Netmarble

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Netmarble Corporation
Native name
넷마블 주식회사
Company type
Public
KRX: 251270
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HeadquartersGuro District, Seoul, South Korea
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Park Sean (CEO)[1]
ProductsVideo games
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Total equityIncrease KRW 1,310 billion (2016)[2]
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Number of employees
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SubsidiariesKabam
Kung Fu Factory
Jam City, Inc. (minority stake)
Website[1]

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Netmarble Corp. (Korean: 넷마블 주식회사) is a South Korean game developer and publisher, which was founded in 2000 by Bang Jun-hyuk.[3]

History

Netmarble originated from the game developer Ipopsoft (Script error: No such module "Lang".), which faced financial trouble in the late 1990s. Bang Jun-hyuk, then an outsider, secured investment for the company and later took over as CEO, rebranding it as Netmarble.[4][5]

After early success, Netmarble was acquired by CJ Group in 2004.[6][7] Bang stepped down in 2006 due to health issues but returned in 2011 to refocus the company on mobile games.[7]

In 2015, Netmarble developed Lineage 2: Revolution, which surpassed $924 million in revenue within 11 months of launch. The company continued releasing RPG mobile titles like Seven Knights, Raven (Evilbane), and Everybody's Marble. As of 2015, it employed over 3,000 people and operated in 120+ countries. Netmarble went public in May 2017, raising $2.4 billion.[3]

Netmarble also formed a strategic partnership with CJ ENM and invested in SGN.[8]

Between 2015 and 2017, Netmarble licensed Disney IPs, producing games such as Marvel: Future Fight (2015),[9] Disney Magical Dice (2016),[10] and Star Wars: Force Arena (2017).[11]

In 2017, Netmarble acquired Kabam's Vancouver studio.[12] In 2018, it appointed Park Sean as co-CEO alongside Kwon Young-sik.[1]

That year, Netmarble acquired a 25.71% stake in Big Hit Entertainment (now Hybe Corporation), becoming its second-largest shareholder.[13][14]

Netmarble later shut down both Disney Magical Dice and Star Wars: Force Arena, citing lack of support, leaving only Future Fight active.[citation needed]

In 2021, Netmarble acquired Kung Fu Factory[15] and launched the subsidiary Metaverse Entertainment with Kakao Entertainment.[16] It debuted the virtual girl group Mave: in 2023.[17]

Marvel Future Revolution launched in August 2021 but was shut down in August 2023 due to underperformance.[18] In January 2024, Netmarble shut down Metaverse Entertainment and laid off 70 employees.[19]

As of 2021, Netmarble's major shareholders included Bang Jun-hyuk (24.12%), CJ ENM (21.78%), Tencent via Han River Investment Pte. Ltd. (17.52%), NCsoft (6.8%), and others (29.78%).[20]

In July 2025, Netmarble's liquidity was significantly strengthened by its investment in HYBE shares. Despite selling approximately ₩743 billion worth of stock in 2023 and 2024, it retained a 9.44% stake (393,813 shares) valued at around ₩11.07 trillion. Its original 2018 investment of ₩201.4 billion in HYBE had appreciated considerably. Additionally, its stake in NCsoft rebounded from a ₩1.5 trillion write-down to an estimated ₩400 billion in value.[21]

Also in July 2025, Netmarble considered issuing ₩2.5 trillion in exchangeable bonds (EB), backed by part of its HYBE stake, to repay debt incurred from its ₩2 trillion acquisition of SpinX. NH Investment & Securities was expected to underwrite the deal, supported by NH Hedge Asset Management and institutional investors. The company had previously used HYBE shares as collateral, including a 2023 block trade and a 2024 price return swap.[22]

However, in August 2025, Netmarble canceled the EB issuance due to volatility in HYBE's stock price following an "owner risk" scandal involving HYBE founder Bang Si-hyuk. The bond proceeds were intended to reduce SpinX-related debt, which has since been cut from approximately ₩1.6 trillion to the mid-₩200 billion range.[23]

