Netmarble, which expects to reach 3 trillion won in revenue this year, is launching a first-half push of new titles led by the new game "Mongil: Star Dive," based on its flagship intellectual property (IP) "Monster Taming."
In particular, because this game is a project based on an in-house IP, it is expected to serve as a test bed that will determine Netmarble's long-term revenue structure. Netmarble recorded 2.835 trillion won in revenue and 352.4 billion won in operating profit last year, achieving its best-ever results.
On the 9th at its G-Tower headquarters in Guro-gu, Seoul, Netmarble held a joint interview on "Mongil: Star Dive" to unveil the game's direction and business strategy. CEO Kim Geon of Netmarble Monster and Deputy Minister Lee Da-haeng of Netmarble's business division attended to explain the development process and service direction.
The new title is the official sequel to "Monster Taming," released in 2013. The original racked up 15 million cumulative downloads and became Netmarble's flagship mobile RPG IP. Netmarble defined this work not as a simple sequel but as "not a revival of the IP, but a beginning." Kim said, "I think this project is not the revival of the Mongil IP but its beginning," adding, "We prepared from the start with the global market in mind."
Notably, unlike conventional mobile RPGs, this game is designed to minimize "competition" and "monetization pressure." Kim said, "We have almost completely broken away from a structure where you can't get rewards unless you get stronger," and added, "We designed it so players won't feel there are sections where progress is blocked without spending money."
Allowing players to freely choose the game's difficulty is in the same vein. Deputy Minister Lee said, "If you choose the easy difficulty, we designed it so you can progress quickly without hurdles," adding, "Our core philosophy is to keep players from feeling stressed even in games."
The monetization structure also reduces the burden compared with existing subculture games. Characters are guaranteed after 90 attempts and equipment after 80 attempts, and the probability is set at 1%, higher than typical levels. This design is seen as reflecting an environment where game playtime has declined and competition with other media, such as video, has intensified more than competition with other games. Kim said, "Now, content like YouTube is the bigger competition than other games," adding, "We focused on lowering the entry barrier."
The development approach also emphasizes a "selection and concentration" strategy. Kim said, "We spent more time thinking about what to drop rather than what more to make," adding, "We focused on what we can do best."
The global market strategy is also differentiated from before. Considering that the original's success was centered in the domestic market, the team actively incorporated local user feedback through pre-release tests and participation in global game shows. Deputy Minister Lee said, "Globally, we have to compete on the game itself rather than the IP," adding, "We improved completeness based on local tests and feedback."
Meanwhile, Netmarble plans to expand its portfolio by sequentially unveiling new titles across various genres this year, including "Mongil: Star Dive," "Sol: Enchant," and "Game of Thrones: Kingsroad." By diversifying genres such as action RPG, MMORPG, and open-world RPG, the company aims to reduce dependence on specific titles and spread risk.