Japan Shaken Too... The Advance of Korean Games [Buaeri's Game Dictionary]

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] 'Cookie Run: Kingdom' is receiving positive responses from the Japanese market right from its launch. The dream of Lee Ji-hoon, CEO of Devsisters, who aimed to create a hit like 'Super Mario,' has taken its first step on the global stage.

Cookie Run Advances into Japan

According to Mobile Index on the 11th, 'Cookie Run: Kingdom,' released on the 4th, ranks 2nd among free popular games on both Google Play and the App Store. On the 7th, it even reached 1st place on the App Store. It has succeeded in gaining popularity from the very beginning.

Cookie Run: Kingdom is a game based on Devsisters' flagship intellectual property (IP), 'Cookie Run.' It is a character-collection role-playing game (RPG) where players embark on adventures and battles with cookies and build their own kingdoms. It has been praised by domestic and international users for its high level of completeness, featuring the fun of strategically combining characters in battles and progressing through battles following the cookies' narratives.

Riding this momentum, Devsisters has launched a full-scale campaign to conquer the Japanese archipelago. They have placed large advertisements at Shibuya Hachiko Square, a bustling area in Tokyo, and installed 20 large outdoor ads at 17 subway stations in Tokyo. They also featured famous Japanese actress Ikeda Eliza as the advertising model.

From Escaping Deficits to Expanding into Europe

Devsisters, which focused solely on 'Cookie Run,' was not always successful from the start. While Devsisters gained recognition through 'Cookie Run,' they failed to release hit titles to prepare for a decline in users afterward and walked a path of deficits since 2015. Operating losses were 4.1 billion KRW in 2015, 12.1 billion KRW in 2016, 14.8 billion KRW in 2017, 12.3 billion KRW in 2018, 22.2 billion KRW in 2019, and 6.1 billion KRW in 2020.

However, a turnaround drama began after the release of 'Cookie Run: Kingdom' in January this year. Sales in the first quarter increased by 475% compared to the previous year, and operating profit not only turned positive but also reached an all-time high. In the second quarter, sales reached 95.8 billion KRW, and operating profit was 19.7 billion KRW. This represents a 460% increase in sales compared to the previous year.

Devsisters plans to aggressively target not only Asia but also the US and European markets. To enter Europe, they have partnered with Com2uS. Com2uS is responsible for local service support and marketing of Cookie Run: Kingdom in 24 European countries including France, Germany, Sweden, and Poland. CEO Lee said, "We expect Cookie Run: Kingdom to grow significantly as a game for the global MZ generation, including Europe."

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This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.