Games

Year Title Developer Publisher Notes
2001 Tomak: Save the Earth[24] Netmarble Monster Netmarble
2003 GunZ: The Duel MAIET Entertainment Netmarble Publisher in Korea only
Grand Chase KOG Studios Netmarble One of many publishers
2007 SD Gundam Capsule Fighter Online Softmax Netmarble
2008 Uncharted Waters Online Koei Tecmo Netmarble Publisher in North America and Europe only
Prius Online CJI Netmarble
2012 Scarlet Blade Liveplex Netmarble
District 187: Sin Streets Netmarble Netmarble
2014 Seven Knights Netmarble Nexus Netmarble
2015 Marvel Future Fight Netmarble Monster Netmarble
2016 Lineage 2: Revolution Netmarble Neo Netmarble
Knights Chronicle Netmarble Netmarble Initially Japan only; released globally in June 2018;[25]
shut down on July 4, 2023[26]
2017 Star Wars: Force Arena Netmarble Monster Netmarble Shut down on January 12, 2019
Arena of Valor TiMi Studio Group Netmarble Publisher only in Korea
2018 Jackpot World SpinX Games SpinX Games SpinX Games was acquired by Netmarble in August 2021.
The King of Fighters All Star Netmarble Neo Netmarble Shut down on October 30, 2024
BTS World Takeone Company Corp Netmarble
2020 Seven Knights 2 Netmarble Nexus Netmarble
Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross Netmarble F&C Netmarble
2021 Marvel Future Revolution Netmarble Monster Netmarble Shut down on August, 25th 2023.
2022 Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds Netmarble Neo Netmarble
2023 Paragon: The Overprime Netmarble F&C Netmarble
Tower of God: New World Netmarble Netmarble In all countries on July 27, 2023
2024 Solo Leveling: Arise Netmarble Neo Netmarble
2025 Game of Thrones: Kingsroad[27] Netmarble Neo Netmarble
2026 The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin Netmarble F&C Netmarble
TBA RF Project Netmarble Netmarble
Shangri-La Frontier Netmarble Nexus Netmarble

References

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  1. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Netmarble names Park Sean as new CEO". Yonhap News. February 26, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."넷마블게임즈 주식회사 감사보고서" (in 한국어). Dart. March 17, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  3. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Profile: Bang Jun-hyuk". Forbes. February 28, 2019.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."흙수저 딛고 1조신화…방준혁을 만든 'Do Dream'". 매일경제 (in 한국어). March 2, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.임재후 (January 22, 2020). "[Who Is ?] 방준혁 넷마블 이사회 의장". businesspost.co.kr (in 한국어). Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Jin-young, Cho (June 7, 2018). "The Invincible Bang Brothers: Game and Entertainment Moguls Join hands". Businesskorea (in 한국어). Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Chung, Grace. "High School Dropout To Billionaire Status: How One Man Built Korea's Biggest Mobile Gaming Company". Forbes. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."넷마블 분기보고서" (in 한국어). Dart. September 30, 2018.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Marvel: Future Fight launches from Netmarble". Marvel Entertainment. April 30, 2015. Archived from the original on December 26, 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2017 – via Marvel.com.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Jones, Elton (April 28, 2016). "Disney Magical Dice: Top 10 Tips & Cheats You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Minotti, Mike (November 17, 2016). "Star Wars: Force Arena for mobile sure looks like a MOBA". VentureBeat. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Netmarble buys Kabam's Vancouver studio". gamesindustry.biz. December 20, 2016.
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Herman, Tamar. "Netmarble Games Becomes Second-Largest Shareholder Of BTS's Label, BigHit Entertainment". Forbes.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."HYBE Corporate Governance". hybecorp.com. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sinclair, Brendan (February 19, 2021). "Netmarble acquires Kung Fu Factory". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."메타버스엔터테인먼트, 공식 회사 홈페이지 오픈". Ch netmarble. November 8, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Jang, Woo-young (January 11, 2023). "메이브, 4인조 완전체 비주얼 첫 공개…러블리→힙 '4色 매력'". Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Derrick, Connor (June 5, 2023). "Marvel Future Revolution announces it will end service and leave storefronts in the coming months". Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.김, 주환 (January 19, 2024). "기세 꺾인 메타버스…넷마블F&C, 메타버스월드 전원 권고사직". Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Netmarble Corporate Governance". Netmarble. August 13, 2021.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."유동성 풍향계 넷마블, 은혜갚은 하이브 주식 '1조' 유동성 버팀목". thebell. July 16, 2025.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."'하이브 지분 활용' 넷마블, 2500억 EB 발행 추진". thebell. July 11, 2025.
  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."'하이브 주가 급락' 넷마블, 2500억 EB 발행 계획 철회". thebell. August 20, 2025.
  24. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."TOMAK: Save the Earth Regeneration | Télécharger et acheter aujourd'hui - Epic Games Store". Epic Games Store (in français). April 2, 2026. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  25. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.이, 복현 (June 14, 2018). "넷마블, 사전등록 130만 돌파한 나이츠크로니클 출시". NSP통신 (in 한국어). Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  26. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."경영 효율화 ·신작 줄대기...넷마블, 연간 흑자전환 총력전". 디지털투데이 (DigitalToday) (in 한국어). February 27, 2024. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  27. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Netmarble: A New Game of Thrones Mobile MMORPG". BlueStacks. February 2, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.

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