Throne and Liberty, Makes a Strong Steam Debut Amid Mixed Reviews
Throne and Liberty, the latest free-to-play fantasy MMO from South Korea, has officially launched in the West under the banner of Amazon Games. The game has gotten off to a promising start on Steam, quickly climbing to become the sixth most-played game on the platform, according to SteamDB, with a peak of 326,377 concurrent players during its opening week. Despite this, the game is drawing mixed reviews from players and falls short compared to Amazon’s previous MMO launches, like Lost Ark and New World.
Strong Start with Room to Grow
At launch, Throne and Liberty has managed to attract a significant player base, with over 251,000 active players at any given time, ranking just behind popular titles like Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2. For a new MMO, these are encouraging numbers, but they fall behind Amazon’s other MMORPG hits. For comparison, Lost Ark debuted with a staggering 1.3 million concurrent players, while New World peaked at 914,000. The challenge now is whether Throne and Liberty can maintain player interest, an area where Amazon’s other MMOs have struggled.
The game promises a large-scale experience with "massive combat" and a dynamic open world that can host thousands of players simultaneously. However, like many online games, it has encountered a rocky launch with server issues and gameplay concerns that have dampened its initial reception.
Mixed Reviews and Technical Hurdles
On Steam, Throne and Liberty currently holds a “Mixed” rating. Players have praised its world design and scope, but have been critical of its gameplay, calling it shallow and lacking innovation. Launch week server woes—an all-too-familiar occurrence for MMOs—have also added to frustrations. Additionally, the implementation of Easy Anti-Cheat has caused problems for Steam Deck and Linux users, rendering the game temporarily unplayable on those systems. Fortunately, reports suggest this issue has been resolved, but it likely contributed to the mixed feedback.
Beyond the technical problems, the longevity of Throne and Liberty remains a concern. Amazon’s previous MMORPGs, Lost Ark and New World, saw massive initial success, but both games struggled with long-term player retention. In fact, New World had to undergo a major relaunch under the title New World: Aeternum to re-engage its player base. Whether Throne and Liberty can avoid a similar fate depends on how quickly Amazon and developer NCSoft address player concerns and roll out new content.
Console Impact Yet to Be Seen
While Throne and Liberty has been making waves on Steam, it’s also available on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 with cross-play capabilities. As of now, there’s little information on how the game is performing on consoles, but if it gains traction, Amazon Games will likely highlight its cross-platform appeal. Given the competitive nature of the MMO market, success on consoles could be crucial in keeping Throne and Liberty relevant in the long run.
Interestingly, despite Amazon's heavy push of their gaming IPs, Throne and Liberty hasn’t been included in their upcoming Secret Level anthology series, which will feature games like New World: Aeternum, Sifu, and Mega Man.
Conclusion
For now, Throne and Liberty is off to a solid start on Steam, though it faces tough competition and player scepticism. If Amazon Games and NCSoft can smooth out the game’s early issues and keep delivering meaningful updates, Throne and Liberty may find a lasting foothold in the MMO market. Only time will tell if it can sustain its initial success or follow the path of its predecessors.