NCSoft reclaims throne with new mobile game Lineage W

Lineage W, developed by South Korea’s NCSoft Corp., has swiftly reclaimed the top spot in the country's mobile gaming market just three days since its Nov. 4 launch. It also set a new record in terms of daily sales on its debut among Korean gaming apps on Google Play Store, the company said on Sunday.

The latest massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) has upgraded motion pictures to create a realistic world by using the industry's highest-level 3D scanning technology. NCSoft also improved on some of the problems of its previous games, removing some content that allegedly required excessive billing for items and additional games, or making them available for free.

Its simultaneous release in both the domestic and overseas markets contributed to its strong performance in the early stage as well, allowing users to fight intercountry battles within the game.  

Lineage W ranked as the top Korean gaming app on Google Play Store in terms of daily sales on Nov. 6. The mobile game also clinched the title of the country's top-grossing game on Apple Store.

"Google Play Store accounts for more than 60% of the domestic mobile gaming market in a country where the vast majority are Android smartphone users," said a gaming industry source. "Taking the top spot on Google app store means it is now No. 1 player in the domestic mobile gaming market."

With the launch of Lineage W, NCSoft has recovered its lead about four months since Odin: Valhalla Rising, distributed by Kakao Games Corp., overtook Lineage M in July as the country's No. 1 game in terms of revenue. Odin, another MMORP, was unveiled last June.

As of Nov. 7, four NCSoft's games -- Lineage W, Lineage M, Lineage 2M and Blade & Soul -- made it to the top 10 list of Korean games on Google Play. Lineage W and Lineage M came in first and second, respectively, followed by Odin: Valhalla Rising.

Lineage W is estimated to garner 16 billion to 17 billion won ($13 million-$14 million) on its first day of release, according to industry sources. That was far ahead of the previous record of 10.7 billion won, set by its previous series Lineage M, which had topped the list for more than four years until it was overtaken by Odin last July.

Lineage W is the first Lineage IP-based game since the launch of Lineage 2M in 2019. The latest game adopted the popular features of the previous series such as the way of fighting battles and nurturing characters, as well as building a user community.

"Its kind-of pay-to-win game model drew some criticism because it requires users to spend more money and time," said the industry source. "But the gaming model we adhered to is working in our favor now."

NCSoft’s Blade & Soul 2, launched in August of this year, was also blamed for forcing gamers to spend more money under the same pay-to-win model.

Industry analysts interpret NCSoft’s Lineage W launch as a desperate move to maintain its long-standing leadership in the market. The company, thanks to the huge success of Lineage M launched in 2017, has held the top position in the mobile game scene for many years.

Since it was launched in 12 countries simultaneously, the latest mobile game offers artificial intelligence-based, real-time translation services to ensure smooth communication between gamers from different countries. Lineage W is NCSoft's most popular game among foreigners. 

It was also the company’s first game to be unveiled simultaneously both at home and abroad, unlike the previous games under the Lineage brand, which had first focused primarily on the domestic market. 

NCSoft may now find some relief from the early stage success of Lineage W. Its share price has been on the decline for most of the year, with its market capitalization tumbling to 13 trillion won as of Friday's close from 22 trillion won last February. 

"It remains to be seen whether Lineage W will be a short-lived or long-term success," said another industry source. "If it is able to fare as well in North America, Europe and South America as in Taiwan, it will be NCSoft's first-ever game to become a global success."

Write to Joo-wan Kim at kjwan@hankyung.com
Yeonhee Kim edited this article.