[Oct. 29, 2002] NCsoft Corporation (President & CEO: Tack Jin Kim) announced that Lineage has been selected as the "Special Awards" recipient in the "GAME AWARDS 2001-2002" category at the award presentation ceremony for the "6th Annual CESA GAME AWARDS", which was held in Tokyo, Japan on the 28th.
The annual "CESA GAMES AWARDS" organized by the Japanese Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) is the most prestigious award for games in Japan. The authoritative award is comprised of two categories. The first is the "GAME AWARDS 2001-2002" category, which chooses among products released between January 1, 2001 and March 31, 2002 in Japan. The second is the "GAME AWARDS FUTURE" category which selects among unreleased games that were presented at the "TOKYO GAME SHOW 2002", which was held from Sept. 20, 2002 through the 22th. In order to make sure that winners are selected in the fairest manner possible based on criteria that include popularity as well as artistic intergrity, voting is first open to the general public followed by careful deliberation by the awards selection committee. The committee selects the finalists for the "Grand Award", "Awards for Excellence" and the "Special Awards."
This is the first time for a Korean game to be awarded the "CESA GAME AWARDS". Moreover, this recognition for the online game Lineage is all the more meaningful as it comes from Japan where video games have long been the mainstream in gaming. Reportedly, Lineage was selected as the "Special Awards" winner in part for its contribution to popularizing online gaming in Japan.
NCsoft President Tack Jin Kim said, "I am very happy that our online game has been presented with such a big prize in Japan. Earlier at the "TOKYO GAME SHOW 2002" I was once again impressed by the potential of the Japanese online game market when I saw the the great interest of the public, press and gaming community toward Lineage and Lineage II, etc. I now feel that this impression was not just our own, but that it has been validated by this recognition from Japanese industry."
After launching local commercial services in Sept. 1998, Lineage has since extended its reach to Japan, Taiwan, the U.S., and Hong Kong. Lineage is the worldfs foremost online game with 3.5 million monthly users and up to 300 thousand simultaneous users. Lineage is currently being serviced in Japan by NC Japan (CEO: Tsuguo Nobe), a joint company. After being launched in February of this year, it has since led the Japanese online game market with over 250 thousand accumulative accounts and over 15 thousand simultaneous users.
# # # [Reference] List of award winning games
GAME AWARDS 2001-2002 Grand Award: FINAL FANTASY X (SQUARE) Awards for Excellence: Oni-Musya 2 (CAPCOM), KINGDOM HEAETS (CAPCOM), Shin Mikuni-Musoh 2 (KOEI), Doubutsu no Mori Plus (Nintendo), Pikumin (Nintendo), METALGEAR SOLID 2 SONS OF LIBERTY (Konami) Special award: Lineage (NCsoft/ NC Japan), ICO (Sony Computer Entertainment), Gyakuten Saiban (CAPCOM)
Game Awards Future ANUBIS ZONE OF THE ENDERS (Konami), UNLIMITED: Sa Ga (SQUARE), SD Gandamu (BANDAI), Sakura-Taisen `Atsuki Chishio-ni` (SEGA), Star@Ocean@Till the End of Time (ENIX), Taiko no Tatsujin Tatakon de Dodon ga Don (NAMCO), Tills of Destiny2 (NAMCO), DEAD OR ALIVE Xtreme Beach Volleyball (TECMO), Devil May Cry 2 (CAPCOM), biohazard 0 (CAPCOM), FINAL FANTASY TACTICA ADVANCE (SQUARE), FANTASY STAR ONLINE EPISODE 1&2 (Konami), METAL GEAR SOLID 2 SUBSRANCE (SEGA), Momotaro Dentetsu 11`Black@Bonby@Syutsugen! No Maki` (HUDSON), Rockman Exe 3 (CAPCOM) |