[DigitalToday reporter Ho-jung Lee] Mobile games entering the July new-release race span a wide range of genres. With releases split among strategy SLG, puzzles and idle RPGs, each new title is setting a clearly defined target user base.

◆ Three Kingdoms SLG, puzzle game to launch side by side on July 2

Bilibili will officially launch the Three Kingdoms strategy simulation game "Three Kingdoms: Battle for the Realm" on July 2. The large-scale strategy game has users play as a ruler, expand territory, develop officers and build power.

Its differentiators are multi-class-based strategic play and alliance-centered war content. Players operate troops and roles based on a job system, and the game puts alliance-level warfare at the core. With alliance content positioned as the centerpiece, it is seen as aiming to reinforce long-term competition and cooperation among users and lay the groundwork for long-term operations.

It has also secured pre-launch indicators. As of June 30, "Three Kingdoms: Battle for the Realm" surpassed 1.08 million pre-registrations. It is also running an "Alliance Rally Event" targeting alliance-based users to drive community-based inflows ahead of release.

On the same day, Com2uS Holdings will launch the mobile puzzle game "Color Sweeper" in the global market. Color Sweeper combines the logic of classic games "Minesweeper" and "Nonogram" and proceeds by interpreting numeric and color hints to fill in a grid.

The key is a "no-guessing puzzle." It is designed so every stage can be solved through inference and logic rather than luck. Com2uS Holdings validated the gameplay through a soft launch in North America, and the official release will support 12 languages including English, Korean, Japanese and Chinese. With a structure that reduces reliance on text, it plans to target global puzzle players across North America, Europe and Asia.

◆ Wind Runner, CookieRun prepare July entry with idle RPGs

WEMADE MAX plans to launch the idle RPG "Raising Wind Runner" in Korea and Taiwan in July. The game, being developed by its subsidiary Lightcon, reinterprets the casual IP "Wind Runner," which has logged cumulative downloads of 60 million, as an idle RPG.

It uses the original characters and universe while combining growth, collection and action elements. Combat unfolds in a hack-and-slash format that defeats waves of enemies, and users can combine about 150 elements such as characters, summoned creatures and mounts. An original combo system is also introduced. It builds combos during battle to enter a fever state and links that to a fever burst. The design can be seen as adding action to the idle genre's automatic growth flow to increase user engagement.

"CookieRun: Crumble," being developed by Studio Kingdom under Devsisters, also began global pre-registration on June 29, targeting a July release. Positioned as an idle RPG that adds strategic cookie-and-pet combinations to the convenience of the raising genre, it highlights fast-paced mass battles and a quick reward structure.

It builds its universe around alternative cookies and mercenary cookies that reinterpret cookies from the existing CookieRun IP. Like "Raising Wind Runner," it is seen as a strategy to expand a proven IP into an idle RPG and draw the original fan base into the initial user pool.

An industry official said, "July new titles are in different genres, but they are commonly targeting a clearly defined user base." The official said, "Strategy SLG and puzzles are going after users with high genre loyalty, while idle RPGs are trending toward targeting a broader user base through existing IP recognition and fast growth structures."