Lineage and Diablo II, which symbolised South Korea's PC bang culture in the early 2000s, are back. The release of a classic version restoring the feel of the past and a large update after 25 years are combining to drive returns, mainly among former users.

Lineage Classic draws 'Lin-jeo-ssi' as PC bang benefits lead

According to PC bang information site GameTrics on Saturday, NCSOFT's Lineage Classic, which began full service on Feb. 11, ranked No. 2 in overall PC bang rankings as of Saturday, with a 9.45 percent share. That is the top result among role-playing games in South Korea. In The Log's weekly report for the second week of February (Feb. 9 to 15), Lineage Classic recorded a 357 percent rise in usage time from the previous week and ranked fifth, up eight places, entering the top five. During an earlier pre-open period, it surpassed 500,000 cumulative users in two days, foreshadowing its popularity.

The key to driving PC bang traffic in the full launch is an aggressive set of exclusive benefits. PC bang users receive free access to a dedicated dungeon that can be entered 24 hours a day. They can also use up to 30 'Pixie's Feathers' a day to buy armor enchant scrolls and weapon enchant scrolls. The structure is designed to let users secure consumable items that were key resources in the original game simply by using a PC bang, steering them away from logging in online at home and toward PC bangs.

In game design, it introduced a "limited assist system" (ATS, Automatic Training System) that keeps the essence of manual play while managing physical fatigue. ATS is limited to 3 hours a day in certain areas, including "Polluted Land of Blessing". Unlike the latest trend of supporting full-area automation, it is seen as a compromise that keeps the sense of achievement from direct control while easing the burden of long play sessions.

Blizzard draws back the Diablo generation with 30th anniversary update

Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo II: Resurrected has also rebounded in rankings on the back of a large update after 25 years. As of Thursday, it ranked 15th in overall PC bang rankings on GameTrics. In The Log's second-week-of-February report, it posted a 96.4 percent rise in usage time from the previous week and ranked 17th, up four places. To mark the Diablo franchise's 30th anniversary, Blizzard unveiled new downloadable content (DLC) titled "Reign of the Demon Warlock" on Feb. 12 and added an eighth class, the "Demon Warlock". It is the first new character class since the 2001 expansion pack "Lord of Destruction".

The update introduced a "premium stash tab" that allows gems and runes to be stacked for storage, as well as a loot filter feature, improving convenience in gameplay. A platform expansion strategy also added momentum. Moving away from a Battle.net focus, it started service on global platform Steam from Feb. 12 to improve accessibility. It also supported 43 Steam achievements and drew users' attention.

Nostalgia called, and gameplay kept them

The rebound in these classic games is seen as the result of the Lunar New Year holiday period coinciding with accumulated user fatigue with "full automation" and "complex payment systems" shown by newer games. According to The Log, total nationwide PC bang usage time in the second week of February was about 18.08 million hours, up 10.2 percent from the previous week. As the overall market became more active during the holiday, Lineage Classic and Diablo II recorded increases of 357 percent and 96.4 percent, respectively, far outpacing the market average rise.

Analysts say Lineage Classic's strict limits on auto-hunting by region and time, and its emphasis on the results of direct control, resonated with middle-aged users. Diablo II's strengthening of its core farming appeal is also seen as effective. For users sharing experiences from the same era, the symbolism of "that game" created a trigger to return, while the game mechanics of rewards tied to direct control and effort helped keep returning users engaged.

For publishers, proven classic intellectual property (IP) is an efficient tool to bring back dormant users with relatively lower marketing costs than new IP. With the update foreshadowed as part of a process leading to "BlizzCon 2026" in September, some also raise the possibility the trend could continue depending on the operating rhythm.

A game industry official said, "Recently, among gamers, a tendency is being observed to prefer the fun of direct control with clear objectives over meaningless automatic play, and to prefer rewards based on effort over probability-based growth." The official said, "The fiercer the competition among new titles, the higher the value of proven IP becomes. The Lineage Classic and Diablo II cases show that well-managed classic IP can have real market competitiveness rather than ending as a simple call to nostalgia."