In this week’s Gamemeca Ranking, Lost Ark has climbed into 5th place for two consecutive weeks. Looking at the key metrics, portal search volume, PC bang usage, and personal streaming viewership have all seen a healthy uptick. It seems the summer update, deployed on June 25, has provided the necessary rebound. Compared to the end of May, when the situation was so dire that the title fell out of the TOP 10 for the first time in four years, the June update has effectively extinguished the fire.

The heart of the June update is the new class, 'Valkyrie'. While players can choose to build the class as either a dealer or a supporter, the current consensus is that the dealer build is significantly more potent. Furthermore, the combination of growth events focused on the Valkyrie and the quintessential summer 'Mokoko Challenge Express' has created a perfect entry point for newcomers. In fact, many players have either started Lost Ark fresh or returned from a long hiatus to try out the Valkyrie.

The support class buffs accompanying the Valkyrie’s arrival have also been met with a generally positive reception. The Bard has been noted as having received a tangible improvement, and the Holy Knight is also garnering good feedback regarding its new skills. Finally, while the 'Total Combat Power' system—which visualizes character strength—has some room for improvement, particularly regarding the difficulty in intuitively checking stat changes when swapping gear, many players seem to agree on the necessity of such tools, especially with the 'Combat Analyzer' arriving in July.

Lost Ark had been suffering from a dip in public sentiment due to a rampant gold inflation crisis, but the tide began to turn with the June update. The 5th place position achieved this week is more in line with the historical performance of Lost Ark. Currently, the synergy between the new class and support events has created a peak period for update efficacy. The real question remains whether the title can fully reclaim its former glory based on the roadmap extending through September.

This week, a title has made a rare reappearance in the rankings. Despite being a bona fide global powerhouse, Fortnite has notoriously struggled in the Korean market; however, it has clawed its way back to 49th place this week. Upon its 2018 launch, Fortnite briefly broke into the mid-20s, but it quickly spiraled downwards, followed by a lackluster performance where it would occasionally graze the 40s before slipping away again. Epic Games even famously subverted its original 2018 catchphrase, 'Easy,' to remark, 'Korea was not easy.'

Fortnite, which hadn't even cracked the top 50 since 2023, has returned on the back of an 'expanded launch' strategy, heavily laden with diverse content. Treating this as a relaunch in Korea, the publisher is aggressively highlighting the game's strength as a hub for multiple genres. The key metrics show a rising trend in streaming viewership, which suggests that collaborations with various influencers to boost brand awareness are finally bearing fruit in the numbers. This momentum is likely what pushed the title back into the rankings.

In the upper echelons, Dungeon & Fighter, which had held a spot in the TOP 5 from May through June, has slipped 3 places to land at 8th. As the hype surrounding the new sub-classes launched in early June begins to wane, and with major competitors like MapleStory and Lost Ark dropping significant updates, Dungeon & Fighter has appeared relatively stagnant in comparison this week.

In the mid-tier, Black Desert has surged 7 places to 24th. Looking at the data, portal search volume and streaming viewership have spiked simultaneously. This appears to be a direct reflection of the 'Heidel Ball' offline event held on June 28, where the developer unveiled several major content drops, including the new class 'Wukong'. The most notable announcement was the plan to streamline the complex combat system that has accumulated over the last decade, sparking interest in whether this will provide another vital opportunity for a comeback.