Lineage remains one of the highest-grossing MMORPG franchises globally. And the latest report on the combined revenue of the top three mobile titles in the series is another proof of that.
- According to Sensor Tower, Lineage M is the highest-grossing mobile title in the franchise with $4.23 billion in lifetime revenue (as of February 14, 2023).
- It is followed by Lineage 2M ($1.76 billion) and Lineage W (around $1 billion).
- It is worth noting that Sensor Tower only shared data for these three titles. So the revenue for all mobile games in the series, which also includes Lineage Red Knights and Lineage 2: Revolution, remains unknown.
- Between February 15, 2022 and February 14, 2023, Lineage W had the largest share of overseas revenue among all three titles at 37.9%, followed by Lineage 2M (31.9%) and Lineage M (12.9%).
- This largely due to the fact that NCsoft brands Lineage W as a game for the global audience. However, this also affects the title’s RPD (revenue per download) metric, since it is less pay-to-win compared to the other two projects.
- Lineage W has the RPD of $256, while Lineage M and Lineage 2M are ahead at $406 and $410, respectively.
- Interestingly, the newer the game, the younger its audience. Lineage M appeals to many players aged 35-44 who most likely enjoyed the original PC title. Lineage 2M has a higher share of users aged 25-34, and Lineage W is gaining attention among gamers aged 18-24.
The first game in the Lineage series came out on PC in 1998 It was followed by the much more popular prequel, Lineage II, which has long been the epitome of Asian free-to-play MMORPGs.
Although the IP has remained extremely popular in South Korea and other Asian countries, NCsoft managed to grow the audience by starting its mobile expansion. In 2017, the company released Lineage M, a mobile port of the original game, and then made a mobile version of Lineage II.
NCsoft is now also working on Throne and Liberty, a next-gen MMORPG in the Lineage series for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.