Lineage M
19 documents in the library are about Lineage M, from writers such as Sensor Tower, Game World Observer and Udonis, the newest from 2026. Each has a summary and key insights with the page they come from.
Key figures
Revenue is primarily driven by homegrown MMORPGs like NCSOFT’s 'Lineage M'—which earned $183.9 million in 2025—alongside Western-published 4X strategy titles such as 'Whiteout Survival' and 'Last War: Survival'.
Udonis, 2026 · Top Grossing Mobile Games in South Korea (2025 & 2026)
Mobile gaming remains the company's core revenue driver, contributing KRW 253.4 billion or 63% of total sales, largely supported by the performance of Lineage M.
NCSoft, 2024 · NCSOFT Q3 2024 Earnings Release, p. 5
Mobile games generated 59% of total Q2 sales, with Lineage M serving as the top-performing title at ₩106.9 billion ($78.4 million).
Game World Observer, 2024 · NCSoft Q2 2024 Financial Results
The launch of Lineage 2 M resulted in some revenue cannibalization of the predecessor, Lineage M, which saw a decline in spending following the sequel's release.
Sensor Tower, 2020 · Lineage 2 M Surpasses $150 Million From Player Spending in Less Than Three Months
The Lineage mobile franchise, consisting of NCSoft's Lineage M and Netmarble's Lineage 2: Revolution, has surpassed $4 billion in cumulative lifetime gross revenue.
Sensor Tower, 2019 · Lineage Franchise Crosses $4 Billion in Gross Revenue on Mobile
Documents about Lineage M
Investigating the Collapse of Mobile MMORPGs
The mobile MMORPG subgenre is undergoing a structural collapse, characterized by a 47% decline in in-app purchase revenue and a 40% drop in downloads between 2021 and 2025.
- The mobile MMORPG subgenre experienced a significant global contraction between 2021 and 2025, with older titles losing $3.9 billion in annual revenue while new releases only offset approximately 35% of that erosion.
- Market concentration in Asia, particularly China, drove the decline; China’s download volume for the subgenre fell by 88 million (-74%) between 2021 and 2025, accounting for 64% of the global loss.
- Players are increasingly shifting toward Open World Adventure RPGs, which offer fresh gameplay, higher production values, and more player-friendly engagement models that avoid the fatigue associated with traditional MMORPGs.
Top Grossing Mobile Games in South Korea (2025 & 2026)
South Korea represents the fourth-largest mobile gaming market globally, characterized by a distinct bifurcation between high-revenue titles and high-volume download games.
- South Korea is the world's fourth-largest mobile gaming market, generating approximately $5.3 billion in 2025 from a population of 51 million.
- While 2025 H2 revenue grew 8.3% over the first half to $2.8 billion, annual download volume fell by roughly 21%, indicating a shift toward monetizing existing players rather than acquiring new ones.
- Nexon’s 'MapleStory: Idle RPG' surged to the top of the 2026 grossing charts with $135.4 million in revenue, highlighting the rapid rise of the idle RPG sub-genre, which grew from 2% of RPG revenue in 2020 to 16% by 2024.
100 Top Grossing Mobile Games Ranking
The 2026 ranking of top-grossing mobile games provides a comprehensive analysis of the global mobile gaming industry’s financial landscape, focusing on lifetime earnings, performance throughout 2025, and key monetization metrics.
- Honor of Kings remains the all-time leader in mobile gaming revenue with $13.25 billion in lifetime earnings, followed by PUBG Mobile at $9.01 billion and Candy Crush Saga at $7.69 billion.
- MONOPOLY GO! emerged as the top-grossing mobile game of 2025, generating $2.21 billion in annual revenue and demonstrating the high monetization potential of casual games with strong social mechanics.
- The Chinese market continues to exert massive influence on global revenue, with titles like Honor of Kings and Dungeon & Warrior: Origins serving as primary drivers of high-spend mobile gaming.
2024 H2 South Korea Mobile Games Recap
The South Korean mobile gaming market demonstrated resilience throughout the second half of 2024, maintaining a stable revenue level of approximately $2.8 billion despite a slight year-over-year decline.
- The South Korean mobile game market generated approximately $2.8 billion in revenue in H2 2024, maintaining a stable level despite a slight decrease from the previous year, which is attributed to currency exchange rates.
- iOS's share of the South Korean mobile game market significantly increased in H2 2024, with its revenue contribution rising by 12% and download share also increasing by 12%, while Android's share decreased by 9% in revenue and 6.9% in downloads.
- Smilegate re-entered the top 10 mobile game publishers in South Korea for the first time in six years (since H2 2018), driven by the success of its new game, 'Lord Nine,' which ranked 5th in revenue and 1st in revenue growth for H2 2024.
NCSOFT Q3 2024 Earnings Release
NCSOFT’s third-quarter 2024 financial results reveal a challenging period characterized by a transition to an operating loss.
