The 'Korea Game Awards,' the most prestigious award in the domestic gaming industry, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. As it is a symbolic year, attention is focused on the event, but the release delay of Pearl Abyss's major title 'Crimson Desert,' which was initially considered a strong candidate, has changed the award dynamics.
According to the gaming industry on the 20th, Nexon is being mentioned as the most likely candidate for the Presidential Award (grand prize) at this year's Game Awards. The industry has highly praised this year's success of 'Mabinogi Mobile,' which was released in the first half of the year. With lifestyle content and community-focused gameplay, it has secured broad support among users in their teens and twenties, reshaping the generational landscape within the genre, and within five months of its release, it surpassed 1.95 million cumulative subscribers. As of June, it also proved stable popularity by recording the highest number of monthly active users (MAU) among teenage users in mobile MMORPGs.
The Game Awards, established in 1996, is the country's top gaming award and is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Association of Game Industry, the awards target works released within a year. The awards are determined through a combination of expert evaluations based on criteria such as artistic value, creativity, sound, and planning, along with user voting results to decide the main winners, including the Presidential Award.
If Nexon wins, it will be their first award in three years since 'Dungeon & Fighter Mobile' in 2022. In 2023, 'Dave the Diver' was recognized for its artistic value and popularity, winning the excellence award, but the grand prize went to NEOWIZ's 'Lie of P.' Last year, Netmarble's 'Solo Leveling: Arise' took home the grand prize. Given this trend, industry experts say Nexon is the closest contender this year. However, narrowing down the candidate list internally suggests that while the globally praised console action RPG 'First Berserker: Kazan' is competing, 'Mabinogi Mobile,' which has established a long-term hit foundation among users mainly in their teens and twenties, is viewed as a title with more public appeal and sustainability.
In addition to Nexon, there is a possibility that works from large gaming companies will compete in the awards. KRAFTON's 'Enjoy,' released in March, made a splash by ranking first in the global Steam popularity chart. However, evaluations follow that suggest its long-term success may be limited. The anticipated titles 'Subnautica 2' and 'Palia Mobile' have both been postponed to next year.
NCSOFT is preparing for its next-generation anticipated title, 'Aion 2,' but it is generally agreed that a public unveiling is unlikely until the submission deadline at the end of October. Netmarble successfully launched 'RF Online Next' in March and 'Seven Knights Revolution' in May, firmly establishing itself in the app market's upper ranks. However, having won the grand prize last year with 'Solo Leveling: Arise,' the possibility of winning for two consecutive years is evaluated as limited.
A new game in collaboration with Kakao Games is also seen as a dark horse. The mobile RPG 'Guardians Order,' set to launch in September, was developed by Pixel Tribe and received positive responses during its testing phase. 'Chrono Odyssey,' developed by Chrono Studio, and 'ArcheAge Chronicle,' prepared by Kakao Games subsidiary XLGAMES, were also anticipated titles, but both have been pushed to next year.
A source from the gaming industry noted, 'This year doesn't seem to have a specific title dominating, but many evaluations suggest that 'Mabinogi Mobile,' which has proven both popularity and artistic merit, is currently in the lead.' However, they added, 'The outcomes in the second half for other candidates and how long 'Mabinogi Mobile' can maintain its popularity will be variables.'