"Thank You, Lineage2M" NC Forecasts Record-Breaking Q4 Earnings

Sales and Operating Profit Surge 40% and 60%... 'Earnings Surprise' Expected

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] NCSoft hit a jackpot with 'Lineage 2M' in the fourth quarter of last year. Both sales and operating profit surged significantly compared to the same period last year, making an 'earnings surprise' highly anticipated.

According to the gaming and securities industries on the 6th, NCSoft's sales in the fourth quarter of last year are estimated to have exceeded 570 billion KRW, a more than 40% increase compared to the same period the previous year. Operating profit for the same period is expected to reach around 180 billion KRW, up more than 60% year-on-year.

This performance improvement is attributed to the combined sales effect of 'Lineage 2M' and its sibling game 'Lineage M.' The average daily sales of Lineage 2M in the fourth quarter of last year ranged between 4.5 billion and 5 billion KRW, surpassing the market's initial expectations of 3 billion to 4 billion KRW. Additionally, Lineage M, which was expected to see a decline in sales due to the launch of Lineage 2M, recorded sales of around 210 billion KRW in the fourth quarter, showing an increase compared to the third quarter's sales of about 200 billion KRW, demonstrating strong performance. Chang-kwon Kim, a researcher at Mirae Asset Daewoo, said, "Following the improved performance in the fourth quarter due to the new release effect of Lineage 2M, steady game sales are expected to continue this year as well," adding, "The daily sales of Lineage 2M in January also exceeded previous assumptions."

Based on the intellectual property (IP) of NCSoft's flagship PC game 'Lineage 2,' Lineage 2M, which was launched on November 27 last year, has demonstrated its strength by maintaining the number one spot in sales on Google Play for 10 consecutive weeks since its release. According to the mobile application ranking analysis site, Gevolution, as of the 5th, Lineage 2M ranked first in sales on Google Play. It has held the top position in Google Play sales rankings for 10 weeks since achieving first place on December 1 last year.

Lineage 2M surpassed the dominance of Lineage M just four days after its release, on December 1 last year, becoming the emperor of mobile games. Lineage M, which had held the number one spot in Google Play sales for two and a half years, now maintains the second position in Google Play sales. On the Apple App Store, Lineage 2M and Lineage M are competing closely for first and second place. As a result, the industry is even evaluating that the Lineage series has conquered the mobile game market.