XL Games has sold most of the ArcheAge intellectual property to Align Studio, an entity owned by Kakao Games, in a deal worth 39.2 billion Korean won, MassivelyOP reported on September 11. The outlet put the price at nearly $30 million, and its account of the terms draws on translations of the deal details posted to Reddit.
According to those translations, the sale hands the entire ArcheAge IP to Align Studio, including all of its rights and any sequels, together with the development of ArcheAge S and every asset tied to that project.
XL Games is not leaving the series entirely. It keeps ownership of ArcheAge Chronicles and the team building it, and it continues its ongoing publishing of both ArcheAge Chronicles and ArcheAge War. A revision update to the terms, cited by MassivelyOP, also gives XL Games the right to develop up to three new games for five years from the closing date.
The Reddit post states that the sale is intended to "secure liquidity and improve financial structure" at XL Games. MassivelyOP wrote that the explanation reads like a studio selling off its core IP in order to survive. The outlet also pointed to the post's suggestion that XL Games is now effectively relying on ArcheAge Chronicles to succeed, and described that as a potentially worrying strategy if it proves accurate.
The deal also appears to answer a question MassivelyOP had raised before the sale was reported: how ArcheAge Chronicles and ArcheAge S: Strait of Freedom could both be in development at the same time. Under the reported terms, ArcheAge S goes to the Kakao Games-owned buyer, while ArcheAge Chronicles stays with XL Games.