AION 2: NC posts its gamescom trailer on Steam — and the release date shifts to October 5

NC published, on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, on the French Steam page for AION 2, a three-line announcement: "Hello, dear Daevas! If you weren't able to watch Gamescom's Opening Night Live, don't worry. Here's the link to our new trailer!"

The trailer in question, [AION 2] | Gamescom 2026 Trailer, is published on the game's official channel — we checked the account owner, the video is not a re-upload by a media outlet. It can be viewed here.

And most importantly, it resolves a contradiction we had noted the day before.

The French Steam page now shows October 5

On the morning of August 25, we wrote that the French Steam page for AION 2 still stated "September 2026", while the notice for its own Founder Packs placed the release on October 5. Two official documents, two dates.

Upon checking again on August 26, the Steam page has been corrected. It now shows "Oct. 5, 2026" as the projected release date. The contradiction is resolved, and it is resolved in the direction the packs indicated.

For players who were hesitant to get a Founder Pack while waiting for clarity, the ambiguity is now settled.

What the trailer shows

NC does not accompany it with any editorial commentary on Steam. The press release issued by the publisher for the Opening Night Live, however, describes what it highlights: large-scale boss fights and aerial vistas, offering a new look at the world to explore, character options, and several large-scale combat sequences.

This is consistent with the game's main pitch since its announcement: an open-world MMORPG built around aerial combat, a hallmark of the AION franchise since its first installment.

A load test on September 17 and 18

The newest piece of information from AION 2's appearance at the Opening Night Live isn't in the trailer: it's a calendar milestone that had never been announced before.

According to NC's press release issued during the event, the publisher will hold a "Launch Scale Test" on Thursday, September 17, and Friday, September 18. Its purpose is explicit: to build an environment comparable to the live service in order to check server and infrastructure stability, while also letting players discover the game before launch.

A note of honesty is needed here. The press release states that sign-up will go through the Steam page. Upon checking again on August 26, no sign-up button for a test appears there yet. We are therefore reporting the information as announced by NC, without being able to confirm it on the game's page. Keep an eye on the Steam page between now and mid-September.

The full schedule, as it stands today

On territories and platforms, the press release is specific: PC only, via Steam and PURPLE, in North America, South America, Europe and Asia.

What early access buys you, in one paragraph

To put the September 30 window in context, two elements already established that we won't detail again here: since August 21, Founder Packs have included 30 days of the special Quairerk Membership, including for packs purchased before this announcement; and this membership, whose details we broke down item by item on August 21, doesn't just speed up progression: it unlocks features that an MMORPG usually makes available to everyone, starting with direct player-to-player trading and access to the Marketplace.

In other words, the countdown that matters for a future founder isn't just the one ending September 30: it's also the one for the thirty days that follow.

Three reminders before pre-ordering

As the early access window approaches, here are three established points that the trailer doesn't change:

1. The game will be free at launch. The Steam page lists it among free-to-play games. The Founder Pack buys the five-day head start and its contents, not access to the game itself.
2. The French version will be subtitled, not dubbed. The Steam page lists eight supported languages, and the full dubbing asterisk appears on only three of them — English, Japanese and Korean. French is not among them.
3. NC develops and publishes it itself. The page lists no third-party publisher for the Western service.

Next milestone to watch: registration for the load test opening, expected on the Steam page by mid-September.