AION 2 has hit number one on Steam's global Top Sellers chart, on the same day Early Access opened for NC's upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG).
According to a release from NC America, the company's western publishing division, the game also took first place in eight individual countries: Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Poland, Singapore, Spain and Thailand. In total, AION 2 placed in the top 10 in 21 countries.
Elsewhere, it ranked second in Germany, Austria, Finland and Turkey, and third in Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland and the US. It sat fourth in the Czech Republic, Sweden and the UK, and sixth in Denmark and Norway.
Steam's Top Sellers chart is ranked by revenue rather than player numbers. Because AION 2 will be free-to-play when it fully launches, NC America attributed the result to players paying for Early Access. The company described AION 2 as a game built to run 'for years, not weeks'.
Merv Lee Kwai, Co-CEO of NC America and Executive Publishing Producer for AION 2, said: "Reaching #1 on Steam ahead of launch is a strong start, but a launch is only part of how we measure success. NC has been making MMOs for more than 30 years."
"What matters is doing right by the AION franchise and its players while building a game that holds up over time, with steady content and earning trust with players," Kwai added. The game's Founder's Pack is on sale for PC until Sunday, October 4th, through the AION 2 Steam page and NC's own PURPLE platform.
War For Atreia creator event
Early Access runs alongside War For Atreia, an event in which 60 streamers from North America, Europe and South America compete for their in-game faction. It takes place from September 30th to October 14th. Viewers can earn Twitch Drops (in-game rewards unlocked by watching participating streams) while rostered creators are live.
According to the release, the two-week event is seven times longer than comparable launch events NC's team has run in the past.
