Netmarble is shifting away from a strategy that sought top-line growth through releasing many new titles, turning instead to extending the product life cycle (PLC) of games already in service. The plan is to secure a steady revenue base by strengthening long-term service for existing hits.
According to the industry on the 10th, Kim Byung-kyu, CEO of Netmarble, said during a recent second-quarter conference call, "Behind the idea of driving growth through numerous launches lies concern that the life cycles of already launched games are relatively short," and added, "Because we share these concerns, we believe that more fundamentally improving our constitution in this area ultimately aligns with market expectations."
Netmarble has expanded revenue by continuously releasing multiple new titles, but it has also faced criticism that the lifespans of those titles are relatively short. Going forward, rather than increasing the sheer number of new releases, the company will raise its launch bar and put more weight on operating live games with proven hit potential over the long term.
Netmarble is leaning into this strategy because there are cases where revenue kept growing even with long-term service. A prime example is "The Seven Deadly Sins: GRAND CROSS," released in 2019. Although "The Seven Deadly Sins" is entering its seventh year since launch, annual revenue has surpassed 100 billion won since 2024, and the company said the growth trend has continued.
Based on such cases, Netmarble is applying the live-service know-how it has accumulated to other live games as well, pursuing a strategy to gradually increase PLC and revenue, and it plans to further refine the strategy in the second half.
The company also plans to expand regions for existing live games such as Vampir to offset any revenue gap from fewer new launches.
A Netmarble official said, "The core of the strategic shift is long-term growth through improving the constitution of existing live games, rather than top-line growth through numerous releases," adding, "We will raise the launch bar to strengthen selection and concentration, while spreading proven live-operations know-how to firm up the base."
Meanwhile, Netmarble plans to unveil three new titles in the second half of this year: "Shangri-La Frontier: Seven Supremes," "Solo Leveling: Karma," and "Project EGIS."