"I am talking about a particular game (Lineage 2 Revolution in Net Marble Games), however, we want to create the best games that can be recognized in the market and make sure the company`s goals are achieved." CEO of NCSoft, Sim Seung-boo said in the launch of a new mobile game `Lineage M`.

NCSoft`s Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) `Lineage M` has been unveiled.

It is noteworthy that whether it will surpass the original MMORPG `Lineage 2 Revolution` (Revolution) of NetMarble Games, which was launched using the intellectual property rights (IP) of NCSoft`s PC online game `Lineage 2`.

NCSoft announced that it will officially launch `Lineage M` on June 21 after holding a meeting at `The Raum` in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul on May 16.

`Lineage M` is a game in which PC online game of NCSoft `Lineage`, released in 1998 and recorded cumulative sales of KRW 3.2 trillion, has been implemented as mobile.

The company expected that Lineage M exceeded record high 4 million pre-reservation (April 12 - May 14), the largest in mobile game history, and the company expects to exceed 5 million by official launch of the game. This is going to surpass Revolution`s pre-reservation. Revolution recorded 3.4 million pre-bookers in 120 days.

The first launch, Lineage M, originally moved Lineage`s content in the early 2000s to mobile. It is a longevity game that has been gaining popularity over the past 10 years. `Lineage M` applied the `open world` method to move all areas in the game like the original. It is also possible to enjoy a mobile-optimized confrontation (PvP and Player vs Player) system. A personal instance dungeon (personal hunting ground), which is not in the original work, has been added. Users can gain experience, items, and in-game goods in this dungeon.

As NCSoft is playing a big role in Mobile Lineage, it is a watch point that whether it will surpass Revolution`s incredible sales. Revolution recorded sales of KRW 206 billion in a month since its launch in December last year. It has been estimated that the company made about KRW 7 billion sales each day within 18 days.

Securities analysts expect that average daily sales will reach KRW 2 billion immediately after launch of Lineage M. Seong Jong Hwa, a researcher at Best Investment & Securities, said, "The average daily sales of Lineage M is estimated to be less than KRW 2 billion per day. However, considering the explosive advance booking, it may be hidden card of NCSoft that surpasses Revolution`s popularity.”

Meanwhile, it is pointed out that NCSoft, which has a similar content, will not be affected by the fact that the Revolution has been judged to be unusable by the Game Management Committee as it has imitated the item trading intermediary site designated as a harmful medium for juveniles. Lee Sung-goo, managing director of NCsoft, stated, "`Lineage M` is going to operate an integrated exchange that allows free market economy where users can get items at the price they want. However, we are under discussion on how to operate it after the Revolution rating judgment.”

By Jin Hyun Jin 2jinhj@


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