In South Korea, the PC MMORPG empire of NCSoft is faltering. While the PC versions of the established MMORPG franchises are struggling, mobile games are on the rise. Lineage M proves to be a ray of hope for NCSoft. Additional mobile releases of Lineage, as well as mobile versions of Aion and Blade & Soul, are in development. A mobile version of Guild Wars 2 is also being considered.
We in the West have long complained, that since 2014 no new AAA MMORPGs have been developed. WildStar was the last one. Since then, we have been relying on expansions for existing MMORPGs, indie titles, and imports from Asia. It seems that the position of PC MMORPGs is also crumbling in South Korea.
In the latest quarterly report from NCSoft Q2/2017, it is evident that even the MMORPG ancestors, which provided stable revenues for years, are struggling. The revenue from PC MMORPGs has generally declined.
Especially the classic Lineage is in free fall. Lineage 2, Blade & Soul, and Aion have also lost significantly compared to the previous year and the previous quarter. Guild Wars 2 as well.
NCSoft believes that this development is nothing special, but rather commonplace. The decrease in Lineage’s revenue is attributed to the concentration of marketing resources and attention on Lineage M.
Lineage M Saves NCSoft’s Revenue
That NCSoft does not look terrible is based on the growing mobile sector. In the second quarter of 2017, NCSoft was able to quadruple its revenues here compared to the previous quarter. 36% of NCSoft’s revenues now come from mobile.
NCSoft does not benefit from the incredibly successful “Lineage 2 Revolution,” which is published by Netmarble, and NCSoft only receives “royalties.” The key player for NCSoft is “Lineage M.” It was only released on June 21, at the end of the billing period, and has significantly boosted mobile revenues.
NCSoft expects mobile revenues to continue to grow significantly in the third quarter of 2017 when Lineage M runs for the full duration of the quarter.
NCSoft already has more irons in the fire and is developing mobile versions of their well-known PC franchises. Aion Legions, Blade & Soul Mobile, and Lineage Eternal Mobile are still in development and are expected to be released between the end of 2017 and the end of 2018 – initially in South Korea.
A mobile version of Guild Wars 2 is also said to be in the works, but it is still too early to discuss that.
There is one exception: Blade and Soul is set to come to consoles. Development will take place in the USA:
