"Returning, Lin Sir" NC's Burning Desire to Boost Lineage W

-Lineage W Global Launch on November 4
-Excessive Spending Inducement Improved... Business Model Reduced

NCSoft announced on the 30th that it will simultaneously launch its new game, 'Lineage W,' globally on November 4. Starting with 13 countries including Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Russia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, the release will later expand to North America, Europe, and South America.

NCSoft has been actively promoting the new title 'Lineage W' both internally and externally. The company's market capitalization has dropped by more than 5 trillion won in just one month due to user criticism over excessive spending and poor performance of new releases. The success of Lineage W is urgently needed.

On the morning of the same day, NCSoft held the second Lineage W showcase. Seonggu Lee, the Lineage W group leader in charge, appeared in person. NCSoft is unusually holding two showcases to boost Lineage W. The approach seems to focus on communication, likely in response to recent criticism. Unlike traditional showcases that introduce games, this one took the form of answering questions from users. NCSoft is also preparing to participate in the Tokyo Game Show for the first time in 17 years on December 3.

This move is closely related to the recent situation NCSoft is facing. The core revenue generators, the Lineage series, have lost the top spot to Kakao Games' 'Odin,' and 'Lineage 2M' is being outperformed by Chinese game company miHoYo's Genshin Impact. Furthermore, the new titles 'Trickster M' and 'Blade & Soul 2' have not met market expectations. CEO Taekjin Kim has personally issued a message, stating, "We will make every effort to change," in an attempt to calm public sentiment.

Because of this, industry attention is focused on whether NCSoft can counterattack with Lineage W. Lineage W is a game that inherits the identity of the Lineage intellectual property (IP), including combat, clans, sacrifice, and honor. CEO Kim emphasized that it is "the final work of Lineage, compiling everything built over 24 years," showing how much effort NCSoft has put into the new title.

Lineage W was strategically developed for global users under the concept of 'Worldwide.' It combines newly created 3D graphics with the original's 'Quarter View' and 'cell and grid-based combat.' The storyline is set 130 years after the original Lineage.

NCSoft also revealed plans for business model (BM) innovation on the same day. NCSoft has faced criticism from loyal Lineage users, known as 'Linjeossi' (Lineage + ajeossi, meaning middle-aged men), for inducing excessive spending through probability-based items (loot boxes) in Lineage M and 2M.

NCSoft announced it will not implement the fatigue system called the 'Einhasad System.' The plan is to make Lineage games accessible to the general public without excessive spending. An NCSoft official explained, "We have significantly reduced the BM to lessen the burden on users," and added, "We also plan to expand communication with users."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.