NCsoft, which operates’Lineage’, the number one game sales in Korea, faced a collective backlash from game users. This is because loyal customers have turned their backs due to complaints about the internal policy of the game.
It is an atmosphere of protests.
This is reporter Kim Ki-tae.
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Last year, NCsoft’s first ever annual sales of KRW 2 trillion are the number one contributor to mobile’Lineage’, which accounts for 70% of total sales.
It was based on loyal users who are referred to as’Linger’, a compound word of’Lineage’ and’Uncle’.
The mobile game’Lineage M’was updated at the end of January, and this was a big hit.
It drastically lowered the cost of acquiring items in the game, but the complaints of users who already possessed the items exploded.
As dissatisfaction increased mainly among high-value users, NC withdrew this decision after three days and returned the game environment to the pre-update.
Users who spent three days on this item were refunded in the form of’game money’, which caused another problem.
When a user requested a refund by paying 160 million won, it raised controversy as users claimed that they only gave 50 million won worth of game money.
[이영록/리니지 이용자 : 자신이 지불한 금액을 돌려주지 않는다면 그에 대한 명확한, 정당한 이유를 알려줘야 하는데 전혀 그렇지 않다 보니까 사기를 당했다는 느낌을 받는 거죠.]
Users are planning a boycott as well as a truck demonstration in front of the headquarters and the National Assembly.
Due to this controversy, NCsoft’s stock price from over 1 million won at the beginning of last month has dropped to 800,000 won.
NCsoft said, “We are sorry for the inconvenience, and we will actively review the areas to be improved.”
As for NCsoft, 80% of its sales are concentrated in the domestic market, especially Lineage, and if such user backlash spreads, it is expected to hit its performance.