Aion

Aion is the cult MMORPG from NCsoft, launched on November 25, 2008 in Korea and then on September 22, 2009 in Europe and North America. The game takes place in the broken world of Atreia, a planet split into two hemispheres inhabited by two divine races created by the god Aion: the Elyos (light, fair-play PvE/PvP faction) and the Asmodians (shadow, rough and warlike faction).

Aion stood out at launch for its aerial combat — characters unlock wings starting at level 10 —, its impressive CryEngine graphics for the time, its massive PvPvE in the Abyss (a three-way neutral zone contested between Elyos, Asmodians, and Balaur), and its system of professions and Godstones. The game went free-to-play in February 2012, which gave it a second life.

In 2021, NCsoft launched Aion Classic, a "pre-4.0" version (returning to the original patch) that replays the game's story as it was at launch. The Aion universe continues with the release of the sequel Aion 2 in September 2026 worldwide.