Latest news with #inZOI
Korea Herald
16-05-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Krafton, Nexon solidify industry-leading standings with upbeat earnings
Struggline NCSoft, Kakao Games pin hope on new titles Krafton and Nexon are solidifying their leadership in the Korean game industry, posting strong earnings in the first quarter to start the year strong on the back of successful new titles and ongoing popularity of the existing intellectual property. Krafton logged record-high first quarter revenue of 874.2 billion won ($625.8 million) and operating profit of 457.3 billion won from the January-to-March period this year, up 31.3 percent and 47.3 percent on year, respectively. Krafton's megahit battle royale shooter PUBG: Battlegrounds continued to attract gamers, with the maximum number of concurrent users reaching 1.4 million in March, according to the company. The game developer's life simulation game inZOI, which became available for early access on global gaming platform Steam in March, sold 1 million copies within a week of its debut to set a new record as the fastest Korean game to reach the milestone. Nexon raked in 1.08 trillion won in revenue and 395.2 billion won in operating profit in the first quarter, up 5 percent and 43 percent respectively from the same period last year. Nexon's two longstanding popular games — Dungeon & Fighter, an online multiplayer side-scrolling action game, and MapleStory, an online side-scrolling massively multiplayer online role-playing game, or MMORPG — led the company's robust sales. With the veterans leading the way, The First Berserker: Khazan, a hardcore action RPG based on Dungeon & Fighter, and Mabinogi Mobile, a multi-access MMORPG, gave a boost as they were newly released in March. Netmarble delivered an earnings surprise as it logged 623.9 billion won in revenue and 49.7 billion won in operating profit, up 6.6 percent and 1243.2 percent on year, respectively. The operating profit, which shot way over the market consensus, was achieved thanks to the stable performances from its diverse lineup of games such as action RPG Solo Leveling:ARISE and fighting action games Marvel Contest of Champions. RF Online Next, a space-themed MMORPG released on March 20, accounted for about 3 percent of the company's quarterly game sales despite having only 10 days of impact on the quarterly earnings, raising optimism for the second quarter results. In contrast to the three aforementioned companies, NCSoft and Kakao Games struggled as they did not have any meaningful new titles. NCSoft earned 360.3 billion won in revenue and 5.2 billion won in operating profit to turn black in the first three months of this year. Although the company launched Journey of Monarch, an MMORPG based on NCSoft's flagship IP Lineage, in December last year, the game could not help the firm's ailing figures greatly. NCSoft plans to roll out seven new titles through 2026 including Aion 2 in the second half of this year, vowing to hit 2 trillion won in annual revenue next year. Kakao Games recorded 211.9 billion won in revenue and 12.4 billion in operating loss in the first quarter. Kakao Games will look to the global market this year including the North American and European regions as the company plans to release games with various genres for different platforms, including open-world action MMORPG Chrono Odyssey, online action RPG ArcheAge Chronicles and mobile side-scrolling action PRG Goddess Order.
Barnama
29-04-2025
- Business
- Barnama
Krafton's Q1 Net Profit Up 6.6 Pct On PUBG, inZOI Success
SEOUL, April 29 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- Krafton Inc, a South Korean game publisher known for its smash-hit title PUBG: Battlegrounds, said on Tuesday its first-quarter net profit rose 6.6 per cent on-year driven by the success of the shooter title and its new life simulation game inZOI, Yonhap News Agency reported. Krafton's net profit for the January-March period totalled 371.5 billion won (US$258.4 million) on a consolidated basis, up from 348.6 billion won a year ago, the company said in a regulatory filing. Operating profit climbed 47.3 per cent to 457.3 billion won, and sales jumped 31.3 per cent to 874.2 billion won.
