Lineage® Has Been Shut Down

After much deliberation, NCsoft made the difficult decision to shut down the Lineage servers in its Western markets. On June 29, 2011, all the original Lineage North American servers maintained by NCsoft shut down permanently. We have refunded any unused game time that might have already been applied. Lineage servers remain open in South Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan.

We have incredibly loyal fans that have stood by us for the past ten years. As painful as it was, as a business, we had to make a very difficult, but necessary, decision.

We thank our players for their continued support. To express our gratitude for years of loyalty to Lineage, we have given our loyal players a Player Appreciation Reward that allows them to try other NCsoft games for free.

For more information about the shutdown, we invite you to review the Lineage Shutdown FAQ.

Lineage® Player Appreciation Reward

We have given any Lineage subscriber who had an active, paid subscription at any time during 2011 a Player Appreciation Reward. To qualify, a Lineage account had to be active and paid for at any point between January 1, 2011 and May 11, 2011. In addition, the account had to be in good standing (in other words, not banned). The account did not have to have been active continuously, but rather active and paid at any time during that timeframe.

All Player Appreciation Reward recipients received activation and two months of game time (when applicable) for all current NCsoft US games, plus some additional special items depending on the game title. Specifically, recipients received:

Lineage II: A code for activation and two months of game time, plus these special in-game items: a Hero's Treasure Chest (D to S Grade Armor, accessories, and weapon sets) and a 3-Headed Dragon Agathion Seal Bracelet. (These Lineage II in-game items will be distributed during the weekly server maintenance period after a player uses the serial codes.)
Aion^®: A code for activation and two months of game time, plus these special in-game items: the Aion Collector's Edition Upgrade (including the Black Cloud Wings, Black Cloud Earring, a character title with stat boost, color dyes, and two character emotes) and the Speckled Ailu warehouse pet.
Guild Wars^®: A code for activation. (Gameplay is free for Guild Wars, so no free game time is included.)
City of Heroes Going Rogue™: A code for activation and two months of game time, plus these special in-game items: City of Heroes® Animal Pack and City of Heroes Super Booster II: Magic.

The Player Appreciation Rewards were inserted into the appropriate player NCsoft Master Accounts at the end of May 2011. The Player Appreciation Reward activations, game time, and items are not transferable between accounts.

To claim the reward:

Log in to your NCsoft Master Account.
Once logged in, click the Use a Serial Code link to access the serial codes to all the Player Appreciation Reward games.
Follow the remaining on-screen instructions to apply the codes to your account.

Lineage® Shutdown FAQ

Q: Why did Lineage shut down?

A: Over the past ten years, our players have proven to be one of the most loyal communities of any online game. After an extensive evaluation of the North American Lineage service, we decided to discontinue Lineage. As painful as it was, we had to make a very difficult, but necessary, decision when it became clear that the original Lineage franchise was no longer financially viable in the West. This decision allows us to keep providing the best play experience as possible for our other games and also enable us to continue to bring new and exciting games in the future to players.

Q: I paid for more time than I used. How do I get a refund?

A: We have refunded payment automatically back to the original method of payment in most instances. If you used a credit card to pay, your money was refunded to the credit card. If you paid through PayPal, your PayPal account was credited. If you paid through a Game Time Card, you received a game time serial code to use for other NCsoft titles equivalent to the paid time remaining in your account. If you believe that you should have received a refund but did not, please contact us.

Q: What will happen to my game characters and their items now that the servers have shut down? Can I play on other territories' servers with the same characters?

A: On June 29, 2011, the North American Lineage servers were shut down. This shutdown means that all the game data is no longer available, including, without limitation, characters, items, and so on. We are not transferring character information to other territories' servers, so they are not playable in other territories' servers.

Q: Can I play on other territories' servers if I start over?

A: Unfortunately, no.

Q: What is the Player Appreciation Reward?

A: We are giving any Lineage subscriber who had an active, paid subscription at any time during 2011 a Player Appreciation Reward . The Player Appreciation Reward is a sincere gesture of our thanks for being a loyal Lineage customer. It includes activation and two months of game time (when applicable) of all current NCsoft US games. The Player Appreciation Reward activations, game time, and items are not transferable between accounts. The Player Appreciation Rewards were placed in all eligible player NCsoft Master Accounts at the end of May 2011.

Q: I think I should have received a Player Appreciation Reward, but I didn't. What should I do?

A: The Player Appreciation Rewards were placed directly in the NCsoft Master Account that a player used to play Lineage at the end of May 2011. We also sent players an email to the email address registered on that NCsoft Master Account with instructions on how to access the gift through the respective NCsoft Master Account. If you did not find your reward in your NCsoft Master Account after they were awarded, but believe that you should have received one, send a support ticket, and we will assist you.

Q: Is there a possibility that you will reopen the North American servers?

A: NCsoft currently has no plans to reopen the Lineage servers. For a complete list of NCsoft games available, please visit the NCsoft website.

Q: Can I purchase the rights to Lineage and run my own server?

A: NCsoft does not plan to make Lineage available as open source or to sell the rights to use it.