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.

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Brooklyn, NY

SUN - MON, JUN. 22 - 23, 2025

Blockworks and Cracked Labs are teaming up for the third installment of the Permissionless Hackathon, happening June 22–23, 2025 in Brooklyn, NY. This is a 36-hour IRL builder sprint where developers, designers, and creatives ship real projects solving real problems across […]

recent research

Research Report Templates (19).png

Research

Suilend has grown into the top money market and liquid staking provider on Sui. STEAMM, Suilend’s Superfluid AMM, presents a compelling avenue for growing market share within Sui’s DEX landscape and revenue generation for the protocol. Suilend’s multi-product suite position it well for owning market share across key verticals. While current metrics across the Sui ecosystem are likely inflated due to Sui Foundation incentive programs, SEND trades at amongst the lowest multiples in the lend/borrow sector, suggesting that a bull case for continued growth in the ecosystem may be mispriced.

article-image

The stablecoin issuer now plans to offer 32 million Class A common stock shares at a price of up to $28 each

article-image

Let’s go whale watching, Bitcoin style: Investigating the mysterious “12ib7” wallet now worth $3.2 billion

article-image

Bitget’s L2 is undergoing a leadership change and will be helmed by Colin Goltra, formerly the blockchain’s chief growth officer

article-image

The funding was spread out across 61 rounds, a slight dip in both number of rounds and total funding in comparison to other months

article-image

Why is it controversial to say things are better than they used to be?

article-image

Wallchain could make influencer ROI more measurable for Solana businesses