ArcheAge Series

0:54 The ArcheAge series began with ArcheAge, XL Games' sandbox MMORPG launched in Korea in January 2013, and now spans five games: the original, the PC and mobile ArcheAge War (2023), ArcheAge Chronicles (formerly announced as ArcheAge 2, with Early Access on Steam planned for later in 2026), ArcheAge S: Strait of Freedom (a separate PC MMORPG planned for 2027) and ArcheAge Returns, a China-only version of the original. The original is closed in the West (Jun 27, 2024) and in Korea (Mar 6, 2025). ArcheAge Chronicles is not a remake: Jake Song, XL Games' founder, said in Kakao Games' 2022 interview (Korean speech) that it shares ArcheAge's world but not its story, trading the first game's grand epic for personal adventures. On Oct 27, 2026, the ArcheAge IP itself is due to pass from XL Games to Align Studio, which does not include the ArcheAge Chronicles project.

The games

ArcheAge (2013)

ArcheAge is the sandbox MMORPG that started the series. It launched in Korea in January 2013 and became known for player-owned land, farming, trade runs between continents, naval warfare and open faction war, with tab-target combat. Trion Worlds announced on Jan 24, 2013 that it would publish the game in the West; Gamigo later ran it and launched ArcheAge: Unchained, a buy-to-play version, on Oct 15, 2019; Kakao Games took over Western publishing in December 2021. Kakao Games closed the Western servers on Jun 27, 2024, citing falling player numbers, and XL Games ended Korean ArcheAge on Mar 6, 2025. Notebookcheck, reading SteamDB, says the original never passed 7,000 players at once on Steam. ArcheAge is no longer playable in the West or in Korea, as of Oct 20, 2026.

ArcheAge War (2023)

ArcheAge War is a PC and mobile MMORPG developed by XL Games and serviced by Kakao Games, launched in Korea on Mar 21, 2023 (MTN). XL Games stopped making new content for it from July 2026, keeping only maintenance (MTN, Jun 12, 2026).

ArcheAge Chronicles (formerly ArcheAge 2)

0:02 ArcheAge Chronicles is XL Games' open-world action MMORPG set in Auroria 50 years after the original. In XL Games' tour of Sep 7, 2026, the developers introduce it in their own words: "This is Auroria, 50 years after the original. It's a new kind of ArcheAge, a discovery-driven action MMO RPG." It was first shown as ArcheAge 2 at G-Star 2022 and renamed at Sony's State of Play on Sep 24, 2024. XL Games says it is not ArcheAge 2: Executive Producer Yongjin Ham wrote in July 2025, "We didn't want to just do a sequel. We didn't want to reboot what came before." Press often calls it a sequel all the same. A free Demo ran on Steam from Oct 19 to 26, 2026, and Early Access is planned for later in 2026, with no date as of Oct 20, 2026. Its history is on Development History.

How Chronicles relates to the original

1:28 ArcheAge Chronicles shares the original's world and moves the story to the settling of Auroria. Jake Song described the setting in 2022 (Korean speech): the time when Auroria was first discovered and people began to settle it, like the Wild West, on a continent where an ancient civilization lived and nature grew back over thousands of years of abandonment. XL Games' 2024 diary sets it "roughly 50 years after the events of the original" and says the original was about stopping a catastrophe, while Chronicles follows the hopes and struggles of Auroria's settlers. Official English material names only Auroria, never the original's other continents. More is on Auroria and Story.

1:35 The design changed more than the setting. In XL Games' "Developer Diary - Our Vision" (Oct 10, 2024, Korean speech with English subtitles), a developer says the game is not simply a sequel: the aim was to reinvent ArcheAge for a new era, which is why it is called "Chronicles". Ham wrote at the 2024 reveal that the game shifts "away from large-scale competitive battles to smaller group activities". Chronicles has action combat instead of tab targeting, PvP by channel instead of faction war, and housing in shared housing zones instead of open-world plots, and XL Games has announced no ships or naval combat for it. The full comparison is on Differences From ArcheAge.

3:55 Some of the original's best-known systems return. Later in the same diary, the team says that because many fans remember the original, popular content comes back: trade, and housing and farming in a stronger, more fun form. XL Games' Steam FAQ lists housing, crafting and trading in Early Access; see Trade Runs, Housing and Farming and Crafting and Life Skills. Mounts and sailing are not confirmed, as of Oct 20, 2026 (Mounts and Sailing).

ArcheAge S: Strait of Freedom (2027)

7:20 ArcheAge S: Strait of Freedom (아키에이지S: 자유의 해협) is a different game: a PC MMORPG led by Kim Kyung-tae, the original ArcheAge's first planning lead, published by Kakao Games and aimed at a global release in 2027 (News1, Aug 3, 2026). Massively OP describes it as aiming to "modernize the classic series", "not to be confused with" Chronicles, and Game Rant says it follows the 2014 Western game more closely while Chronicles leans into third-person action. Ser Medieval, reviewing the Network Test on Sep 14, 2026, makes the same split in his own words: he calls Chronicles more of a Crimson Desert in the ArcheAge universe, and expects ArcheAge S to be the more direct successor. The ArcheAge S project moves from XL Games to Align Studio on Oct 27, 2026 (Inven).

