NC’s MMORPG Aion 2 has earned two nominations at the 2026 Korea Game Awards, securing places in both the Main Awards and Popular Game Award categories.
The nominations mark an important moment for NC, which is returning to the competition for the first time in 14 years after Blade & Soul won the Grand Prize in 2012. The Korea Game Industry Association announced the finalists on October 26, with online voting now underway ahead of the November ceremony.
Aion 2 Competes for Two Awards After Its Global Launch
The Main Awards shortlist includes 12 games developed and released in South Korea during the eligibility period from October 3, 2025, to October 12, 2026. Aion 2 joins titles such as Crimson Desert, MONGIL: Star Dive and Chaos Zero Nightmare in the competition. Its second nomination comes in the Popular Game Award category, where it will compete against eight other games.
Developed by NC, Aion 2 is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game that builds on the world of the original Aion. It launched in South Korea and Taiwan in November 2025 before expanding to global audiences in October 2026. According to NC’s official website, the sequel features a world more than 36 times larger than the original, free-flight exploration, extensive character customization and large-scale PvE and PvP battles.
Players can vote online for the 2026 Korea Game Awards until 5 p.m. KST on November 16. The Main Awards combine judges’ evaluations, public votes and media votes, weighted at 50%, 25% and 25%, respectively. The Popular Game Award places greater emphasis on audience preferences, with public votes accounting for 80% of the result and media votes making up the remaining 20%.
The winners will be announced on November 18 at BEXCO in Busan, South Korea, one day before G-Star 2026 opens. The ceremony will recognize achievements across 13 award categories. For NC, the results will determine whether Aion 2 can turn its return to the awards into a major win.