National Post
29-04-2025
- Business
- National Post
KRAFTON Achieves Record-High Quarterly Sales in Q1 2025
Article content Article content SEOUL, South Korea — KRAFTON, Inc. today announced its first quarter earnings results for 2025. Based on consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with Korean International Financial Reporting Standards (K-IFRS), the company achieved a record-high quarterly sales performance of 874.2B KRW and operating profit of 457.3B KRW. In addition to high quarter-over-quarter growth, year-over-year growth has also set records with sales up by 31.3% and operating profit up by 47.3%. Article content Significant Growth and Core IP Direction Article content KRAFTON achieved significant growth across all of its business divisions, including PC (323.5B KRW), mobile (532.4B KRW), and console/others (18.3B KRW). On PC platforms, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS ' diversified content and strong live-service operations contributed significantly to growth while the successful launch of a new IP, inZOI, also played a pivotal role. On mobile, premium items, strategic IP collaborations, and localized marketing efforts drove increased sales. This was especially true for BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA (BGMI), which generated positive player response through notable collaborations, including one with Indian automobile manufacturer Mahindra, which achieved the highest localized sales-to-date for the title. Article content The all-time high first quarter success can be attributed to the expansion of the PUBG IP franchise, as well as KRAFTON's ongoing strategy of securing a 'Big Franchise IP.' Since its transition to a Free-to-Play (F2P) model, PUBG has demonstrated its sustainability by surpassing 1.4 million concurrent users in March. Moving forward, KRAFTON will continue to enhance the player experience through collaborations with renowned artists and brands, new maps, and different game modes. The company also plans to broaden its player base and global presence by releasing new PUBG-based titles, including the extraction shooter Project Black Budget, the console-focused battle royale Project Valor, and the top-down tactical shooter PUBG: BLINDSPOT. By adopting photorealistic graphics powered by Unreal Engine 5 and introducing user-generated content (UGC), KRAFTON aims to evolve PUBG into a comprehensive 'PUBG 2.0' gaming platform. Article content KRAFTON's results can also be linked back to inZOI, which launched in Early Access on March 28 and sold over one million copies in its first week, becoming the fastest-selling KRAFTON title ever. Approximately 95% of its sales came from global markets, showcasing KRAFTON's strength in creating a globally successful original IP. By continuing to leverage the title's advanced CPC (Co-Playable Character) AI technology, Smart Zoi, KRAFTON plans to enhance gameplay and develop inZOI into another long-term franchise IP. Article content KRAFTON is strategically tailoring its development and publishing approach to each of its new titles. The PC life simulation game Dinkum officially launched globally on April 23 with localization expanded to 14 languages. The company plans to strengthen the Dinkum IP franchise by expanding it to new platforms and launching a spin-off game called Dinkum Together. Additionally, the highly anticipated Subnautica 2 is scheduled for Early Access later this year and aims to actively integrate player feedback into future development. Article content In addition to new titles, a core strategic market for KRAFTON continues to be India, where it is focused on solidifying its market position after strong growth with BGMI. In March, the company acquired a controlling stake in Indian studio Nautilus Mobile and secured the IP for Real Cricket, India's leading cricket game with over 250 million downloads and 10 million monthly active users. Building on this momentum, KRAFTON will further strengthen its localized strategy through new content, targeted marketing, additional game publishing, and ongoing business development efforts to discover its next major IP in India. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
Business Wire
29-04-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
KRAFTON Achieves Record-High Quarterly Sales in Q1 2025
SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- KRAFTON, Inc. today announced its first quarter earnings results for 2025. Based on consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with Korean International Financial Reporting Standards (K-IFRS), the company achieved a record-high quarterly sales performance of 874.2B KRW and operating profit of 457.3B KRW. In addition to high quarter-over-quarter growth, year-over-year growth has also set records with sales up by 31.3% and operating profit up by 47.3%. KRAFTON achieved significant growth across all of its business divisions, including PC (323.5B KRW), mobile (532.4B KRW), and console/others (18.3B KRW). Significant Growth and Core IP Direction KRAFTON achieved significant growth across all of its business divisions, including PC (323.5B KRW), mobile (532.4B KRW), and console/others (18.3B KRW). On PC platforms, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS ' diversified content and strong live-service operations contributed significantly to growth while the successful launch of a new IP, inZOI, also played a pivotal role. On mobile, premium items, strategic IP collaborations, and localized marketing efforts drove increased sales. This was especially true for BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA (BGMI), which generated positive