices. It launched a less expensive battle go and eliminated the controversial subscription-like Blessing of Solisium. Nevertheless, the underlying design nonetheless slowed participant development to a crawl. Gear necessities for group content material have been tight, improve supplies have been scarce, and farming them turned an exhausting routine. Whereas technically free-to-play, the sport pushed gamers too exhausting towards spending cash on development boosts in the event that they needed to maintain tempo with others.
By February 2025, inhabitants numbers had fallen sufficient that NCSoft was pressured to consolidate servers. That form of resolution doesn’t often occur so early on in an MMO’s lifespan. The variety of servers dropped dramatically from 107 all the way down to 25 as a way to keep a wholesome inhabitants density. These sorts of strikes make the world really feel extra alive, but in addition result in overcrowding in sure zones. Some gamers have been pissed off about shedding their unique server communities too.
Group sentiment turned more and more destructive because the months handed. Gamers voiced their considerations on Reddit, Discord, and the official boards, complaining about content material pacing, monetization, and the shortage of significant social programs. Throne and Liberty promised dynamic large-scale occasions and epic cooperative battles, however in apply, a lot of the sport boiled all the way down to instanced dungeons, gear rating necessities, and repetitive world occasions that rewarded grinding greater than creativity.
The builders haven’t been idle although. NCSoft and Amazon launched the Wilds of Talandre enlargement in March 2025, including a brand-new zone, extra dungeons, and a refreshed development path. Efficiency enhancements, stability changes, and quality-of-life modifications have rolled out steadily. The upcoming Solisium’s Awakening replace is positioned as a serious turning level, promising open-field PvP battles, a 24-versus-24 battleground, a totally featured housing system, new dungeons, increased gear tiers, and expanded language assist for international audiences. These updates will hopefully reignite curiosity and persuade lapsed gamers to return.
Throne and Liberty is just not essentially useless but. A devoted core participant base continues on. Perhaps the sport can get well. The items for a comeback are in place, however Throne and Libertry wants strong updates, constant communication, and a renewed give attention to participant belief to actually revive itself.
