Game Companies Expect a Bumper Crop of New Releases Next Year... Expanding Global Territories

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] Major domestic game companies are releasing new titles in the new year. After a year marked by significant fluctuations in performance across the industry due to issues with probability-based items and a lack of new releases, these new titles are expected to provide a turning point. These new games aim to target not only the domestic market but also overseas markets, raising expectations within the gaming industry.

◆ Major game companies release new titles = According to industry sources on the 30th, Nexon is targeting the release of its most anticipated title, Dungeon & Fighter Mobile, in the first quarter of next year.

Pre-registration for domestic users began last month. Dungeon & Fighter Mobile is a 2D mobile action role-playing game (RPG). It is based on the Dungeon & Fighter intellectual property (IP), which has 850 million users worldwide and has recorded cumulative sales of $18 billion. The game’s biggest feature is its faithful adaptation of the original’s action gameplay on a mobile platform, using 2D dot graphics that capture the original’s unique atmosphere and manual combat.

To maximize the fun of manual combat, a new method using mobile-exclusive touch controls has been implemented, allowing users to choose skill control methods that suit their play style.

Lee Jung-heon, CEO of Nexon, expressed confidence, saying, "We have focused on developing to faithfully implement the action gameplay experienced in the PC version of Dungeon & Fighter on mobile, and through various tests, we have secured the targeted quality and content scale."

Netmarble plans to release the mobile massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Seven Knights Revolution in domestic and international markets in the first half of next year and began pre-registration on the 8th.

This game expands on Netmarble’s flagship IP, Seven Knights, and tells the story of a knight order established to save a chaotic world after the disappearance of the Seven Knights heroes. It features Seven Knights’ signature spectacular effects and graphics, along with differentiated gameplay and fun elements such as diverse weapon usage and hero transformations.

Line Games will officially launch the multiplatform hack-and-slash action RPG Undecember, developed by Needs Games, domestically on the 13th of next month. It supports cross-play on both mobile and PC.

Starting with the domestic release, the service scope will expand globally early next year. The game’s most notable feature is the removal of the ‘auto battle’ function. It requires players to ‘directly control’ their characters, enhancing immersion. The game applies a convenience and customization-focused monetization model (BM) and will introduce a separate ‘battle pass’ system.

Kakao Games will release several titles next year, including the PC online survival FPS Distera, mobile RPGs Gadis Order and Eversoul, and the story game KakaoPage Play.

In particular, attention is focused on whether Distera can challenge the dominance of the survival FPS leader Battleground. Developed by Reality Magic, Distera is a large-scale multiplayer survival game where players build their own shelters and craft items to survive in the world of Distera.

◆ Abundant anticipated titles "Expecting a turnaround in the mood" = The gaming industry, which had a particularly difficult year due to controversies over probability-based items and delays in new releases, is placing its hopes on the many new titles coming out next year. An industry insider said, "Next year, various genres of games will be released, and the market is expected to regain vitality. There are many anticipated titles, so game companies are also expecting good results."

Since these companies’ new titles aim for success not only domestically but also overseas, qualitative and quantitative growth of the Korean game industry is also expected. According to the ‘2020 Korea Game White Paper’ recently published by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency, last year the total sales of the domestic game industry recorded 18.8855 trillion won, an increase of 21.3% compared to the previous year.

The Content Agency expects the domestic game market size to comfortably exceed 20 trillion won this year and forecasts that the game industry will continue its growth trend in the future.

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