In the first half of this year, the domestic gaming industry experienced a lull with no significant new releases. However, attention is turning to the second half where a series of new games are expected to fuel a rebound. The industry’s second-quarter performance appears to be somewhat sluggish, largely due to the delay of major new releases to the later part of the year.
In late July, Krafton was the first to release its financial results, showing a decrease in both sales and operating profit by 6.4% and 11.0% respectively from the previous year. Although the “PUBG” IP performance remained strong, the underperformance of new IPs contributed to the decline. Additionally, rising expenses for personnel, marketing, and commissions impacted their results.
Other companies like NCSoft, Netmarble, and Kakao Games, which also did not have any major new releases in the first half, are expected to see declines. NCSoft’s second-quarter sales and operating profit are anticipated to fall by 3.99% and 34.1%, respectively. Similarly, Netmarble and Kakao Games are projected to report reduced sales and profits, with Kakao Games potentially facing a shift to operating losses.
Pearl Abyss is expected to see a larger operating loss compared to last year, with a slight decrease in sales but a 65.5% increase in operating loss.
Contrarily, Com2uS, Neowiz, and Devsisters are expected to achieve positive results. Com2uS is anticipated to increase its revenue and operating profit by 8.35% and 164.3% respectively. Neowiz and Devsisters are also projected to report significant growth in both sales and operating profit.
The gaming industry attributes the subdued first-half performance to concentrated investments in marketing and development for upcoming major releases in the latter half of the year. Companies like NCSoft, Krafton, Netmarble, Kakao Games, Pearl Abyss, and Webzen are all preparing to launch significant new titles in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Com2uS, which showed promising second-quarter results, plans to continue their upward trend with the release of a new MMORPG, “The Starlight.”
These gaming companies are also set to showcase their games at upcoming international events such as “Gamescom 2025” in Cologne, the “Tokyo Game Show 2025,” and “G-Star 2025.” Already, Nexon and Pearl Abyss have premiered new titles at “ChinaJoy 2025,” demonstrating their ongoing efforts to engage with users and validate their game offerings.