Turbine Resurrects Asheron’s Call 2

Well, this isn’t something we see happen every day. Via a forum thread on the official Asheron’s Call forums yesterday, Turbine announced the return Asheron’s Call 2, an MMO it shuttered seven years ago.

This is an MMO with a strange history. It was released exactly three years after the original – a game that was still thriving – which meant the timing was horrible. It’s something that’s bugged me ever since Turbine closed AC2‘s doors. Because of my (and many other’s) inability to dedicate enough time to multiple MMOs, many AC fans didn’t get to enjoy the sequel like they should have.

In recent years, I’ve felt the pull of the game again, and came close to exploring private server options. But I hate fussing with those. Never in my wildest imagination did I ever expect the developer itself to bring the game back from the dead. 

What makes Asheron’s Call 2 so interesting? At the time, I found the game offered great mechanics, fun classes, epic environments and unparalleled atmosphere. We’ll soon see if that’s just nostalgia talking. 

The game is currently considered a beta, primarily due to the fact that some parts of it had to be rewritten. It’s also only available to Asheron’s Call subscribers at this time – something I don’t expect to change once the beta period ends. I have a gut feeling that Turbine’s “game” here is to offer subscribers both Asheron’s Call titles for the same subscription price. That said, the free-to-play idea can’t be overlooked, as Turbine offers other such titles (Dungeons and Dragons Online and Lord of the Ring Online). This is all just speculation at this point, but it shouldn’t take too much longer to see what Turbine has up its sleeves.

Until then, you know where I’ll be.