The Complete List Of Relaunched MMORPGs On Steam

Many studios have turned to Steam to relaunch their MMORPGs in the hope that Valve's platform gives them second wind. Some game listings are baffling: servers that shut down due to low playerbases years ago, or even one private server that snuck its way onto Steam. Others show up and see some success. Regardless of how they got, they're back, and this aims to be our comprehensive list of MMORPGs relaunched through Steam.

*Not all of these games were dead before coming to Steam, but they did have low enough playerbases to be considered past their prime.

Granado Espada

Granado Espada has relaunched through Steam on multiple occasions, without much explanation. It was originally published by GamersFirst, which shut it down, but was then picked up by T3Fun and continues to operate under the Korean publishing company. The MMORPG is unique in that players control three characters at once as they traverse a fantasy landscape, with the occasional crocodile on their hind-legs rearing to attack. But the best part of the game is the soundtrack composed by SoundTeMP, known for Ragnarok Online and Tree of Savior. Though it has a small playerbase, Granado Espada remains an interesting game from MMORPG history.

Knight Online

Knight Online is the only MMORPG on this list that survives thanks to its majority Turkish playerbase. Why? I'm not sure. The PvP-focused MMORPG originally launched under GamersFirst, who soon lost their license to NoahSystems/NTTGame. Knight Online features the classic rivalry between two factions who will kill each other to prove who's more right. Despite it's age, Knight Online maintains an astounding playerbase, with a few thousand users playing every day as of this writing. There is something insatiable I can't quite figure out when it comes to Knight Online.

9Dragons

I'm not sure who asked for 9Dragons on Steam but here it is. After GamesCampus shut down their service for the game in January, 2016, the MMORPG necromancer publishing company known as Red Fox Games acquired the rights and became the official Western publisher for the martial arts MMORPG set during China's Ming Dynasty. We have a featured quote on the 9Dragons Steam page: "9Dragons is undoubtedly past its prime, but its core gameplay manages to hold its own while innovating some mechanics through its minigames and wide variety of classes." And that about sums up the legacy of 9Dragons.

Dark Eden

Here's one I understand. Dark Eden is an old school MMORPG first released way back in 1997 Korea. It's one of only a few dark fantasy themed games in the genre, featuring Vampires, Slayers, and Ousters. An interesting setting, and one that rarely works. While it's old, the translations are poor, and the UI is poorly designed, Dark Eden holds a special place for players of old school top-down MMORPGs. I can only recommend testing it out if you played Ultima Online or Lineage. It remains a testament to the early days of online gaming, and how strong those roots can be for some players.

Kalonline

For some reason martial arts themed MMORPGs always make a comeback, which is why Kalonline returned through Steam on July 13, 2016. Originally released in 2004, Kalonline has all the hallmarks of a typical fantasy world MMORPG: four classes, 32 jobs, crafting and gathering, guilds, dailies, and a mentor system. With the addition that each player can transform into an ancient mythical creature when the going gets tough. Oh yeah, and there's also 1000 vs 1000 castle sieges, but good luck finding enough players.

Twelve Sky 2

Twelve Sky 2 will always have a legacy that begins with, "more popular in the Asian market." Yet, that didn't stop the wuxia MMORPG from showing up on Steam on January 27, 2017. The game derives its lore from Chinese cosmology, hence its popularity in the Chinese market. Twelve Sky 2 is also published by Red Fox Games, a company that admirably throws every resurrected game at a wall and see which one leaves the deepest mark. By today's standards Twelve Sky 2 exemplifies mediocrity, but that hasn't stopped it from wearing a Steam badge proudly.

Anarchy Online

Anarchy Online is an old man in MMORPG years. First released in 2001 by Funcom, the sci-fi set Anarchy Online has seen the rise and fall of giants and never wavered. While its playerbase is small, it has a dedicated following, and expanded its potential reach in February, 2017 on Steam. Funcom did announce that the game will be "maintenance mode" going forward, meaning no significant work will be done on the project. Not that it's needed. There's plenty of content to explore, and it's not as if any of the games featured above this one are getting major expansions anytime soon.

Cabal Online

Cabal Online is an MMORPG that rests safely in the nostalgia of its former players, perhaps thanks to an interesting world combining fantasy and sci-fi elements, along with a fantastic K-rock soundtrack. First released in the West in 2008—following a 2005 Korean release—Cabal eventually made its way to Steam in February, 2016. Players choose between seven classes, manually allocating stats, and chaining skill combos with flashy animations. Yes, it's dated, but a respectable dated. If you're ever conducting research and want to know what a 2008 Korean MMORPG played like, then Cabal Online is your go-to choice.

Lucent Heart

By Steam Chart standards, Lucent Heart is pretty much dead, with eight active players at the moment of this writing. And who do you think brought it to Steam? Trick question! This time it's the other MMORPG necromancer: Suba Games. First released in 2008 (KR), and made its way Westward in 2011 but was quickly shut down due to lacking popularity. Suba Games then picked it up and brought the anime-stylized title to Steam in February, 2016. If you like astrology you might like Lucent Heart; it has a heavy focus on Zodiac symbols and a built-in dating system. But it might be tough to find love in a game with such a small playerbase.

Khan: Absolute Power

I'm not sure who dreams about Khan: Absolute Power, but their bedtime prayers were answered when Blaze Games published the [very] loosely historically based MMORPG to Steam in March, 2016. This is the most entertaining game on this list. Because the version of Khan: Absolute Power is actually a private server, published without the consent of the right's holders—do they even remember owning it? Guess it doesn't matter. In Khan, players choose between six classes, and fight in guild and siege wars to conquer their enemies. Just like good old Ghegis Khan.

Legend of Ares

Another RedFox Games delivery, Legend of Ares was originally launched in 2006 but closed in 2009 due to a declining playerbase, though it remained popular in Korea. RedFox published the game in July, 2016 but Steam players can also join a world ruled by the God of War since being published in March, 2017. Players choose between four playable classes, and fight with a sort-of action-combat system, where you must click your abilities to attack. Odd, right?

Florensia

Anime stylized MMORPG Florensia that originally released back in 2008, and did quite well in 2010 with over a million and a half registered accounts (not active players). But, due to a disagreement between Aeria Games and developer AHA Entertainment the service was shut down, on August 06, 2014. It returned in January 2015, and showed up on Steam on November 29, 2016 under publisher GAMESinFLAMES. The dated MMORPG makes up for its somewhat relic gameplay with colorful environments and characters. The servers are pretty quiet these days, but they continue to live regardless through Steam.

ASTA Online

Touted as the 'WoW of the East' when it was first announced in 2010, ASTA: The War of Tears and Winds is a Korean MMORPG developed by Polygon Games on CryEngine 3. WebZen eventually brought Asta Online to the West in 2016, but by then the game had stopped receiving updates in Korea and didn't last long here either. Move Games, the same publisher that brought Digmon Masters Online to Steam, picked up Asta Online and released it onto the platform on April 26, 2017. The game is averaged over 1000 concurrent players during its launch week, time will tell if it can maintain that level of popularity.

Soul Saver Online

Soul Saved Online used to be called "Ghost Online" and was available in the West years ago but shut down in 2009. A version of the game called Soul Saver Online existed for sometime in Southeast Asia but wasn't widely known about in the West till it launched on Steam as Soul Saver Online. It looks a bit like MapleStory as its a sidescrolling MMORPG.