Kakao Games Takes Over ArcheAge, Lays Out Plans For New ArcheAge Unchained Business Model

With ArcheAge publishing rights to Kakao Games, the new western publisher has taken time to lay out their plans for the game’s “” version, ArcheAge Unchained. Kakao says that they’ll be making changes to Unchained’s business model which has gone from bad to worse since the buy-to-play version first came out two years ago.

Kakao says that they’ll be switching the game to a monthly subscription model and will be doing away with paid DLCs. They’ll also be cleaning out the cash shop of all pay-to-win items and will only be selling cosmetic items.

“In order to remove the possibility to increase in-game power with real-life currency, we’ve opted for a monthly subscription method. Many of the previously paid benefits and Marketplace-only items will be automatically included for free or acquired through in-game methods with Manastorm Crystals. This gives even more value to the subscription. Also, any paid items will be purely cosmetic.”

The Patron system will be merged into the monthly subscription while the Arche system will remain but will be purchasable only using Loyalty Tokens which can be earned as a reward.

“We believe that these changes represent the right direction for the vision that many of you had for ArcheAge: Unchained and will contribute to a fairer playing field between new and experienced players,” Kakao said.

Monthly subscriptions will start at $9.99 with discounts available for longer plans. Details can be found on the new ArcheAge official site.