TL Global Surprises with Hit in North America... 'Deficit' NC Rejoices

Ranked 3rd in the US on Steam... 4th in Canada
Users flock due to a different billing system

NCSoft's massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) 'Throne and Liberty (TL)', which is being serviced in the global market, has recently been performing well in North America. Attention is focused on whether TL Global will become a savior for NCSoft, which is experiencing a decline in performance.

According to Steam, the world's largest game distribution platform, from the 5th to the 12th of this month, TL Global ranked 3rd among the best-selling games in the United States during the seven-day period. During the same period, it ranked 4th in Canada, one spot lower. In the U.S. sales rankings from the 22nd to the 29th of last month, it recorded 2nd place, and in the following seven days, it was ranked 3rd, maintaining a top position. NCSoft appointed Amazon Games as the local publisher responsible for service and launched the global version on the 1st of last month.

The biggest reason TL Global is gaining popularity in North America is its monetization model, which differs from NCSoft's existing games. NCSoft's MMORPGs, represented by 'Lineage-like' games, are known for their heavy cash payment burdens. Key features include probability-based items, PvP (player versus player combat), P2W (pay-to-win), and auto-hunting.

In contrast, TL Global, including in the domestic market, has significantly reduced these payment burdens. The purchase methods for 'Battle Pass Premium' and 'Premium Growth Log', which grant specific rewards upon completing given tasks, have been changed from cash to 'Lucent', an in-game currency earned within the game.

This appears to be a lesson learned from the sluggish domestic market. NCSoft reflected user test feedback before release to improve key content such as combat, growth, and guild matching. Additionally, features that were first updated and well-received in the domestic version of TL released in December last year, such as 'Skill Enhancement', fishing, cooking, and other 'lifestyle content', have also been applied to the global TL. Furthermore, review videos by popular local streamers have been credited with increasing interest in TL.

There is also interest in whether TL Global's upward trend will lead to an improvement in NCSoft's performance. So-hye Kim, a researcher at Hanwha Investment & Securities, said, "Until TL Global, the success probability of NCSoft's new releases was relatively low," adding, "I expect that this success will raise expectations for the next new releases in the global market."

An NCSoft official stated, "TL will be operated as an independent studio system to strengthen game development expertise and creativity going forward," adding, "We will make decisions more quickly than before and communicate more closely with users."