"20 Years, 2 Billion?" The VVIP World of Lineage Unknown to the Public

NCSoft gifted a user who created the +9 Execution Sword last month with a real model of the in-game item Execution Sword, made of pure gold and diamonds (left in the photo).

[Asia Economy Reporter Bu Aeri] "Well, maybe about 2 billion won so far." What if a person who is neither a businessman nor an investor spent such a large amount of money that would astonish ordinary people? The 'big players' in the gaming world, unknown to ordinary people, are different in many ways. Jeong Pilhoon (41), a user of NCSoft's online game Lineage, has been enjoying the game for over 20 years, investing a lot of money in items and succeeding in financial management.

In a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 11th, Jeong claimed, "I spent an average of 500,000 to 1,000,000 won per day buying Lineage items. There was even a month when I spent 100 million won." Since its release in 1998, Lineage has been around for 22 years, and many game items have been consumed during that time. Among them, highly rare items are traded at expensive prices. A luxury world comparable to Chanel or Hermes exists within the game Lineage. Jeong explained, "If you play Lineage for a long time, you develop an attachment to your in-game character," adding, "Spending money on game items is ultimately a gift to my real self and an investment for item financial management."

In the world of Lineage, some become VVIPs (Very Very Important Persons) by creating items that are said to be harder to obtain than winning the lottery. Last month, a Lineage user created a '+9 Jinmyeonghwang Execution Sword,' the first such item since the '+8 Execution Sword' was created in 2017, three years ago. The higher the number in front, the better the item. Creating an Execution Sword requires a considerable investment and many hours of gameplay, so each time a high-level Execution Sword appears, it becomes a hot topic. The value of the item is as high as the effort put into it. The +9 Execution Sword is known to be traded for around 300 million won, and the +5 Execution Sword for about 30 million won. Due to the high price, the Execution Sword has earned the nickname 'Jippanggeom,' meaning a sword that you need to sell your house to buy.

NCSoft is also putting effort into marketing for VVIP users. NCSoft gifted the owner of the +9 Execution Sword a specially made Execution Sword crafted from pure gold and diamonds and erected a 'commemorative statue' inside the Lineage game. This strategy to attract loyal customers is reflected in the company's performance. Even now, when mobile games dominate, the PC game Lineage continues to generate steady revenue. Lineage's game revenue increased from 159.4 billion won in 2017 to 186.2 billion won last year. Since its release in 1998, the cumulative revenue has reached 3.7273 trillion won.