Netmarble's 'A3: Still Alive' Drives Close Competition in Korea-China Mobile Games Battle
Ranked 9th in Google Play Revenue... Ranked 2nd in Apple App Store Revenue
Domestic Mobile Games Occupy Half of the Top 10 in Google Play Revenue
Netmarble Expected to Play Cash Cow Role This Year
[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] With the success of Netmarble's ambitious title 'A3: Still Alive,' a new battle between Korean and Chinese mobile games is unfolding once again in the application market. Korean mobile games have reclaimed half of the top 10 spots in Google Play's revenue rankings, which had previously been dominated by Chinese mobile games.
According to mobile app ranking analysis site Gevolution on the 16th, as of the 15th, A3: Still Alive ranked 9th in Google Play revenue and 2nd in the Apple App Store rankings. Since its release on the 12th, it has maintained the number one spot among popular games on both major app markets. Industry insiders expect that A3: Still Alive can regain the lost dominance in the domestic mobile game market, which has been encroached upon by strong Chinese game companies like Lilith Games' 'AFK Arena.' A3: Still Alive combines a survival-style battle royale format with massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) elements where many gamers participate simultaneously, drawing attention even before its release as Netmarble's first hybrid genre game.
Recently, amid the COVID-19 pandemic pushing the issue of Chinese game licenses (distribution permits) to the background, the domestic market has been forced to concede to the influx of Chinese mobile games. Due to the strong performance of Chinese mobile games, more than half of the top 10 Google Play revenue rankings had shifted to Chinese titles until early this month. However, with the recent emergence of A3: Still Alive, domestic mobile games, including the Lineage series and V4, which had been maintaining national pride, have reclaimed half of the top spots in Google Play revenue rankings.
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Meanwhile, Netmarble expects A3: Still Alive to serve as a cash cow this year. The securities industry forecasts the annual revenue of A3: Still Alive to be around 97 billion KRW this year. Jin-sung Choi, a researcher at Hyundai Motor Securities, explained, "As the first mobile MMORPG in the battle royale genre, user responses have been positive. It is necessary to monitor the rising rankings, and the estimated daily revenue remains consistent at 500 million KRW as before."
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