DevSisters Aims for Distribution Within the Year
Animation with High Entry Barriers
Noted as a New Cash Cow
Growing Importance of Copyrights
Legal Disputes Arise Among Game Companies
DevSisters, the game company that owns the intellectual property (IP) called ‘Cookie Run,’ has embarked on producing an animated series. The production of animation using game IP is a rare case in the gaming industry, drawing attention as a new cash cow.
According to industry sources on the 29th, DevSisters plans to produce a 3D animated series based on the Cookie Run IP and distribute it domestically and internationally within this year. The Cookie Run IP has attracted interest from various age groups, and this animated series is expected to target children.
Cookie Run is based on the concept of cookies escaping from a witch’s oven and going on adventures. Since 2013, the company has expanded the use of the IP into role-playing games (RPGs) and virtual reality (VR) genres. It has also formed licensing or partnership agreements with various companies in food, clothing, publishing, board games, and daily necessities. The total global cumulative revenue has exceeded 1 trillion won, and the service area covers 243 countries. However, the company had not pursued animation production until now.
DevSisters’ decision to expand into animation is interpreted as a judgment that the solid popularity of ‘Cookie Run’ makes animation production viable. Especially, producing animation using game characters has a high entry barrier, making such cases very rare in the industry. Netmarble’s ‘Solo Leveling’ was broadcast in North America, and Nexon Korea is producing an animation based on the mobile game ‘Blue Archive,’ which will air in Japan starting this April.
To produce animation from game IP, a strong popularity base is essential, and DevSisters has built this foundation through its expanded licensing efforts. When fandom around the IP strengthens, it becomes a solid revenue base and enables a virtuous cycle of qualitative growth through additional creative works. The potential for growth in animation also played a role. According to the Korea Creative Content Agency, the global animation market size, which was about $372 billion (approximately 497 trillion won) in 2021, is expected to grow to $587 billion (approximately 785 trillion won) by 2030.
Even aside from animation, game companies have recently been strengthening their own IPs. When a game company lacks its own IP, the cost burden is higher compared to competitors. An industry insider said, "If a company’s own IP is weak, they have to pay for external IPs such as webtoons, movies, and comics to create games."
Game companies rediscovering classic IPs are also emerging one after another. Line Games released ‘The War of Genesis Mobile: Asura Project,’ a mobile simulation role-playing game (SRPG) using the 1995 IP The War of Genesis 2. Nexon has also attempted expansion using popular IPs that have attracted long-term user attention, such as MapleStory.
As the importance of copyright has been highlighted, legal disputes have become prominent. Following NCSoft’s lawsuit against Kakao Games and Kakao Games’ subsidiary XL Games for copyright infringement, Nexon Korea is conducting civil and criminal lawsuits against the new game company Ironmace. The reason is that developers affiliated with Ironmace participated in Nexon’s unreleased project ‘P3,’ leaked data, and used it to create the game ‘Dark and Darker.’ Nexon Korea claims that the overall design, background, and character design of Ironmace’s Dark and Darker are similar to P3. On the other hand, Ironmace argues that it is a classic fantasy dungeon exploration game and denies the similarity claim.
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