- NCSOFT reported an operating loss of KRW 14.3 billion in Q3 2024, despite a 9% quarter-over-quarter revenue increase to KRW 401.9 billion.
- Total operating expenses surged 16% quarter-over-quarter to KRW 416.2 billion, driven primarily by an 180% increase in marketing spend to KRW 48.7 billion.
- Mobile gaming remains the company's core revenue driver, contributing KRW 253.4 billion or 63% of total sales, largely supported by the performance of Lineage M.
NCSoft Q2 2024 Financial Results
NCSoft’s financial results for the second quarter of 2024, ending June 30, reveal a period of mixed performance characterized by a significant decline in top-line revenue alongside a substantial surge in net profitability.
- The Lineage franchise remains the core of NCSoft's business, accounting for 70% of the company's total revenue in Q2 2024.
- NCSoft reported a 133% year-over-year increase in net income to ₩71.1 billion ($52.1 million), despite a 16% decline in total revenue to ₩368.8 billion ($270.3 million).
- Operating profit for the second quarter fell 75% year-over-year to ₩8.8 billion ($6.5 million).
Global Mobile Games in August: August 2023
The August 2023 snapshot of the global mobile gaming market highlights a mix of sustained franchise performance and emerging titles. In revenue, MONOPOLY GO! dominated the U.S.
- MONOPOLY GO! led the U.S. App Store in August 2023 with $72.5 million in revenue, marking a 67% increase over July.
- Casual and idle games saw massive download spikes, led by My Perfect Hotel with 5.3 million iOS downloads (a 10x increase) and Football League 2023 with 16.5 million Google Play downloads (a 180% MoM increase).
- High-end titles maintained strong revenue, with Fate/Grand Order surpassing $7 billion in lifetime earnings and MiHoYo’s Honkai: Star Rail and Genshin Impact generating $47.2 million and $17.8 million respectively.
Lineage Mobile Games Surpass $7 Billion in Revenue
The Lineage mobile franchise has solidified its position as a dominant force in the global MMORPG market, with its three primary titles—Lineage M, Lineage 2M, and Lineage W—surpassing a combined $7 billion in lifetime revenue as of February 2023.
- The Lineage mobile franchise, consisting of Lineage M, Lineage 2M, and Lineage W, reached over $7 billion in combined lifetime revenue as of February 2023.
- Lineage M is the highest-grossing title in the franchise, accounting for $4.23 billion of the total revenue, followed by Lineage 2M at $1.76 billion and Lineage W at $1 billion.
- Lineage W is the franchise's most globally focused title, generating 37.9% of its revenue from overseas markets between February 2022 and February 2023.
Netmarble’s New Hit Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds Surpasses $100 Million in Revenue
Netmarble’s mobile title, Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds, achieved significant commercial success shortly after its June 2021 launch, surpassing $100 million in global revenue within just 11 days.
- Netmarble’s Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds generated $101.3 million in mobile revenue across the App Store and Google Play within its first 11 days of release.
- The game reached the $100 million revenue milestone faster than Pokémon GO (12 days) and Genshin Impact (13 days).
- Japan was the primary revenue driver, accounting for 45% of total spending, followed by South Korea at 35% and Taiwan at 15.7%.
Genshin Impact Surpasses $1 Billion in Revenue on Mobile
This analysis covers two distinct milestones in the mobile gaming industry: the rapid revenue growth of Genshin Impact and the broader evolution of mobile game ad monetization.
- Genshin Impact became the fastest mobile game to reach $1 billion in revenue, achieving this milestone in less than six months following its September 2020 launch.
- Mobile game advertising revenue across 19 major markets exceeded $12 billion in 2025, driven by 2.4 trillion ad impressions.
- The share of mobile games utilizing ad monetization increased from 45.1% in July 2021 to 55.6% by May 2026, amid a period of stagnation in in-app purchase revenue.
Genshin Impact Races Past $1 Billion on Mobile
Genshin Impact has achieved a significant financial milestone, surpassing $1 billion in global mobile player spending in less than six months following its September 2020 launch.
- Genshin Impact became the fastest mobile game to reach $1 billion in player spending, achieving the milestone in less than six months following its September 28, 2020, launch.
- The game maintains a strong revenue cadence, averaging approximately $160 million in monthly mobile spending since December 2020.
- Live operations are a primary growth driver, with specific character releases like Xiao and Hu Tao generating single-day revenue spikes of $15 million and $13 million, respectively.
Top Mobile Games by Worldwide Revenue: July 2020
The mobile gaming industry experienced significant revenue performance in July 2020, driven by major titles and milestone-based in-game events.
- PUBG Mobile was the top-grossing mobile game worldwide in July 2020, generating $208.8 million in revenue, a 10.8% increase from July 2019.
- Honor of Kings ranked second globally with over $192 million in revenue, marking a 34.8% year-over-year growth.
- Monster Strike, Pokémon Go, and Roblox rounded out the top five highest-earning mobile games for the month.