Kakao Games Desperate for a Hit, 'Odin' as a Winning Move [Buaeri's Game Dictionary]

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] Kakao Games is putting its life on the line with its new title, Odin: Valhalla Rising. Since its listing last year, Kakao Games released Elion, but it failed to achieve the expected success, making a so-called "blockbuster game" desperately needed at this point.

According to Kakao Games on the 12th, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Odin will be officially launched on the 29th. Odin is developed by Lionheart Studio and boasts top-notch graphics using Unreal Engine 4, 3D scanning, and motion capture technology.

Odin features a Norse mythology worldview. The game is set against the backdrop of "Odin," the supreme god in Norse mythology, and "Valhalla," where warriors enjoy battles and parties every night, with the concept of an "impending war." Kim Jaeyoung, CEO of Lionheart Studio, explained at a media briefing held on the 9th, "Norse mythology is a new theme in games," adding, "It is an attractive material for creating the game world based on a vast worldview that includes gods, humans, giants, and elves."

The company also highlighted the implementation of a large-scale seamless (loading-free) open world as a strength. CEO Kim said, "In the vast seamless world, players can not only hunt and fight but also fly, climb, swim, gather various items within the world, and find hidden treasures," adding, "The game is designed to enable fun battles using terrain features during player-versus-player combat."

The main platforms for Odin are PC and mobile. The company explained that both platforms offer stable usability. However, the PC version features higher graphics quality, special effects, and shortcut key customization.

Kakao Games also disclosed its policy regarding the industry's hot topic of "probability-based items (gacha)." Lee Siwoo, head of Kakao Games, stated, "We will transparently disclose the probabilities related to all paid content," and added, "Odin is designed so that players can steadily grow without the burden of payments through various content." Additionally, Odin will have a system allowing users to freely trade acquired items in the marketplace, though personal transactions between individuals will not be provided.

With pre-registrations for Odin surpassing 3 million, the securities industry is also offering positive forecasts. Securities firms expect Kakao Games to record 150.5 billion KRW in sales and 21.2 billion KRW in operating profit in the third quarter. Sung Jonghwa, a researcher at Ebest Investment & Securities, explained, "Third-quarter earnings will sharply rebound due to Odin's revenue contribution," adding, "Odin's estimated daily revenue is 1.1 billion KRW." Amid the recent successful launches of new titles such as NCSoft's Trickster M and Netmarble's Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds, attention is focused on whether Kakao Games' Odin can also join the ranks of hit games.

Editor's Note The goal of "Game Dictionary" is to understand and convey game-related issues in an easy-to-understand manner every weekend. We always listen to incidents and various voices arising in games. Any tips are always welcome.