NCsoft: Aion Will be Second Only to WoW

NCsoft: Aion Will be Second Only to WoW

Every MMO-maker wishes their game could cast its net as wide as WoW, but these days, most are content to eek out a modest living in the shadow of Blizzard’s behemoth. Over at NCSoft Aion , though, things are… well, they’re just like that. But, if WoW’s coming in at the head of the pack, NCSoft’s hoping its upcoming fantasy MMO Aion can at least be the neck.

"I believe the performance of Aion in the US and European markets will be very successful. ... We are guessing that Aion will be -- could be -- the second [most] successful MMO in the US market next to World of Warcraft,” NCSoft CFO Jaeho Lee said during a recent conference call.

When Aion and the recently deceased Tabula Rasa were mentioned in the same sentence together, however, Lee wasn’t so kind.

"Ok, um, it's very unfortunate to hear the name of Tabula Rasa at this conference call," he said. "And we all want to forget and erase that memory from our performance. We did a very poor job with Tabula Rasa, and we disappointed our retailers in US markets and also European markets.”

So, for those who’ve tried Aion, do you think it has a shot at taking off on our side of the pond? Or do you think NCSoft should drop its expectations down a notch or two?