NCsoft has released five new movies for Assault on Balaurea, a major Aion update set to launch in North America on 7th September and on 10th September in Europe. Aion: Assault on Balaurea is an evolution of the game story and terrain as it expands the world far beyond the traditional territories of Asmodae and Elysea. In this new chapter of Aion, characters will be able to launch a massive counter assault against the invading Balaur on their homeland while experiencing new and updated instances and zones, an increased level cap, fresh weapons and items, new skills and added flight mechanics. A big free update might seem like a last-ditch way to retain players or grab new ones, but an NCsoft PR rep claimed Aion's subscriber base is healthy and the studio would "love to report the numbers." He said that a lack of standardization in the reporting of subscriber figures leads to hesitation of revealing Aion's numbers, as companies can so readily spin stats to make them seem better than they really are.

The Aion team has dabbled in microtransactions with paid booster packs and a Valentine's Day pack. Hager said that microtransactions must be handled carefully depending on whether or not a game requires a monthly fee. "The free-to-play model is good, it's something that's coming up," said Hager. "I still think that there are people that think that paying $15 a month and getting everything you want is good. Momentum is gaining for microtransactions both in free-to-play and pay-to-play, but I think the difference is the range of what you offer." He said in free-to-play microtransactions, it might be more common to charge for additional items that are "game-changing," like a more powerful sword. "[But] with pay-to-play, you have to be much more selective in what you offer. You have to make sure you're not giving someone with more disposable real-world income the advantage over someone with just more time and less money."