Why Do Linjussis Shout 'NO NC'? [Buaeri's Game Dictionary]

Photo by Online Community Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] The backlash from Linjussi is becoming serious. Linjussi is a term referring to users of NCSoft's flagship game 'Lineage,' a compound of 'Lineage' and 'ajeossi' (middle-aged man). Linjussi, known as passionate Lineage users, are loyal customers of NCSoft and contribute significantly to its revenue.

However, recently, they have expressed their anger by launching a boycott not only on online game communities but also on the NC Dinos team bulletin board. Users are posting images with phrases like "NO NCSoft. We will not buy. We will not produce," urging a boycott of NCSoft. Some users have even announced plans for truck protests.

The incident began with the rollback of the 'Munyang' item update in Lineage M. According to users, the 'Munyang' item in Lineage M costs about 50 million KRW to complete. In January, NCSoft implemented an update that reduced the cost from tens of millions of won to a few million won to obtain this item.

During this process, users known as 'hardcore spenders' who had spent a lot on 'Munyang' raised fairness issues, and NCSoft eventually canceled the update. The problem arose during the refund process for users who purchased the item after the update. NCSoft implemented a refund policy returning the spent amount in in-game currency called diamonds and items like 'Dark Hadin's Growth Potion.'

However, users protested, demanding refunds in 'cash.' As the controversy continued, NCSoft offered additional compensation, but users' anger has not subsided. One Lineage M user said, "NCSoft is using a trick to refund in diamonds because they fear a drop in sales," adding, "If there is no product, refunding in cash is common sense." NCSoft recorded about 2.1455 trillion KRW in revenue from 'item sales' alone last year.

The gaming industry interprets this boycott by Lineage users as an expression of accumulated dissatisfaction. The incident acted as a catalyst amid fatigue caused by issues like 'probability-based items,' which had been controversial due to their lottery-level low chances.

The anger of Lineage M users is clearly reflected in the numbers. According to mobile index, a big data analysis solution by IGAWorks, the weekly active users (WAU) of Lineage M in the third week of March (3.15~21) was 152,250. This is a decrease of 30,000 compared to the same period last month (189,725).

Professor Wi Jeong-hyun of Chung-Ang University's Business Administration Department and president of the Korea Game Society said, "Accumulated user dissatisfaction is exploding like an earthquake," and advised, "NCSoft should not consider this a passing incident but should be alert to issues like organizational bureaucracy and customer service (CS)."

Regarding this, an NCSoft official stated, "According to the terms and conditions, we restored the currency and items used in the system to their original state and decided on a second compensation payment after collecting opinions on the compensation method and scope," adding, "NCSoft will listen to various user opinions and strive to provide better services."

Editor's Note
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This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.