Netmarble Games, the nation’s leading mobile game company, has pledged to launch more games for smartphones and tablet computers on the global stage through the end of this year. The company has had four mobile games ― “Raven,” “Seven Knights,” “Everyone’s Marble” and “100 Shots 100 Hits” ― in the top five of Korea’s Google Play chart in the latter half of this year. It plans to launch these titles, which have already proven successful in the domestic market, in overseas mobile application stores to further expand its business worldwide.
“We will accelerate our entrance on the global market by consecutively launching Raven, Seven Knights and Everyone’s Marble Disney in the latter half of this year,” the company said in a statement to The Korea Times.
Raven is a mobile action role-playing game made by the company’s development subsidiary, Netmarble ST. It was released in March in the domestic market and has topped both Google Play and Apple’s Appstore charts within five days of its release. Netmarble said the game has recorded 100 billion won in sales in 99 days. Raven has been recognized as one of the most successful mobile games launched this year, replacing Blade by the local game firm, Four Thirty Three, which competes in the same action role-playing genre. Raven has also been nominated as one of the candidates for the nation’s top mobile game award.
Netmarble said the game was launched in Japan on Oct. 8, and has been ranked at the top of the free games chart at both Google Play and Apple’s Appstore in that country. “Leading Raven’s successful debut in the global market, we will continue to work to localize the game for more diverse overseas regions and launch it on more markets, including China,” the company said. Netmarble’s other steady-selling title, Seven Knights, was also rolled out on Oct. 15 in 146 countries.
In particular, this game has become No. 2 on the charts of Google Play and Apple’s Appstore during a soft launch in Thailand, 12 days before the official release. Netmarble said it will also launch its mobile board game, Everyone’s Marble, which the company has developed with Disney cartoon characters, in Japan and Europe within this year. The board game was first launched in Korea on March 23, 2012, and has recorded 120 million downloads worldwide and 400 billion won global sales so far, Netmarble said.
Netmarble’s first global one-build mobile game, “Marvel Future Fight,” which its subsidiary, Netmarble Monster, has developed in collaboration with U.S. entertainment company Marvel, is also becoming a global success. Since it was launched in April, it has been ranked as one of top 10 mobile games in 118 countries and is nearing the mark of 30 million downloads globally.
Besides, Netmarble has launched a mobile adventure game, “Quickboy,” and a multiplayer role-playing game, “Guild of Honor,” in 155 global markets this month. It also plans to roll out two more role-playing games ― “Blood Raid” and “Blade Waltz” ― on the global stage soon. Aiming to strengthen its foothold in the global market, Netmarble invested $130 million in the world’s No. 2 mobile casual game company, SGN, in July. As the largest shareholder of SGN, the company said it will tap into SGN’s capability to put more drive in the North American and European markets.
Source: Koreatimes
