South Korea’s Largest Mobile Gaming Company Makes Metaverse Play

Netmarble said it will develop its first metaverse game following the establishment of a development arm in August

article-image

Source: Blockworks

share

key takeaways

  • Mobile-gaming giant Netmarble wants to develop a metaverse sequal to its existing board game “Everybody’s Marble”
  • The move is part of the company’s push into the nascent virtual medium as it plans to add blockchain capabilities to some of its existing titles

South Korea’s largest mobile game developer, Netmarble, is planning to release games for the metaverse following the creation of its new development unit last year.

The gaming giant said it was developing a sequel to its monopoly-styled board game titled “Everybody’s Marble: Metaworld” under its subsidiary Netmarble F&C, according to a report by the Korea Herald last week. The new game is part of the company’s broader pivot into the virtual world.

Metaverse Entertainment — Netmarble’s metaverse development arm — was set up in August of last year as part of the company’s push to explore opportunities within the new virtual medium.

Netmarble’s metaverse game will feature all the trimmings of what game enthusiasts have come to expect from a title based on the virtual world including NFTs and digital avatars, as well as the capability to buy and sell virtual land plots.

The international version is expected to be set up under a “play-to-earn” model, allowing users to earn virtual currency for real money, per the report. Play-to-earn games are currently banned in South Korea, and, as such, Netmarble’s domestic version will only feature NFTs.

“We plan to develop metaverse games that allow users, either individuals or companies, to gain virtual assets that can be exchanged for real assets such as currency through blockchain technology,” said Netmarble Chairman Bang Jun-hyuk, as cited in the report.

Bang also added that Netmarble plans to follow up on Metaverse Entertainment’s original idea of introducing consumers to its metahuman virtual female idols later this year.

Netmarble is South Korea’s largest mobile gaming company by total revenue and clocked around KRW 607 billion ($506.2 million) for Q3 2021. The company has produced iconic mobile game titles including MARVEL Future Revolution and Lineage 2: Revolution, with downloads reaching into the hundreds of millions.

The company also plans to leverage its overseas dominance, where it derives 70% of its revenue.

“With the new CEO of Netmarble global business, Lee Seung-won, the company plans to target the Western market, in particular, by attending to the needs of local users and acquiring local game studios,” Bang said.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research Report Templates.png

Research

Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) represent low-hanging fruit in a massive market ripe for Web3-driven disruption. The global CDN market was valued at ~$28B in 2024, and is projected to surpass $140B by 2034, (18.75% CAGR) underscoring the immense demand for efficient content delivery.

article-image

The $135 million raise shows that TradFi giants are serious about crypto adoption

article-image

The banking system still processes payments like it’s 1975. Crypto might have a fix.

article-image

Fiserv’s launch follows Senate passage of the GENIUS Act for stablecoin regulation.

article-image

Bitcoin is emerging as “the new standard for long-term corporate resilience,” Swan Bitcoin CIO says

article-image

Cybersecurity experts explain how the attack could have been prevented