NCSoft Won’t Announce A Blade And Soul: NEO Classic Release Timeline Until It’s Ready
It’s been two months since NCSoft announced that it was working on a Blade and Soul reboot/remaster called NEO Classic. Since then, the studio has been busy teasing the new fresh-start-fresh-look servers with a series of preview videos but has remained mum on a release timeline to this day.
NEO Classic game director Hongjae Kim, however, finally addressed the matter in his latest director commentary, essentially saying that they’ll announce a launch date when they’re good and ready. “We too want to provide a clear schedule for NEO Classic’s release. However, we fear that by promising a release date, we’ll end up releasing NEO Classic in an incomplete state for the sake of keeping that promise, even before fully implementing the changes that players wish for.”
“[…] Our biggest goal is not to have players return simply for nostalgia’s sake, then leave after playing the game for only a couple of months,” he added. “We aim to recreate the classic Blade & Soul, cleansed of all past disappointments, so that it can be enjoyed together for many years to come.”
“We would like to sincerely apologize that we can’t satisfy your curiosity regarding the release schedule at this time. However, we promise to give it our all in creating the best possible version of Blade & Soul NEO Classic that will surpass your expectations and reward you for your patience,” he concluded.
He also talked up some of the changes coming in the new server with a focus on how everything will feel a lot less grindy. Some noteworthy changes include adjustments to the main story quests to reduce grinding and reliance on parties. Dungeons and the exploration journal will also be updated to make them less tedious to complete.
In addition to the visual and gameplay improvements, NEO Classic will also feature new content in the form of new hidden quests that appear as players travel across the game world and a new heroic dungeon called the Phantom Catacombs.
