[종합] Kakao Games, the highest performance ever this year,’challenge’… 10 new works’waiting’

Kakao Games (representatives Nam Gung-hun and Jo Gye-hyun) will challenge to achieve the highest performance ever this year. In the second quarter, starting with’Odin: Valhallarizing’, it is planning to continue its growth by pouring out about 10 new works.

Kakao Games announced on the 8th that it recorded 4955 billion won in sales and 66.5 billion won in operating profit last year. This is the largest sales and operating profit record since its inception. Compared to the previous year, they increased by 26.72% and 90.13%, respectively.

Kakao Games explained, “With the addition of new performances to the stable performance of existing live games, both PC online and mobile games have grown evenly.”

The new mobile game’Guardian Tales’ and PC MMORPG’Elion’ contributed to the increase in earnings. ‘Guardian Tales’, launched in the domestic and global markets in July last year, drove the rise in mobile game sales last year. Last year’s mobile game sales reached 248.9 billion won, up 37% year-on-year. The PC MMORPG’Elion’, launched in December last year, also recorded 10 billion won in sales for the first month, contributing to the fourth quarter’s earnings. In 4Q, mobile game sales decreased 20.2% QoQ due to the base effect of the launch of’Guardian Tales’, but PC game sales increased 17.7%. In the fourth quarter, sales were aggregated to 140.2 billion won, down 5.6% from the previous quarter.

Kakao Games plans to increase its earnings this year by releasing a number of new titles. Ten new works were prepared, including the most anticipated work of the first half of the year,’Odin: Valhallaising’. There are only 9 newly released titles, 13 when considering overseas expansion.

In the first quarter, the fashion coordination game’Alice Closet’, which is currently in advance reservation, is waiting. From 2Q, the most anticipated games’Odin: Valhallarizing’, the pinball action mobile game’World Flipper’, and the mobile golf game’Friends Party Golf’ will be launched. The release of’Moonlight Sculptor’ in North America, Southeast Asia, and Japan is also scheduled.

In the third quarter, the official service of the PC Battle Royal action game “Eternal Regression: Black Survival” produced by Neptune’s subsidiary Nimble Neuron, and the mobile story game “Kakao Page Play (tentative name)” will be released. In the fourth quarter, it plans to introduce mobile collectible RPG’Soul Artifact (tentative name)’, PC survival FPS’Terra Fire (tentative name)’, mobile RPG’Guardis Order’, and self-developed mobile puzzle game’Project King (tentative name)’. ‘Elion’ in North America and Europe, and’Odin: Valhallarizing’ in Taiwan are also targets.

Gye-hyun Jo, CEO of Kakao Games, said, “We created the largest sales and operating profit last year, and the proportion of overseas sales expanded from 20% in the fourth quarter of 2019 to about 40% in the fourth quarter of last year.” “This year,’Elion’ and’Moonlight Sculptor’ Global expansion of existing titles such as Japan, North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia, including the masterpiece MMORPG’Odin’,’Guardis Order’,’World Flipper’,’Soul Artifact’, and’Terra Fire’, etc. We plan to continue growing by sequentially releasing new genres.”

The achievements of new works released last year also continue. In the case of’Elion’, it seeks to expand users through PC room marketing. ‘Guardian Tales’ aims to rebound through marketing in North America.

CEO Cho said, “Elion’s marketing was limited due to restrictions on PC cafe business hours, but it achieved meaningful results and is expected to generate long-term profits.” Guardian Tales is also launching a’collaboration’ with famous IPs in North America. We look forward to the same rebound as in the beginning.”

In addition, it continues to invest in promising companies with funds secured through listing. We also strive for business using the Kakao Talk platform.

CEO Nam Gung-hoon said, “The funds secured will continue to be used for investment in game developers, and we are also investing in platform companies that can be grafted with games.” In addition, (the social marketing partnership with Nexon) has been reinforcing the marketing capabilities accumulated through the past channeling business. It is meaningful in that it started as an open service without being forced to do so.”

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