According to the business figures for the third quarter, NCSoft games Lineage II, Aion and Guild Wars 2 are seeing a slight upward trend. The mobile segment is also recovering.
NCSoft loses despite slight upward trend: Even though there is a slight recovery for some games, NCSoft’s net revenue dropped by 33 percent in Q3 2018 compared to the previous quarter. Sales and profits have also declined.
The loss of the classic Lineage is particularly hard for NC Soft. This game, along with mobile games, generates the most revenue. The relevant MMOs in this region are primarily AION, Blade & Soul 2, and Guild Wars 2.
PC MMOs on a slight upward trend
AION: In Korea, the MMORPG AION transitioned to a Free2Play model at the beginning of the year. This transition is still noticeably affecting the game. Additionally, there is a growing focus on the early days of the online game.
Update 6.0 introduced changes that make the game feel almost like it did at release. This is apparently appreciated not only by players in Korea but also in the West, which is reflected in the slight increase in numbers compared to Q2.
Blade & Soul: The MMO is in a downward spiral. This is due to the lack of developments in the game. The developers are currently likely focusing on the successor, Blade & Soul 2.
Guild Wars 2: ArenaNet’s MMO has recently received some new content. This includes the raid “Myth Writers’ Venture” and a new PvP arena. This content contributes to the slight increase in Guild Wars numbers in Q3 2018.
Mobile Games Rising Again
The trend is upward: While the trend for mobile games showed a sharp decline since Q3 2017, the market seems to be slowly recovering. The numbers remain extremely high. Therefore, the company continues to focus on this market in the future.
The Future is Mobile
NCSoft is focusing on Mobile MMORPGs: At G-Star NCSoft announced five new games – all mobile games. This indicates that the company sees the future in this market.
- Aion 2
- Blade & Soul 2
- Blade & Soul M
- Blade & Soul S
- Lineage 2 M
Interestingly, both Aion 2 and Blade & Soul 2 are now only being released as successors to pure PC MMOs for smartphones. Overall, these are very large titles with a substantial fanbase.
Fans have been waiting a long time for AION 2 and Blade & Soul 2. At least in Asia, these successors could do well as mobile games, as the mobile gaming market there is enormous.
Furthermore, we can also look forward to Project TL, of which there have been no news for quite some time.
