The upcoming MMORPG Lost Ark is breaking one record after another. Now, it is even ranked second among the most popular games in its home country of Korea, surpassing PUBG, which had held that spot for a long time. What makes it so successful?
What has happened? The Korean website Gamemeca has updated its monthly report, and a surprise was revealed. Lost Ark has passed FIFA and PUBG to take second place among the most popular online games in South Korea.
Thus, it is no longer just the most popular MMORPG in the homeland of MMORPGs, but it can also stand out against other major genres. Especially the battle royale shooter Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds, which Lost Ark has surpassed, is very popular in Korea. Now, Lost Ark only has the final boss of online games above it: League of Legends.
Why now? Lost Ark has been on the market in Korea since 2018. It has always been popular, but currently, there is a lot going on around the MMORPG even for these standards. Just recently, the game broke another record and managed to attract 240,000 fans simultaneously in Lost Ark.
This is mainly due to the summer update wave “Astalgia” that has kept Lost Ark supplied with new content over the past months. Recently, the latest class Sorceress joined the game and set a player record. The Sorceress is already extremely popular, which could also lead to an increase in the overall popularity of the title.
Another reason to consider is the upcoming release in the West. Amazon and Smilegate are ramping up their advertising for Lost Ark, and Korea is not entirely unaffected by this. Some Korean Lost Ark players have also pre-ordered the Western version and want to experience their favorite game without the pay-to-win elements. This is also contributing to an increase in overall popularity.
Newcomer takes off
What else is interesting about the list? One thing that stands out immediately is ODIN: Valhalla Rising. Most games on the list are relatively old and have been established for a long time. In contrast, Odin is already in 18th place and not even half a year old. If the game ever comes to the West, it could definitely be exciting for you.
The freshly launched Bless Unleashed also makes it to the list – at least in 44th place. This is not surprising since Bless is also doing well here. While one of the biggest criticisms of Bless Unleashed in the West is its pay-to-win mechanics, that is far less of a problem in Korea.
With a sad glance at the end of the list, we note that the upcoming MMORPG Elyon is no longer in the top 50. Elyon will be released on September 29 in Europe, just one day after the highly anticipated New World. Therefore, the game’s release is not necessarily under the best star for us. Nevertheless, we hope for the best for Elyon.
What do you think of the list? Are you surprised by any of the entries or not? And are you as excited about Lost Ark as I am? Feel free to share it with us in the comments.
MeinMMO author Mark Sellner is of the opinion that it is bad for everyone that New World and Elyon are being released only 24 hours apart
