Seemingly in response to Blade & Soul 2 controversy.
NCSoft held a media event roughly a week ago for Lineage W, its upcoming mobile game, in which the company makes some pretty bold promises about the game and its cash shop. Head of Lineage W Lee Sung-gu addresses the audience head on, revealing details like how players will be able to obtain magic doll/transformation items in-game and not exclusively on the cash shop, as well as stating that dedicated MTX accessory slot items will not be added into the game.
Lee Sung-gu goes further and states that Einhasad’s Blessing (xp boost) and other subscription features will not be available in Lineage W, noting that while the features have been good for the bottom line in previous games (as well as inhibiting gold farmers somehow), the team recognizes that they harm the experience for more casual players. Lee goes on to state, and I’m quoting here;
“I guarantee you that for as long as Lineage W is in service, the game will not release any features like Einhasad’s Blessing or anything that even remotely resembles this system. We give you our word that, as long as the game is in service, Emblem, Guardian Stars, and Spirit Inscription systems will not be a part of Lineage W.”
Those are bold promises, Cotton, let’s see how they work out. On the discussion of player trading, Lee makes another direct promise to players:
“Today, I promise you that we will no longer make business decisions that inconvenience players as a way of dealing with game operation risks.”
Lineage W will allow players to buy and sell items in real time with other players directly, with a scaled down trading fee that most players should find “negligible.” Lineage W launches in November in 13 countries with expansion into North America and Europe, among other locations, at a later date. The announcement is likely in part to placate nervous investors following NCSoft’s rollout of Blade & Soul 2, which has since caused a 35% drop in NCSoft stock value due to low reviews from players.
MMO Fallout 