In the final week of August [Meca Ranking], Blade & Soul (hereafter B&S) has finally recovered its mojo after a long while. It climbed for two consecutive weeks, jumping from 48th to 35th place, marking its highest position in half a year since last February. Looking at the key metrics, the surge in PC bang usage was quite distinct. It seems that opening a collaboration with Yulgang on August 19 in B&S NEO created a fresh atmosphere, while strengthening support for new and returning players to summon back the resting 'youngest ones (B&S users)', directly impacting the rankings.

The core catalyst was the boost server running until September 30. It allows players to reach level 75 in just one week and transfer the character to the main server. Coupled with a settlement support event to maximize effectiveness, quite a few users have returned to B&S through this opportunity. The collaboration content featuring iconic Yulgang figures Han Bi-kwang and Dam Hwa-rin, along with a new dungeon and the new class 'Yeomje', refreshed the surroundings and created an atmosphere well worth a retry with a different feel.

B&S established itself as NC's representative MMORPG following Lineage and Aion. While the two titles released prior successfully anchored sequels in the market and maintained IP power, B&S has no noticeable achievements in that regard. Although B&S NEO, introduced in 2024, has settled in to some extent, it is hard to view it as a completely new title. The fact that the market reacted to major updates suggests there are still many 'youngest ones' who remember B&S, but voices demanding something a bit fresher remain loud.

Following NC's declaration of a sweeping corporate overhaul, PC online revenue has rebounded significantly. The Lineage IP was anchored by Lineage Classic, and the Aion IP by Aion 2. Strategies maximizing each IP's characteristics yielded meaningful results. While B&S is quietly holding its ground, it possesses the potential to leap forward again if it meets a good opportunity. The key question is whether NC can find a way to lift the B&S IP following Lineage and Aion.

The game that leaped the highest in this week's [Meca Ranking] is Com2uS' new MMORPG 'Zeus: God of Gods'. It secured the 16th spot, rising 24 places from last week, bringing it right to the doorstep of the upper tier (1st to 15th places). Reflecting the modern reality where securing playtime has become difficult, the developer put forward the differentiator of using an 'AI Persona'—essentially a user's alter ego—to make gameplay easier and more convenient. Payment discounts were also attached to drive up momentum.

However, an unsettling factor is that MMORPGs serviced simultaneously on PC and mobile this year have failed to show long-running staying power in the rank competition. Sol: enchant, which departed with high hopes in June, was pushed out of the top 50 last week before barely crawling back to 46th. Even 'Odin: Valhalla Rising', which boasted formidable expertise in this field, entered a downward trend starting in 2024, vanished from the rankings in July of this year, and still has not returned. We need to watch carefully whether Zeus: God of Gods can show a different trajectory.

In the mid-tier this week, Black Desert stopped at 25th, dropping 5 spots from last week. Examining the main metrics, portal search volume and personal broadcasting view counts decreased significantly. This is analyzed as a breather after rolling out massive successive updates, such as the new class 'Agent' at the end of July and Edania Part 2 on August 12. However, with the maximum level cap expansion scheduled for October, a rebound can be anticipated around that time.

In the lower tier, Path of Exile 2 rose 5 spots to record 42nd place. Attention gathered as the official release schedule was revealed 2.5 years after entering early access through Gamescom Opening Night Live held on the 26th. Starting December 12, when it transitions to official service, it will be enjoyed as a free-to-play model, so an influx of even more users than now is expected. Furthermore, a new league to heat up the pre-launch atmosphere was announced, greatly quenching the thirst of fans.