Hello, as title already said, i want to ask the status for the Steam Release of Aion Classic.I mean Gameforge already have Aion MMO on Steam also include merged GF Launcher, so why it take so long to release it to Steam?

People used to use steam stats to doompost on how dead aion is + it also didn't really helped the retail with getting new wave of players so I guess gameforge decided to just not bother with it for classic...

When will Classic come to Steam?

So why doesn't Gameforge make it possible for people like me, should they decide to launch Classic on Steam in the future, to LINK ONCE like retail Aion did with its new launcher update? Or perhaps they could stop the Steam retail like they did with Metin 2, or issue a statement clearly saying NO to Steam once and for all instead of just repeating "no news at the moment..."
Retail significantly slowed down when Steam launched the (5.X) Patch, so it's no wonder there's not a lot of fresh blood.
However, Classic is playable, for EU players you're looking at a "well populated" server. PLUS with 3.0, we're getting a new class, an updated storyline since 2.7, and maybe merging servers or even launching a new one like Aion Japan did, which would undoubtedly bring in a wave of fresh players.

Gameforge should at least give it a shot, even if it's removed later, lol...
The $100 one-time fee to put it on Steam is laughable, they rake in enough through Siels / Battlepass.
Some might say "but the 30% Steam cut," sure, but the "old" or original players have been playing and paying for 400+ days already. Also, GF doesn’t let GF Launcher players link the game to Steam if you’re playing from GF, so the playerbase prior to Steam is still spending as much as before without a cut. (No money lost).
On the other hand, "new" players could start paying via Steam since there's no shop website anymore, meaning no VPN or exploiting cheaper coins, and an added bonus, some people have funds stuck in their Steam Wallets, so they might choose to buy Siels or whatever with it.
According to my math, - $100 one-time / + same revenue as now / + new Steam 30% purchases, only around 15 people need to buy Siels to make that $100 back.
I'd even pay the $100 myself, just so I can finally start playing.

What's the "mistake" in waiting over a year post-launch to just release it on there?
Sure, not doing it at the start made sense to build a solid player base, but now?
No Steam = Same situation as now, With Steam = 30% cut for sure, but new players who'd play and pay via Steam won't show up without a Steam release... So NO actual loss...

I see it as a win-win situation for GF/Steam & players.

Of course, I haven't mentioned the Steam Stats Doompost yet, but let them chat away lol. Anyone who's actually invested and digs into the game will see there’s more than just Steam Numbers.
In my view, the only real reason is that Steam reviews might focus on **** bots. (Easily fixed if you put a GM or QA for one month in capitals, hidden & banning bots.) The reviews wouldn't be so negative, but fearing some reviews is just peculiar.

We're in 2024, who even cares about reviews instead of looking for oneself or watching streams?

Apologies for the wall of text, but I really need answers, or at least want to give Gameforge a potential reason to give it a try. Drestam Grimnir Celes Daveius Fossilo pepper Sparx and maybe some of the Aion Team, with nothing to lose, the same old playerbase is maintained, plus there's potential for new players who are eager to pay, like me, simply because we love Aion.

By the way, I'm part of the beta for Aion Riftshade and let me tell you, it's going to be worth the wait till Q1 2026! They've implemented features like server-side anticheat, a MyAion-like DPS meter, and responsive GMs in Discord. The performance in terms of ping is unmatched, plus it's a stable server with no pay to win. It's definitely something to look forward to for hardcore Aion fans!

Cheers.