NCsoft: Closing Fast on North American Game Publishers

While several major massively multiplayer online role playing game sequels were successfully released into the North American market last year, NCsoft, starting with a blank slate in this market, launched two new titles, and in the process began to reshape the MMO playing field that could see it overtaking all MMORPG publishers in 2005.

City of Heroes and Lineage II, both brand-new properties to the North American market, launched in late April 2004, have propelled NCsoft’s North American publishing house based in Austin, Texas, into the elite group of MMORPG game publishers. And with three new properties set for release this year, NCsoft could be propelled as the leading MMORPG publisher in North America.

According to industry statistics, NCsoft is the number three ranked MMORPG publisher in North America, with the number-two and number-seven ranked games, City of Heroes and Lineage II, respectively, based on revenue share. NCsoft trails only Vivendi, publisher of World of Warcraft, and Sony Online Entertainment, publisher of EverQuest II and Star Wars MMOs.

But while the 2005 prospects for major MMORPG launches appear to be limited, NCsoft is girding to release Guild Wars in April, and Auto Assault and City of Villains in the second half of this year. Each game offers the gaming market a unique spin on the MMO formula. Guild Wars will be free of subscription fees, Auto Assault is the first-of-its-kind vehicle combat MMORPG, and City of Villains, the player-versus-player sequel to the popular City of Heroes title. Meanwhile, NCsoft’s studios will continue to regularly release major content expansions for City of Heroes and Lineage II which are free to subscribers.

“Because of the variety of games NCsoft is releasing, this year holds great prospects for current and prospective MMORPG players,” said Robert Garriott, NCsoft’s North American CEO. “The games NCsoft is sending into the market will proved different flavors for different tastes be that game genre or business model. The result will be that the market for MMORPGs will continue to expand, which should help us reach our goal to become the leading publisher of MMORPGs in North America.”

Also on the horizon for NCsoft is the 2006 release of Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa MMORPG. However, by the time Tabula Rasa, which translated means “blank slate” hits the market, NCsoft will have filled the slate it started from in 2004.