Netmarble's Critical Focus on Performance Improvement... Consecutive New Releases in July, August, and September

Netmarble, which has been experiencing sluggish performance, is launching a drive to improve its results. It will release three new titles worldwide over the course of July, August, and September.

On the 1st, Netmarble held the ‘2023 Netmarble 1st New Titles Media Showcase’ at G-Tower in Guro-gu, Seoul, introducing three games: ‘Tower of God: New World,’ ‘Grand Cross: Age of Titan,’ and ‘Seven Knights Raising.’

In his welcoming speech, Netmarble CEO Kwon Young-sik said, "The three new titles introduced today share common features of easy-to-enjoy gameplay and excellent storytelling that makes good use of each IP (intellectual property). With low entry barriers, animation-like production, and outstanding strategic elements, these games have many qualities that will be loved by the public and will create valuable achievements both domestically and internationally."

Global 6 Billion Views Naver Webtoon Original 'Tower of God: New World'

‘Tower of God: New World’ is a collectible animation RPG based on the popular webtoon 'Tower of God,' which began serialization on Naver Webtoon in July 2010 and has recorded 6 billion views worldwide.

Kwon Min-kwan, CEO of Netmarble N2, the developer, explained, “What we considered important in recreating 'Tower of God' as a game was that it should be a form that original fans can relate to. We planned it in collaboration with SIU, the author of 'Tower of God,' so that even fans who have seen the original IP can experience new fun.”

‘Tower of God: New World,’ which started pre-registration on this day, will be released globally in the mobile game market next month, and through collaboration with Google GPG, it will also be available on PC.

Regarding criticism that games based on webtoons have underperformed expectations, CEO Kwon Min-kwan said, "Games using webtoons have so far ridden on the short-term popularity of webtoons. For a webtoon IP to succeed, there must be a vision where the IP and the game can grow simultaneously. A deep understanding of the IP and faithful implementation in the game are necessary, and 'Tower of God' itself is very suitable for gamification, so it can grow further in the long term along with the game."

At the media showcase held on the 1st, Netmarble CEO Kwon Young-sik is delivering a welcome speech.

First Game of Original IP 'Grand Cross' to Launch Worldwide in August

‘Grand Cross: Age of Titan’ is the first game based on Netmarble F&C’s original IP 'Grand Cross,' prepared as a cross-platform title for both mobile and PC. It offers an MMO RTS (real-time strategy simulation) style control experience where players can freely command their units in real time.

Kwon Young-sik, CEO of Netmarble F&C, said, "Grand Cross is an original IP that Netmarble F&C has been preparing for a long time, and we plan to expand it not only into webtoons and web novels but also into dramas and movies."

Netmarble is developing two games based on Grand Cross. If the games, webtoons, and web novels become hits, they plan to produce dramas and animations based on them. They are also considering using characters from the Grand Cross universe in other Netmarble games.

The scene of Netmarble's 1st New Game Media Showcase held on the 1st

Seven Knights Reborn as an Idle RPG

The follow-up to Netmarble’s major IP ‘Seven Knights,’ titled ‘Seven Knights Raising,’ will be released as an idle mobile RPG. This game is characterized by comfortable one-finger play and minimal controls.

Kim Jung-min, CEO of Netmarble Nexus, said, “Seven Knights is a representative IP of Netmarble that has been loved for a long time. We considered how to deliver the fun of Seven Knights, which has been accumulated over time, in a light and easy-to-play way, and the result is ‘Seven Knights Raising.’”

‘Seven Knights Raising,’ scheduled for global release in September, has received positive internal feedback, and depending on the results of the global open beta test (OBT), the release schedule may be moved up.

"Performance Improvement Possible Within 1-2 Months After New Releases"

Netmarble, which recorded operating losses in the first quarter following last year, expects to improve its performance through new releases.

CEO Kwon said, "In the past, games were released globally simultaneously after internal testing, but now we conduct global OBTs for each game, check indicators such as gameplay and business model (BM), and plan marketing focused on countries to target intensively. ‘Seven Knights Raising’ will focus on Korea and Thailand, ‘Tower of God: New World’ on Korea and North America, and ‘Grand Cross: Age of Titan’ mainly on North America."

He added, "We expect sales to improve immediately in July, August, and September when the new titles are released. Since marketing costs accompany the new releases, profit improvement is expected about two months after the launch."

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