[Concall] Krafton "Preparing 24 New Titles... 'Defense Derby' to Launch Within the Year"

Krafton announced that it is preparing a total of 24 new titles and plans to release the new game 'Defense Derby' within this year. The highly anticipated title 'The Bird That Drinks Tears' is scheduled for release after 2025.

Baedonggeun, Krafton's Chief Financial Officer (CFO), stated during the Q1 earnings conference call on the 9th, "We have about 24 new titles in preparation, and 'Defense Derby' is currently in early access. The retention metrics are much better than our internal targets, so we are viewing it positively," adding, "We expect it to be released this year."

He also revealed that the game project 'The Bird That Drinks Tears,' based on the original work by popular fantasy author Lee Young-do, is scheduled for release after 2025. Krafton has hired Patrick Methe, a former Ubisoft developer, to begin development on this game.

CFO Bae said, "We opened a game studio in Montreal for 'The Bird That Drinks Tears,' and key developers have joined," adding, "We are currently at the stage of defining the core gameplay."

He explained, "Those familiar with the novel 'The Bird That Drinks Tears' will understand that there are various possibilities, such as following a first-person action storyline or creating a multiplayer craft game in an open world," and added, "The main developers have joined, and we are currently in the process of concretizing the core gameplay."