Lineage 2 Developers Met with Game Fans in Moscow
Last Friday, the creators of the iconic MMORPG from the early 2000s, Lineage II, met with Russian fans in Moscow. Currently, servers for three localized versions of the game (Lineage 2, Lineage 2 Essence, and Lineage 2 Legacy) have been launched in Russia and the CIS, operated by the Russian publisher 4game.
The game is developed by the South Korean company NCSoft, represented in the capital by the leading producer of Lineage 2, Han Young-hoon, and the head of overseas services development at NCSoft, Kim Kyeong-on. From the publisher 4game, the event included project manager David Akopyan, publishing director Andrey Mayakin, and Mikhail Akulov, the general director of the publishing holding Hobby World (which recently acquired 4game).
"Lineage 2 is a world where random teammates become true buddies, and shared raids and sieges turn into the warmest memories. Our primary task is to support and develop this legendary project, listening to players' opinions," said Mikhail in his opening speech.
During the main part of the event, developers answered numerous questions from guests present in the hall as well as those submitted via fan online resources (the organizers had to select only the most important and interesting from over 700 submissions).
Among the questions were general ones, such as whether there are plans to expand the franchise by creating official adaptations (books, movies, series) focusing on the storyline (the developers replied that they would consider it), as well as more specific inquiries regarding particular servers and balance adjustments. Overall, regarding the development of the main version of Lineage 2, the developers stated: "We plan to expand the location 'Overthrow', add interesting elements to hunting and PvP. Additionally, new powerful bosses will soon appear in the game, including the dragon Fafurion."
In the Essence version, players can expect new classes and the addition of large-scale PvP content for 50 vs 50 players. In Legacy, a global class overhaul is planned, while new hunting zones focused on group play will be introduced to strengthen community ties.
Among the more than a hundred guests, most were dedicated fans of Lineage 2, who have been playing since the 2000s. Many of them have linked their lives with online gaming and gaming in general, becoming bloggers, streamers, and gaming journalists. In addition to the meeting and Q&A session, an entertainment program was organized for them, including a merchandise raffle and a performance by samurai school students.
The event was also streamed online on the official Twitch channel of the project. The broadcast was watched by over 10,000 viewers, and for those who could not join the live stream, a recording was saved.