Trion Worlds

Trion Worlds was an American game publisher that brought ArcheAge to Western markets in September 2014. The company also developed Rift and Trove. They were acquired by Gamigo in October 2018 and disbanded on October 26, 2018.

ArcheAge publishing

Trion's ArcheAge launch in September 2014 was rocky. DDoS attacks hit servers during headstart, Patron subscribers faced two-hour queues, and all desirable housing land was claimed before the general public could access the game. Trion compensated players with an extra month of patron time.

Over the following years, Trion progressively added power-relevant items to the cash shop despite the game being marketed as free-to-play without pay-to-win elements. The Thunderstruck tree controversy, the APEX exploit, and ongoing monetization complaints eroded player trust.

Class action lawsuit

In 2015, three players filed a class action lawsuit against Trion, alleging false advertising of a 10% founder perk cash shop discount (Trion instead offered a 10% bonus on credit pack purchases, a different mechanic), violations of California consumer law, and violations of California's illegal-lottery law regarding loot boxes.

The lawsuit dragged through years of arbitration. Trion's collapse in 2018 complicated matters. In January 2020, a settlement of $420,000 was reached. Payments were distributed to eligible players in August 2020.

Gamigo acquisition

German publisher Gamigo acquired Trion Worlds and all its assets in October 2018. Staff were laid off and the Trion Worlds brand ceased to exist. Gamigo continued publishing ArcheAge until Kakao Games took over in December 2021.