Path of Exile - Six Year Release Anniversary
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Grinding Gear Games launched the 1.0.0 version of their hack 'n' slash action-RPG Path of Exile on October 23, 2013. And in order to celebrate the sixth anniversary of the game's release, the developers bring us this quick look back at all the additional content the game has received over the years, while saving all the big reveals and announcements for the upcoming ExileCon. Check it out:
Six years ago today, we released version 1.0.0 of Path of Exile, which introduced the Scion character class and the second half of Act Three. This event marked the end of a multi-year beta period, and coincided with our official release on Steam. Since then, we have released 17 expansions, and will announce two more including our largest one ever at ExileCon in three weeks.
As the first year after Path of Exile's full release, 2014 was one of experimentation. The three expansions launched that year (Sacrifice of the Vaal, Forsaken Masters and the unnamed 1.3.0 PvP/Torment/Bloodlines update) each varied considerably in size and cadence, as we tried to determine the best pattern for future releases.
In 2015, after a beta period, we released Path of Exile 2.0.0: The Awakening. This large expansion ushered in a new era of Path of Exile with the introduction of Act Four, Jewels, Lockstep, Item Filters, and more. Later that year, we released the first second-generation league: Talisman.
2016 was a busy year alternating between expansions+leagues and standalone leagues. We released Ascendancy (with the Perandus league), Prophecy, Atlas of Worlds (with the Essence league) and Breach. A significant growth in userbase (which would then continue until the present day) started that year.
2017 was a year of true expansion in many senses. After running the popular Legacy league, we simultaneously released Path of Exile on Xbox One, launched in China, and released our gigantic 3.0.0 expansion, The Fall of Oriath, which contained six new acts of content. The year was then capped off with the War for the Atlas expansion.
In 2018, we had an overarching plan to replace the aging Master Mission system at the end of the year, so each of Path of Exile's four releases that year introduced a new NPC with a third-generation league attached. Bestiary's Einhar, Incursion's Alva and Delve's Niko joined Jun and Zana in the new Master roster in the Betrayal expansion.
2019 saw the release of Synthesis, Legion, Blight and soon our end-of-year 3.9.0 expansion, as development on 4.0.0 really ramped up behind the scenes. We also released Path of Exile on PlayStation 4 and in South Korea.
It has been an exhilarating six years for our team, and we feel the best is yet to come. What do 3.9.0 and 4.0.0 hold in store? Attend ExileCon or tune in to the announcement livestream on November 16th to find out!