ArcheAge Returns (China)

ArcheAge Returns is a China-only new version of the original ArcheAge by XL Games and the Chinese company Chuangtian, with PC sign-ups from June 2026, according to Massively OP's Jun 18, 2026 report citing the Chinese site 17173. It is not planned for other regions, and that report is the only source found.

The IP sale to Align Studio

On Sep 8, 2026, XL Games disclosed the sale of the ArcheAge IP and the ArcheAge S project (assets, contracts, staff and liabilities) to Align Studio, a Kakao Games-funded company headed by Kim Kyung-tae, for about 39.2 billion won, with the transfer dated Oct 27, 2026 (Inven, Sep 9, 2026). The ArcheAge Chronicles development project is not part of the sale and stays with XL Games. Inven noted, though, that the ArcheAge Chronicles trademark is on the list of transferred items and that how XL Games will use the IP for Chronicles has not been disclosed. Massively OP, citing a translation of the corrected filing, reported that XL Games keeps Chronicles, its team, the publishing of Chronicles and ArcheAge War, and the right to develop up to three new games over five years. What the sale means for the ArcheAge Chronicles name has not been announced, as of Oct 20, 2026. The studio's side is on XL Games.

Frequently asked questions

Is ArcheAge still online? No. The original ArcheAge's Western servers closed on Jun 27, 2024 and Korean ArcheAge ended service on Mar 6, 2025; ArcheAge War still runs in Korea, and ArcheAge Chronicles is in development with Early Access planned for later in 2026.

What is ArcheAge S? ArcheAge S: Strait of Freedom is a separate PC MMORPG in the ArcheAge series, led by Kim Kyung-tae and published by Kakao Games, planned for 2027; it is not ArcheAge Chronicles.

Is ArcheAge Chronicles ArcheAge 2? ArcheAge Chronicles was announced as ArcheAge 2 in 2022 and renamed on Sep 24, 2024. XL Games says ArcheAge Chronicles is not ArcheAge 2, not a direct sequel and not a reboot, but a new game set 50 years after the original.

Which ArcheAge should I play? As of Oct 20, 2026, the original ArcheAge is closed in the West and Korea, ArcheAge S is not out, and ArcheAge Chronicles has only had a free Steam demo (Oct 19 to 26, 2026); ArcheAge Chronicles' Early Access on Steam is planned for later in 2026.

Is ArcheAge Chronicles a remake of ArcheAge? No. ArcheAge Chronicles is a new game with a new story set in Auroria 50 years after the original ArcheAge, with action combat and smaller group play.

Who owns the ArcheAge IP? XL Games owns the ArcheAge IP until its transfer to Align Studio, dated Oct 27, 2026; the ArcheAge Chronicles project stays with XL Games.

Sources

• A letter from the Executive Producer, XL Games on Steam, Sep 24, 2024
• Developer Diary - Our Vision, XL Games on Steam, Oct 10, 2024
• Producer's Letter - Pioneering a New Era, XL Games on Steam, Jul 31, 2025
• ArcheAge Chronicles on Steam (Early Access FAQ), XL Games on Steam, read Oct 20, 2026
• Korean ArcheAge ends service, Inven, Dec 5, 2024
• Trion to publish ArcheAge in the West, Engadget, Jan 24, 2013
• ArcheAge Unchained opens its gates, Gamigo, Oct 15, 2019
• Interview: ArcheAge Studios on the move to Kakao, Massively OP, Jan 4, 2022
• ArcheAge servers in Europe and North America will be shut down on June 27th, TheSixthAxis, Apr 27, 2024
• ArcheAge War launch, MTN, Mar 21, 2023
• ArcheAge War content halt, MTN, Jun 12, 2026
• ArcheAge S: Strait of Freedom publishing deal, News1, Aug 3, 2026
• ArcheAge Chronicles takes you on a whirlwind tour of its fantasy world, Massively OP, Sep 8, 2026
• OG ArcheAge is coming back as ArcheAge Returns, but not for you, Massively OP, Jun 18, 2026
• XL Games' ArcheAge IP transfer, Inven, Sep 9, 2026
• XL Games sells off most of the ArcheAge property to Kakao Games-owned entity, Massively OP, Sep 11, 2026
• New open-world MMORPGs on Steam, Game Rant, Oct 4, 2026
• Like Zelda, but an MMO? Here's why so many gamers are trying this free demo, Notebookcheck, Oct 20, 2026
• ArcheAge 2 | XLGAMES Executive Producer (Jake Song) Interview, playkakaogames, Nov 18, 2022 (video)
• ArcheAge Chronicles: A Quick Look at Auroria, ArcheAge Chronicles, Sep 7, 2026 (video)
• Developer Diary - Our Vision, ArcheAge Chronicles, Oct 10, 2024 (video)
• ArcheAge Chronicles Is My New Favorite MMO | 2026 Playtest Review, Ser Medieval, Sep 14, 2026 (video)