Nexon 'V4' Ranks 7th in Apple App Store Revenue Since Launch
NC's 'Lineage 2M' to Enter Global Market Within This Year
Netmarble's 'Blade & Soul Revolution' Also Officially Launches in Asia in First Half of the Year
[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] Mobile game blockbusters that have succeeded in gaining popularity domestically are accelerating their push into the global market. Korean game companies are strategizing to create a second cash cow overseas by leveraging their hit titles.
According to the gaming industry on the 28th, Nexon's mobile hit 'V4,' which officially launched in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, ranked 7th in sales on the Taiwan Apple App Store as of the previous day. Additionally, it rose to 5th place among popular games on Taiwan's Google Play, receiving a positive response from the early stages of its release.
On the 26th, Nexon officially released the large-scale multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) V4, developed by its subsidiary NetGames, in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. There are a total of 10 servers accessible for the game in these regions.
Nexon also introduced the PC version of V4, which supports cross-play through mobile account linkage, in these regions. Players can download the client and enjoy V4 on PC like a regular PC game, without using an emulator (a program that allows smartphone apps to run on PCs). Nexon began accepting pre-registrations for V4 in Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong from the 20th of last month, and since the preferences of gamers in these regions are similar to those of domestic users, the response was positive even before the launch.
NCSoft is also accelerating development work with the goal of globally launching 'Lineage 2M,' which was released domestically last November and has held the number one spot in Google Play sales for four consecutive months. At the shareholders' meeting held on the 25th, NCSoft CEO Kim Taek-jin emphasized overseas market expansion in his greeting, stating, "This year, we plan to focus the company's capabilities on entering the global market," and added, "Starting with Lineage 2M, new games will more actively target the global market."
However, NCSoft is reportedly still internally deliberating on the specific global release regions and timing for Lineage 2M. As of the 28th, Lineage 2M continues to dominate as the mobile king, holding the number one spot in Google Play sales for four months since December 1 of last year.
Meanwhile, Netmarble's 'Blade & Soul (B&S) Revolution' has also begun targeting the Asian market. B&S Revolution has been accepting pre-registrations since the 24th in 24 Asian countries including Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia. The game is planned for official release in these countries within the first half of the year. Released domestically in December 2018, B&S Revolution has consistently ranked within the top 10 in Google Play sales, proving to be a valuable asset for Netmarble.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
