As development costs rise and hits become harder to predict, South Korean game companies are turning to proven intellectual property to reduce release risk. Rather than building new worlds and characters from scratch, they are adapting web novels and webtoons that already have readers and fandoms to secure early users and ease marketing burdens. Nexon, Netmarble and Kakao Games are preparing new titles based on such IP, though the industry says strong execution still determines success.

Netmarble is shifting away from releasing new games in rapid succession and will focus on extending the lifespan and revenue of existing titles. It cut its second-half new-game lineup to three and plans to apply stricter launch standards while strengthening live-service operations. The company cited sustained growth in The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross. Netmarble reported second-quarter revenue of 749.2 billion won and operating profit of 80.1 billion won, while costs rose on marketing and fees.