Netmarble is launching four new titles in the two months from March to April. It is broadening genres beyond its focus on existing mobile massively multiplayer online role-playing games, expanding into open-world RPGs, action RPGs and idle RPGs. It is also expanding touchpoints with consoles and PCs. Backed by confidence after setting a record for annual revenue last year and a tailwind from lower Google fees, it is moving to hit 3 trillion won in revenue this year.

FOUR NEW TITLES CONCENTRATED IN MARCH AND APRIL, WITH DIVERSE GENRES

The opening release was the idle RPG "StoneAge: Pet World", launched on March 3. Based on the "StoneAge" intellectual property enjoyed by 200 million people worldwide, the game reached No. 1 in popularity on South Korea's Apple App Store within 8 hours of launch and No. 1 on Google Play's popularity ranking within two days. It is also off to a steady start, ranking No. 4 in game sales on Google Play as of March 16.

On March 17, "The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin" will be released first on PlayStation 5 and Steam. It is a multiplayer open-world RPG based on the manga IP of the same name, with cumulative global sales of more than 55 million copies. It supports cross-platform play across PC, consoles and mobile, and is drawing attention as a representative title for Netmarble's expansion into consoles. A grand launch across all platforms, including mobile, is scheduled for March 24.

On April 15, the monster-taming action RPG "Mongil: Star Dive" will be officially launched globally on PC and mobile, excluding China and Vietnam. A sequel to the 2013 title "Monster Taming", it highlights Unreal Engine 5-based graphics, three-person party tag battles, and a monster capture and fusion system. It also drew attention from global media this month with a demo made in collaboration with Xbox at GDC 2026.

On April 24, the MMORPG "Sol: Enchant" will be released. It is developed by new studio Altnine, led by developers who worked on "Lineage M", and published by Netmarble. A core differentiator is the "Divine Authority" system, which allows users to directly participate in game operations. Elected users can exercise operational authority, such as deciding update specifications or opening content. It also includes an autonomous economy business model that allows even paid items to be freely traded on an in-game exchange.

In addition, Netmarble has been taking pre-registrations for PC and mobile since Feb. 24, ahead of expanding service in South Korea and parts of Asia for the action-adventure RPG "Game of Thrones: Kingsroad". The game is set in HBO's "Game of Thrones" Season 4 and was produced based on an official HBO license under Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

Behind the aggressive lineup were last year's results. Netmarble posted 2.84 trillion won in revenue and 352.5 billion won in operating profit last year, up 6.4 percent and 63.5 percent, respectively, from a year earlier, setting a record for annual revenue. The improvement is seen as laying the groundwork for aggressive investment in new titles this year.

This year, after four titles in the first half, it has also lined up four more titles in the second half: "Solo Leveling: Karma", "Shangri-La Frontier: Seven Strongest Species", "Project Octopus" and "Evil Bane", for a total of eight. CEO Kim Byung-kyu (김병규) said on a fourth-quarter earnings conference call, "This year will be a turning point when new titles across multiple platforms and diverse genres bear fruit."

GOOGLE FEE CUT SEEN AS ADDITIONAL TAILWIND FOR PROFITABILITY

As the success of new releases becomes the real key to joining the "3 trillion won club", an external factor in the form of lower payment fees on the Google Play store is expected to act as a medium- to long-term tailwind. Google announced a revamp on March 4 local time, cutting its base service fee to 20 percent from a previous maximum of 30 percent and applying a minimum of 15 percent to new installation transactions for developers participating in certain programmes. The new policy is set to take effect in the United States, the European Union and Britain from June 30, in Australia from Sept. 30, and in South Korea and Japan from Dec. 31.

The securities industry points to Netmarble as the biggest beneficiary in South Korea. That is because mobile accounts for about 90 percent of its total revenue and in-app payments exceed 70 percent. Lim Hee-seok (임희석), an analyst at Mirae Asset Securities, estimated that Google's fee cut would reduce Netmarble's commission payments by 30 billion won in 2026 and 100 billion won in 2027. If Apple also moves to similar cuts, the savings could rise to as much as 200 billion won, the analysis said. Nam Hyo-ji (남효지), an analyst at SK Securities, also said, "Netmarble will benefit the most, with more than half of its revenue coming from North America and Europe and with the capability to shift to its own payment system."

The success of eight new titles this year is expected to be the real key to entering the "3 trillion won club". If this is combined with the effect of Google fee savings set to gain traction from 2027, the securities industry sees medium- to long-term profit growth also accelerating.

An industry official said, "Netmarble's release of new titles across diverse genres in a short period is a move aimed at expanding revenue while diversifying platforms." The official added, "If this aligns with Google's fee cuts, it would create a structure in which revenue and profit margins rise together."