NCsoft thrills the Aion community with the news that it's dropping INCA Internet's intrusive, problem causing GameGuard anti-cheating software from the game in order to ensure a smooth launch.
It certainly says something about nProtect GameGuard when a major MMO developer out of Korea decides that removing it is the best course of action. Commonly used in Asian MMO titles as an anti-cheating device, GameGuard seems to cause more problems than it solves, crashing programs, not playing nice with Windows 7, and just generally behaving like a root kit, which no one enjoys. Odds are if you've had trouble running Aion, this little bastard is the cause. NCsoft recognizes this.
After analyzing our open beta test results Aion will not feature GameGuard at launch. We will however continue to pursue ways to effectively utilize GameGuard within Aion in the future. Right now we're focused on providing players with the best possible Aion experience.
Now the skeptic in me reads that as "right now we're focused on providing players with the best possible Aion experience, and we'll screw that up with GameGuard later," but hopefully NCsoft will step into the light eventually and just drop it altogether.
Aion Launch Version! [Official Website - Thanks Carlos!]