Look, let's be honest, it is not every day a fresh package release crashes the Gamemeca popularity ranking, but here we are. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (hereafter Modern Warfare 4) has kicked off its competitive run at number 35. Excluding Warzone, this is the highest debut point in the history of the Call of Duty series. It sits comfortably ahead of Black Ops 7 and Modern Warfare 3 (2023), neither of which even cracked the ranked charts, and leaves Black Ops 6 far behind at 48th. While its popularity in the West—earning it the affectionate local nickname 'North American Sudden Attack'—was already guaranteed, the fervor surrounding Modern Warfare 4 in South Korea this time around is something else entirely.

The primary driving force behind this is a narrative that South Korean gamers can feel right in their bones, so to speak. Modern Warfare 4 sets its stage in a fictional Second Korean War sparked by a full-scale invasion by North Korea. The campaign early access kicked off on October 17, and developer Infinity Ward did not just slap a Korean coat of paint on the box; they crafted a level of immersion that naturally tugs at the heartstrings of anyone living in South Korea, particularly gamers with mandatory military service under their belts. It has sparked such a massive buzz that even terrestrial television networks have covered the release multiple times—a rare feat for an overseas packaged game.

Critical reception has repeatedly hailed the campaign's overall quality as the absolute best among titles released in recent years. Many overseas gamers have also noted that while the South Korean setting feels refreshingly unique, the narrative delivers the brutal realities of war with convincing weight. For the past three years, the Call of Duty series could not escape criticism for single-player campaigns falling short of expectations, but by completely reshaping the board with South Korea as the stage, the franchise has successfully flipped the somewhat stagnant mood and raised its momentum significantly.

Much like Modern Warfare 4, multiplayer has emerged as the true beating heart of the Call of Duty franchise over single-player experiences. In fact, October 23 marks the official launch date when multiplayer goes fully live. The burning question is whether Modern Warfare 4 can maintain its upward trajectory next week, riding the launch momentum built by its solid single-player reception. With the multiplayer suite featuring the extraction shooter mode 'DMZ mode' set along the border region between South Korea and Russia, a great number of local gamers are expressing high expectations.

The World of Dokkaebi, which leaped to 16th place last week during its launch window, continued its upward climb to secure the 14th spot this week. This marks the highest ranking among all MMORPGs released this year, beating out titles like Sol: enchant, Zeus: God of Pride, and Eclipse: The Awakening. Even though various issues popped up right after the official service launch, quick clarifications via live online broadcasts followed by prompt patch updates managed the public sentiment carefully to prevent any collapse, proving to be an effective strategy.

As a representative example, when complaints arose regarding the so-called 'raid bus' phenomenon where players rely entirely on high-combat-power users to clear raids, the development team issued an apology and took corrective action by confiscating rewards acquired through the 'bus'. They also bolstered the supply of money, funds, and yokai stones—resources that initial public opinion deemed woefully lacking—and continue to engage in discussions regarding the balance adjustments of martial arts (skills) used in combat. Having held six broadcasts in just two weeks since launch, the developer's dedication to communication is clearly reflecting in the rankings.

In the mid-tier, World of Warcraft (hereafter WoW) slid down to 19th place following a two-week consecutive decline. In the 12.1.5 patch applied on October 15, the Blood Elf leader 'Liadrin', who was widely anticipated to drive the narrative forward, met a rather hollow and unexpected demise. Naturally, many users expressed a sense of emptiness and pointed out that the character was severely wasted. WoW had previously sought a dramatic narrative turnaround under the returning Chris Metzen after hitting a storytelling rock bottom during Shadowlands, but public sentiment has once again turned turbulent.

In the lower tier, Aion rose for two consecutive weeks to land at 32nd place. Showing the highest upward jump among all ranked games this week, the surge is attributed to the spotlight gained from the 'Drakhan' update, which was teased starting October 14 and fully deployed on October 21. By introducing 'Drakhan', the very first draconian playable character in Aion's history, alongside the opening of a fresh server packed with growth-support events, the game rolled out a proper invitation for returning players. Looking at key metrics, portal search volumes have indeed increased drastically.