Development timeline
The development of ArcheAge Chronicles has been a long road from initial confirmation to its current Q4 2026 release window. The project has gone through a name change, a lead developer departure, multiple delays, and a fundamental rethinking of what an ArcheAge sequel should be.
Timeline
Item | Description |
|---|---|
2020 | XL Games quietly confirms ArcheAge 2 is in production. |
September 2022 | Kakao Games and XL Games reconfirm ArcheAge 2 is targeting a 2024 launch. |
November 18, 2022 | ArcheAge 2 officially announced at G-Star 2022 in Busan, South Korea, with a cinematic teaser trailer. Presented as an open-world action MMORPG on Unreal Engine 5. |
September 24, 2024 | Rebranded from "ArcheAge 2" to "ArcheAge Chronicles" at Sony's PlayStation State of Play. Gameplay trailer shown. Announced for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, targeting 2025. |
November 2024 | Kakao Q3 2024 financial report pushes release to 2026. |
January 2025 | Jake Song departs XL Games. Executive Producer Ham Yong-jin takes over. |
June-July 2025 | Closed NDA focus group test with approximately 100 Western players. |
July 31, 2025 | Producer's Letter from Ham Yong-jin detailing the game's vision, combat, housing, and exploration design. |
August 2025 | Showcased at Gamescom 2025. XL Games gives interviews to Massively Overpowered and WCCFTech with detailed Q&A. |
Q3 2025 | Kakao financial report pushes release from H1 2026 to Q3 2026. |
February 2026 | Kakao Q4 2025 financial report pushes release to Q4 2026. No public Western beta has been held. A small global test is planned for H1 2026. |
The genre question
One of the most debated aspects of Chronicles' development is XL Games' decision to call it an "online action RPG" rather than an MMORPG. The game has raids, crafting, housing, and persistent shared worlds, which are all MMO features. Some players see the rebranding as marketing aimed at console audiences; others worry it signals a reduction in the game's scope.
In an August 2025 interview with Massively Overpowered, the developers addressed this directly, stating the game is still a shared-world experience where players encounter dozens of others per zone. The label appears to be a deliberate choice to set expectations for scale rather than a reflection of missing features.
Delay context
Kakao executives have attributed the delays to "the complexity of the titles, not development chaos." Both ArcheAge Chronicles and Chrono Odyssey (another Kakao-published title) have slipped multiple quarters. Kakao's broader financial challenges, including a 26% revenue decline in 2025, add pressure to get these releases right.
