[Bu-aeri's Game Dictionary] Nexon Riding the 'Wind' and 'Sprint'... Will It Join the 3 Trillion Club?

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] Nexon is 'riding the wind' and 'racing forward.' This refers to Nexon's new mobile games, Baram-ui Nara: Yeon and KartRider Rush Plus. Baram-ui Nara: Yeon has broken the seemingly impregnable fortress of the Lineage brothers. There are even forecasts that if Nexon's next contender, the mobile version of Dungeon & Fighter, succeeds, the company will join the 3 trillion won club.

According to the gaming industry on the 25th, Baram-ui Nara: Yeon rose to second place in Google Play revenue. This achievement came just one week after its official release on the 15th. Until now, the Google Play game revenue rankings have been dominated by NCSoft's Lineage brothers. Lineage M held the top spot for over two years and five months since June 2017. The second place was also monopolized by Lineage 2M, released in November last year, but the undefeated legend of the Lineage brothers was broken by Baram-ui Nara: Yeon.

Baram-ui Nara: Yeon is a mobile game utilizing the intellectual property (IP) of Baram-ui Nara, the longest-running PC online game in Korea, developed and serviced by Nexon in 1996. Instead of flashy 3D graphics, it features 90s-style animation graphics, enhancing the game's unique charm.

Nexon's strategy has succeeded. The retro background music and characters evoke nostalgia among players in their 30s and 40s, gaining popularity. The securities industry estimates that Lineage 2M daily sales reach around 2 billion won, and Baram-ui Nara: Yeon is also estimated to generate similar daily revenue in the 2 to 3 billion won range.

Launched on May 12, KartRider Rush Plus is also playing a significant role as a 'cash cow' for Nexon by stimulating nostalgia. KartRider Rush Plus has received great responses globally, including Korea, achieving 15 million cumulative users within just two months of service. This game also utilizes Nexon's old IP. It is a mobile adaptation of the PC game KartRider, released in 2004.

For the 30s and 40s generation, KartRider Rush Plus rekindles memories of their school days, becoming a 'healing game.' For the 10s and 20s generation, in a mobile market dominated by MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games), the cute retro-style characters of KartRider offer a refreshing novelty, gaining popularity.

With these consecutive hits, the green light for Nexon's entry into the 3 trillion won club has grown stronger. Nexon recorded sales of 2.684 trillion won (248.5 billion yen) last year. The gaming industry expects Nexon's sales to increase significantly this year, as its recently released mobile games have been successful one after another, and new releases are forthcoming.

Nexon plans to launch the mobile version of Dungeon & Fighter next month. The original PC online game Dungeon & Fighter remains a mega-hit, generating over 1 trillion won annually in China. A Nexon official said, "CEO Lee Jung-heon’s emphasis on 'super-gap' since the beginning of the year is becoming a reality," adding, "After last year's large-scale organizational restructuring, we focused more resources on projects with high success potential based on internal evaluations. We believe this success reflects the effectiveness of our 'selection and concentration' strategy."