The revenues of the mobile role-playing MMO game Lineage M from South Korean NCsoft exceeded $ 1.2 billion in the first year of its existence. This is reported by the business publication The Investor.

The creators of PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS have filed a lawsuit against Epic Games. South Korean studio PUBG Corp. accuses the authors of Fortnite of encroaching on their intellectual property — they believe that Fortnite Battle Royale is too similar to PUBG.

Korean developer and publisher of online games NCsoft reported for the 1st quarter of 2018. During this period, the company’s revenues increased by 98% compared to last year, and profits increased by as much as 585%.

Korean publisher Netmarble reported for the 1st quarter of 2018. According to its results, the company’s revenues and profits have significantly decreased compared to last year. Netmarble explained this by slowing down game sales and delays in the release of new titles.

Korean gaming company SmileGate announced a plan to liquidate a branch in Berlin. It opened last February and has been in operation for a little over a year. SmileGate explained their decision by restructuring the business.

The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) of the South Korean government has launched an investigation into Google. The reason was complaints that an American corporation is forcing local mobile developers to sell their games only through Google Play.

The Chinese authorities have announced an unofficial boycott of online video games from South Korean studios. This point of view is stated in the largest Korean newspaper “Joseon Ilbo”. According to the journalists of the weekly, the decision of the Chinese administration is political in nature.

The State Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) of South Korea imposed a fine of $875 thousand on the Nexon gaming company for selling loot boxes. The department considered that the publisher misled the players about their chances of finding a particular reward in the loot chest.

Major South Korean publisher Netmarble bought a 25.71% stake in local record label Big Hit Entertainment (BHE) for $190 million. Thanks to the deal, Netmarble became the second largest shareholder of the music company.

The mobile role-playing MMO Lineage 2: Revolution by the South Korean publisher Netmarble generated $924 million in the first 11 months after launch. The game earned most of this amount on the local market.

The South Korean media company Kakao has raised $130 million to develop its gaming division Kakao Games. About $100 million of this amount was invested by the Chinese corporation Tencent and the Korean mobile publisher Netmarble.

One of the highest-grossing mobile games of 2017 has finally become available outside of Asia. Lineage 2: Revolution has appeared in mobile stores in 54 countries, including Russia and the USA.

South Korean mobile developer and publisher Com2uS earned $112.8 million in Q3 2017. The company’s main source of revenue remained the Summoners War buttler, as well as MLB 9 Innings 17 and Golf Star sports games.

The Chinese corporation Tencent has not abandoned its intentions to purchase Bluehole, which created the phenomenally successful PvP shooter PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS.

In three months, the cost of Bluehole Studios, which released PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), has increased fivefold. Today, the company could be worth $4.6 billion.

Korean studio Pearl Abyss for the first time showed a gameplay teaser of the mobile role-playing MMO Black Desert Mobile, which can become a competitor to Lineage M from NCsoft.

The list of billionaire games has been replenished. The elite club includes Summoners War, a game from the Korean developer Com2uS.

The popularity and revenue of the mobile role-playing MMO Lineage M did not help the Korean publisher NCsoft cope with a 66% decrease in the company’s profit in the second quarter of this year.

The South Korean company Smilegate is looking for developers in the United States and Europe to expand its business in the Western video game market and promote the Crossfire shooter.