South Korea’s Netmarble Games is slated to introduce a new mobile game next week for the first time since going public last month, fueling expectations that the new release could help salvage its stock price which has plunged from its initial offering price.
The Korean mobile game giant said Thursday that it would release “Destiny 6,” a strategic action role-playing game for mobile devices developed by local game developer Alpaca Games on June 7.
(Netmarble)
Netmarble has already released a series of promotional videos and is currently receiving preregistrations for the game before the official launch.
“Destiny 6” is an anime-style strategic action RPG featuring a simple tap-and-drag system and a detailed set of characters with unique skill sets, the firm said. There are six clans within the game and players embark on a journey to find the six heroes that will determine the fate of their world.
“The game boasts an excellent character development package and is expected to win positive reviews from gamers who particularly enjoy playing strategic RPGs,” a Netmarble spokesperson said.
The release of “Destiny 6” comes amid a slump in Netmarble’s stock price and raises expectations that the success of the new game could help drive up the firm’s market value.
The firm’s stock price had opened for public trading at 165,000 won ($147) on the day of its stock market debut on May 12, but had fallen to as low as the 140,000 won range in the following weeks amid concerns over the profitability of its megahit mobile game “Lineage II: Revolution.”
According to local analysts, Netmarble shares declined after Korean regulators banned minors from playing “Lineage II: Revolution” over issues with the game’s in-app trading system and NCSoft’s release of rivaling game “Lineage M” became imminent.
As of Thursday afternoon, Netmarble shares were trading at 152,500 won on the Kospi market. Investors are now keen on seeing how “Destiny 6” will perform among users upon its official release.
Looking ahead, Netmarble is set to introduce a number of other new games in the coming months, including a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, or MMORPG, rendition of “Seven Knights” and “Blade & Soul,” it said.
In addition, the Korean game maker is preparing to launch “Lineage II: Revolution” in China by the fourth quarter of this year via Tencent, Netmarble’s third-largest shareholder and global publishing partner. The game is slated to be launched in Japan within the third quarter, it said.
By Sohn Ji-young (jys@heraldcorp.com)