player response through notable collaborations, including one with Indian automobile manufacturer Mahindra, which achieved the highest localized sales-to-date for the title. The all-time high first quarter success can be attributed to the expansion of the PUBG IP franchise, as well as KRAFTON's ongoing strategy of securing a 'Big Franchise IP.' Since its transition to a Free-to-Play (F2P) model, PUBG has demonstrated its sustainability by surpassing 1.4 million concurrent users in March. Moving forward, KRAFTON will continue to enhance the player experience through collaborations with renowned artists and brands, new maps, and different game modes. The company also plans to broaden its player base and global presence by releasing new PUBG-based titles, including the extraction shooter Project Black Budget, the console-focused battle royale Project Valor, and the top-down tactical shooter PUBG: BLINDSPOT. By adopting photorealistic graphics powered by Unreal Engine 5 and introducing user-generated content (UGC), KRAFTON aims to evolve PUBG into a comprehensive 'PUBG 2.0' gaming platform. KRAFTON's results can also be linked back to inZOI, which launched in Early Access on March 28 and sold over one million copies in its first week, becoming the fastest-selling KRAFTON title ever. Approximately 95% of its sales came from global markets, showcasing KRAFTON's strength in creating a globally successful original IP. By continuing to leverage the title's advanced CPC (Co-Playable Character) AI technology, Smart Zoi, KRAFTON plans to enhance gameplay and develop inZOI into another long-term franchise IP. Exciting New Titles and Strategic Expansion in India KRAFTON is strategically tailoring its development and publishing approach to each of its new titles. The PC life simulation game Dinkum officially launched globally on April 23 with localization expanded to 14 languages. The company plans to strengthen the Dinkum IP franchise by expanding it to new platforms and launching a spin-off game called Dinkum Together. Additionally, the highly anticipated Subnautica 2 is scheduled for Early Access later this year and aims to actively integrate player feedback into future development. In addition to new titles, a core strategic market for KRAFTON continues to be India, where it is focused on solidifying its market position after strong growth with BGMI. In March, the company acquired a controlling stake in Indian studio Nautilus Mobile and secured the IP for Real Cricket, India's leading cricket game with over 250 million downloads and 10 million monthly active users. Building on this momentum, KRAFTON will further strengthen its localized strategy through new content, targeted marketing, additional game publishing, and ongoing business development efforts to discover its next major IP in India. Quarterly Financial Highlights (Unit: KRW 100M)
Korea Herald
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Noncompetitive, low-stress games take center stage for Korean gamers
With 'Mabinogi: Mobile' and 'inZOI' surging, Korean gamers embrace alternatives to battle-heavy titles Shifting away from the battle-heavy titles, games focused on personal growth, emotional healing and everyday life simulation are emerging as the latest trend among gamers in South Korea. At the forefront of this trend is Nexon's Mabinogi Mobile, which launched March 27. The game is rapidly gaining traction as a standout title in the Korean gaming scene, attracting nearly 400,000 daily active users during its launch week. The number makes the game the most-played mobile massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) in Korea in a day, according to the Mobile Index data. The game also ranked 4th in overall revenue and 5th in user count across both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, marking the first time in nine months that a newly launched Korean mobile game has broken into the top five for both metrics since Cookie Run: Tower of Adventures debuted last July. Mabinogi Mobile is characterized by its focus on a more relaxed, everyday experience rather than competitive, large-scale Player versus Player content such as guild wars. Despite being a MMORPG, which traditionally embraces heavy warfare content among players, the game places more emphasis on routine activities such as fishing, music performance and insect collection, offering a laid-back alternative to other combat-heavy titles. Another game leading the trend is inZOI, a life simulation game developed by Krafton which allows users to develop a virtual self and freely manage its life. Launched late March via early access on Steam, inZOI became the fastest-Korean game ever to sell one million units, with record reached within just seven days. The record outpaces the success of Nexon's indie hit Dave the Diver, which reached the same milestone in 10 days in 2022. By comparison, other notable Korean games such as Lies of P by Neowiz and Stellar Blade took significantly longer to reach the one million mark, with Lies of P taking a month and Stellar Blade taking two. As the demand for noncompetitive, low-stress gaming experiences continues to rise, more titles are set to join the trend. Among the anticipated upcoming releases is My Little Puppy, a pet-care simulation game from Krafton's Dreammotion. Players take on the role of a dog living in a heavenly paradise, exploring the afterlife to reunite with their owner. Another eagerly awaited title is Cats & Soup: Magic Recipe, a sequel to Neowiz's hit idle simulation game Cats & Soup -- which allows users to view cats making various foods such soup and juice. Both games are expected to debut later this year.
