Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Netmarble aims to extend recovery momentum with new IP
A promotion image of Netmarble's upcoming title, Vampir / Courtesy of Netmarble
By Nam Hyun-woo
Game studio Netmarble achieved a noticeable recovery in profitability for the first half of this year due to the high popularity its newest titles.
The company seeks to extend its recovery momentum with seven new games, including three based on its own intellectual property (IP) scheduled for later this year.
According to its regulatory filing Sunday, the company posted 1.34 trillion won ($963.58 million) in sales and 150.8 billion won in operating profit in the first half of 2025.
The sales inched down by 1.9 percent compared to a year earlier, but operating profits improved 31.2 percent during the same period.
So far, Netmarble has built its gaming portfolio with not only its own IP but also those from outside developers. While this has contributed to top-line growth, heavy royalty payments for external IP have made it difficult to improve operating margins.
However, in the first half of this year, two new titles based on Netmarble’s own IP — RF Online Next and Seven Knights Re:BIRTH — became hits, delivering profitability improvement.
Netmarble seeks to extend the improvement in its operating margins by releasing titles based on its own IP.
During its second quarter earnings call on Aug. 7, the company said it plans to roll out seven new titles in the second half of this year. Three of them — Vampir, StoneAge: Pet World and Mongil: Star Dive — will be based on Netmarble’s own IP.
Vampir is an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) based on a new IP developed by the company. StoneAge: Pet World is a collective RPG, and Mongil: Star Dive is an action RPG, both of which are based on existing Netmarble IP.
Additionally, Netmarble plans to roll out The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, Solo Leveling: ARISE OVERDRIVE, Project SOL and The King of Fighters AFK through various platforms.
Netmarble plans to actively expand its global presence by showcasing its major titles at leading international game shows, including Gamescom, Summer Game Fest and Tokyo Game Show.
“With the success of the two new titles based on our own IP, the company was able to diversify its portfolio and effectively improved profitability,” a Netmarble official said. “In the second half, we will introduce new titles across various genres using both internal and external IP to facilitate sustainable growth in both revenue and profit.”