A3: Steel Alive ranks 3rd in Google Play revenue within a week of release
Three Netmarble games, including 'BLSO Revolution', in Google Play top 10
[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] As the fusion genre game 'A3: Still Alive,' highly praised by Bang Jun-hyuk, Chairman of Netmarble, gains popularity, Netmarble's mobile games are also gaining momentum. Last year, Netmarble had to watch NCSoft and Nexon take the lead with 'Lineage 2M' and 'V4,' but with the success of A3: Still Alive, Netmarble has restored its reputation. The excitement that started early this year is also raising expectations for Netmarble's upcoming mobile releases.
According to mobile app ranking analysis site Gamevolution on the 20th, A3: Still Alive, released on the 12th, ranked 3rd in Google Play revenue and 2nd in the Apple App Store. Thanks to positive user reviews, it maintains a rating above 4 stars on both major application markets.
The estimated daily revenue of A3: Still Alive has also increased from the initially expected 500 million KRW range to 800 million KRW. Lee Kyung-won, a researcher at Cape Investment & Securities, said, "The daily revenue of A3: Still Alive is estimated to be around 800 million KRW," adding, "With a user-friendly monetization model and the planned launch of an official league in the fourth quarter, the esports business is expected to sustain revenue effects long-term." Following the official service launch of A3: Still Alive, as gamers flocked to the game, Netmarble increased the number of game servers from 10 to 25.
There are expectations that Netmarble's performance this year will significantly improve as the revenue effect of A3: Still Alive is fully reflected. Netmarble's revenue last year recorded 2.1755 trillion KRW, up 7.6% from the previous year, but operating profit was only 201.7 billion KRW, down 16.5% year-on-year. The release timing of anticipated titles planned for last year was postponed to this year, so the performance was not fully reflected. The securities industry forecasts that this year, led by A3: Still Alive, Netmarble's revenue will increase by 10% to 2.4 trillion KRW, and operating profit will rise 38% to around 280 billion KRW.
A3: Still Alive is significant in that it is a mobile game based on Netmarble's own intellectual property (IP), the PC game 'A3,' which was released in 2002 and gained popularity. Netmarble's previous hits such as 'Lineage 2 Revolution,' 'Blade & Soul (B&S) Revolution,' and 'The Seven Deadly Sins' were all developed based on other companies' IPs. The researcher said, "As a new title based on its own IP, it has a higher contribution margin than B&S Revolution or Lineage 2 Revolution, so as the revenue share of A3: Still Alive expands, the company's overall profitability will improve."
Amid the success of A3: Still Alive, Netmarble's B&S Revolution and Lineage 2 Revolution are also receiving attention. B&S Revolution ranked 8th in Google Play revenue, and Lineage 2 Revolution ranked 10th, meaning Netmarble's mobile games occupy three spots in the top 10 Google Play revenue rankings. Along with the strong performance of Netmarble's mobile games, Lineage 2M and V4, which uphold the pride of domestic mobile games, also contributed, resulting in six domestic mobile games ranking within the top 10 Google Play revenue charts. An industry insider commented, "Thanks to the success of domestic mobile blockbusters, the dominance that had been lost to Chinese games has been regained."
Furthermore, with the success of A3: Still Alive, which utilizes Netmarble's own IP, expectations are rising for upcoming mobile titles. 'Seven Knights 2' and 'Seven Knights Revolution,' developed based on Netmarble's flagship IP, are in the final stages of preparation aiming for release within this year.
Meanwhile, A3: Still Alive, which combines a survival-style battle royale format with massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) elements where many gamers participate simultaneously, attracted attention even before its release as Netmarble's first fusion genre game. Chairman Bang praised it at last year's G-Star, saying, "Fusion genre games will become the trend in the future."
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