Dark Horse 'Seven Knights 2' Beats Lineage [Buaeri's Game Dictionary]

[Asia Economy Reporter Bu Aeri] Netmarble's new mobile title 'Seven Knights 2' has emerged as a dark horse. It took the top spot in Apple App Store sales within 6 hours of release, and this time it broke the stronghold of NCSoft's 'Lineage brothers (Lineage M·Lineage 2M)'.

Seven Knights 2 Breaks the Duopoly of the 'Lineage Brothers'

On the 21st, Seven Knights 2 ranked 2nd in Google Play sales. Currently, Lineage M holds the 1st place, and Lineage 2M, which was previously in 2nd place, has been pushed down to 3rd by Seven Knights 2. Since its release last year, Lineage 2M has consistently dominated the 1st and 2nd spots on Google Play. Although it briefly ceded its position to Nexon's 'Baram-ui Nara: Yeon' in July, it soon reclaimed the throne. Lineage M has also maintained the 1st or 2nd place in sales for over three years since its launch in June 2017.

Seven Knights 2 is the sequel to Netmarble's flagship intellectual property (IP) 'Seven Knights'. It depicts a world 20 years after the original. Seven Knights 2 is a hero-collecting massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) featuring 46 diverse characters and a story that feels like watching a movie. The game showcases strategic battles based on excellent character traits, a story praised by domestic and international users, and dazzling effects, advancing the features and strengths of its predecessor to a new level.

Netmarble expressed high expectations ahead of the release of Seven Knights 2. On the 11th, during the Q3 conference call, Netmarble CEO Kwon Young-sik stated, "Seven Knights 2 is a work into which we have put a lot of care and effort, so we have high expectations."

Netmarble Approaches '2 Trillion' in Sales

Netmarble is showing a green light for achieving 2 trillion KRW in annual sales this year. The company recorded 642.3 billion KRW in sales and 87.4 billion KRW in operating profit in Q3. Both sales and operating profit increased by 3.6% compared to the previous year. Overseas sales accounted for 478.7 billion KRW, maintaining a 75% share of total sales, the highest quarterly record for two consecutive quarters.

Netmarble's cumulative sales up to Q3 reached 1.8609 trillion KRW. With the success of Seven Knights 2, it is expected to surpass 2 trillion KRW including Q4 results.

CEO Kwon said, "We have positive expectations for Q4 through 'Seven Knights 2' and our subsidiary Kabam's 'Marvel Realm of Champions.' Next year, with many new anticipated titles such as 'The Second Country,' 'Seven Knights Revolution,' and 'Marvel Future Revolution,' we believe it will be a period to further strengthen our global game competitiveness."