[DigitalToday Lee Ho-jung] Wemade Max declared 2026 as the first year of its leap into a global portfolio company.

On Monday, Wemade Max announced a mid- to long-term growth strategy built around a development-led structure of five core studios. The plan focuses on strengthening the independence and expertise of five units: Mad Engine, Wemade Connect, Wemade Next, One Way Ticket Studio and LightCon.

Each studio will maintain an independent operating structure optimised for its genre and market, while the group will share a global strategy. The company aims to move away from reliance on a single genre and build a sustainable growth structure.

Key subsidiary Mad Engine will shift into a global developer spanning PC and console. It is preparing to launch a China service for "Night Crows" and will position "Night Crows 2" (tentative title) as a key momentum for a performance rebound in the second half. It is also pursuing a more diversified portfolio, including "Project Tal" targeted for release in 2027 and the new subculture title "MO TF".

Wemade Connect will focus on subculture and targeting global markets. It will introduce a lineup including the new title "Noah" this year and will target emerging markets with the HTML5 MMORPG "Flyff Universe". Wemade Next will focus on building an advanced IP rather than a simple extension of the existing "Mir" IP.

One Way Ticket Studio will target the Steam-based indie market. The extraction shooter "Midnight Walkers" is set to begin Steam early access on Jan. 29 and is scheduled for a full launch in the third quarter. LightCon will raise efficiency in the casual market with new titles using the "Wind Runner" IP.

The company will also expand overseas partnerships. It plans to build various collaboration models, including joint development, equity investments and project financing, to spread development risks and absorb market know-how by region.

Son Myun-seok, co-CEO of Wemade Max, said 2026 would be a turning point to complete a distributed growth structure across global markets and genre platforms. "2026 is a year when change is desperately needed for survival," he said. "Based on each studio's expertise, we will make the leap to become a sustainable global game developer," he added.