IP transfer & publishing change
XLGAMES sold the ArcheAge IP and the ArcheAge S project to Align Studio, and the October 27, 2026 closing date has passed. The Chronicles development business was excluded, so XLGAMES publishes Chronicles itself, and the copyright line on the Chronicles official site now names both XLGAMES and Align Studio (ALINESTUDIO Corp.) (checked October 28). The terms under which Chronicles uses the IP have not been disclosed.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Parties | XLGAMES → Align Studio (a new company set up by Kakao Games, led by Kim Kyung-tae, the original ArcheAge's first lead designer) |
| What moves | All ArcheAge IP (Korean and overseas trademarks, copyrights, and domains; the trademark list includes 'ArcheAge Chronicles' marks) and the ArcheAge S project (assets, contracts, staff, and liabilities) |
| Excluded | The ArcheAge Chronicles development business |
| Price | 39,221.9 million won (about 39.2 billion won), of which 21,092.2 million won is paid in cash |
| Closing date | 2026-10-27 |
| Stated reason | Securing liquidity and improving XLGAMES' finances |
| Staff moving | 92 people, mostly the ArcheAge S team |
What this means for Chronicles
- Publishing: The game used to be published by Kakao Games; the switch to XLGAMES running the service itself was disclosed on Kakao Games' earnings call in August 2026. The executive producer confirmed self-publishing and closer contact with Western players in a September 14 Steam post, and a Global PM was introduced on September 17.
- Existing titles: The filing says services for titles already developed with the transferred IP can continue after closing under a license, within the scope of the contract. The coverage did not say whether this applies to Chronicles.
- Visible changes: Steam now lists XLGAMES as developer and publisher, and the official site moved to archeagechronicles.xlgames.com. The old Kakao Games address redirects there (checked 2026-09-27).
- Rights notices after closing: the official site (English) footer reads "Copyright © XLGAMES Inc., © ALINESTUDIO Corp.", while Steam still lists XLGAMES as developer and publisher with "Copyright © XLGAMES Inc." (checked 2026-10-28). The official site line suggests Chronicles uses IP held by Align Studio, but the agreement has not been disclosed (our estimate). We found no new notice on fan content or trademark use.
About ArcheAge S
ArcheAge S moves to Align Studio along with the IP and is reportedly aiming for release in the second quarter of 2027. It is a separate game from Chronicles.
Not disclosed yet
- License terms (period, territory, fees) for the IP Chronicles uses after October 27
- Whether Kakao Games or Align Studio has any role in Chronicles
- When the Epic, PlayStation, and Xbox listings (still showing Kakao Games) will change
Early access goes ahead: on October 27 (PT), it was set for November 3 at 3 PM PT. New announcements go into News & patch notes and Release date & early access.
Sources
- Digital Today (Korean): the filing, reason, price, and license clause (2026-09-08)
- Inven (Korean): scope, trademark list, and Chronicles exclusion (2026-09-09)
- Hankook Ilbo (Korean): Kakao Games' explanation, Align Studio, staff (2026-09-10)
- Massively OP: XLGAMES sells most of the ArcheAge property (2026-09-11)
- Massively OP: Kakao Q2 2026 call (2026-08-11)
- Steam post: letter from the executive producer (2026-09-14)
- Steam post: introducing the Global PM (2026-09-17)
- Official site (footer copyright line) (checked 2026-10-28)
- Steam store page (developer, publisher, copyright line) (checked 2026-10-28)
- Steam post: release date and pre-purchase (2026-10-27)