Blade & Soul NEO Classic’s New Site Launched; Old Blogs and Videos Disappeared

The Blade & Soul NEO Classic might still be in line for release. NCSoft has not provided any updates concerning the MMORPG or its possible western launch, but the official Blade & Soul website now features a dedicated section for “NEO News.” Although scant in content now, interested parties can subscribe for updates.

I was previously intrigued by the prospect of a “Classic” edition of the MMO. Despite enjoying its combat and a handful of its features, it soon degenerated into a demanding grind and cash sink, causing many to lose interest, myself included. Although fearing that the “NEO” version, with its impressive graphics and system updates might be as capital-centric as the original, I remain hopeful.

Several months ago, I penned an article speculating about what had happened to the game. New updates were trickling in regularly, only to suddenly go quiet apart from a soft launch in China and Korea that received no official coverage in the west. The Korean version still seems to receive updates and new videos have been uploaded to their YouTube channel a few months ago, indicating it’s still active there. But the plans for a global version still remain under wraps.

Strangely enough, although a “NEO News” tab has been added to the website – indicating that the project might not be abandoned – all previous posts regarding the NEO at the official site have been removed. The visual comparison video on their official YouTube channel has been set to private too, though you can find it on other platforms.

All the earlier posts about the redesigned zones, Cinderlands preview, and other blogs featured on the site now lead to “Page Not Found” errors. All previous posts containing the NEO tag have been erased, with only those pertaining to wider forum changes, the launch of NCSoft’s “Purple” tool, and the aforementioned Korean NEO launch visible.

Even the NA teaser site for the game has vanished. (Previously linked here and was where my leading image was initially situated.)

Perhaps there is some brand of “hype” marketing campaign afoot, yet it does seem strange to see all original communications erased. If a decision were made to abandon the project or switch developers/publishers, it might make sense. But then why the new “NEO News” tab on the official site?

What do you believe is going on behind the scenes? We’re eager to hear some announcement.