‘Malttal’ That Caught the ‘Devil’... Mobile Game Battle Heats Up

Kakao Games' 'Uma Musume' Ranks 1st
Top Sales Within Four Days of Release
Blizzard's 'Diablo' Falters
Indefinite Delay in China Market Strategy Also a Setback

'Mir M' Competes in Mobile Game Expo
Major Titles Like Seven Knights Released One After Another

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] The gaming industry, which experienced delays in new releases due to the impact of COVID-19, is unveiling major blockbusters in June. Amid fierce competition, Kakao Games' "Uma Musume Pretty Derby (Uma Musume)" took the initial lead, and with the successive launches of highly anticipated titles, the mobile gaming battle is heating up.

Kakao Games’ ‘Uma Musume’ Hits Big

According to big data platform company Mobile Index on the 23rd, Uma Musume ranked first in popularity on both Google Play and the App Store. In terms of revenue, it ranked 7th on Google Play and 2nd on the App Store, securing a top position even on its fourth day since release.

Uma Musume is a game developed by Japanese developer Cygames and was launched domestically by Kakao Games on the 20th. It is a training simulation game where players raise beautiful girl characters inspired by real racehorses and directly participate in horse racing events.

Since its release in Japan in February last year, the game has maintained the number one spot in sales rankings in the local market for over a year. In April, it surpassed 14 million downloads and topped Twitter’s global trends, drawing significant attention not only in Japan but also from users worldwide. In Korea, even before its official release, it gained popularity under the nickname "Maldal" (a direct Korean translation of Uma Musume), and after launch, numerous strategy posts flooded various communities, forming a strong fandom.

In the securities industry, the unexpectedly successful performance has led to estimates of Uma Musume’s initial daily revenue ranging from 1.5 billion to 3 billion KRW. Considering that Kakao Games heavily depended on the revenue from last year’s release "Odin: Valhalla Rising," securing a new game intellectual property (IP) is crucial, and this is expected to positively influence the company’s stock price going forward.

‘Diablo’ Underperforms Expectations

Blizzard’s new title "Diablo Immortal (Diablo)" has seen its initial momentum wane, leading to evaluations of underperformance. Diablo’s domestic revenue rankings are 6th on Google Play and 4th on the App Store, dropping one rank each week. This rapid decline is observed not only in Korea but also in major global markets. Additionally, the indefinite postponement of its China release added to the negative factors.

The decline in Diablo’s popularity is attributed to the introduction of "gacha-style monetization," which was not present in the original IP. Controversy grew as it became known that the system forces non-paying users to have limited daily growth. However, the company’s lack of response has accelerated the drop in app market rankings.

July Blockbuster Competition Kicks Off

Wemade has launched the highly anticipated "Mir M: Vanguard and Vagabond (Mir M)." Mir M ranked 5th to 6th in popularity on the two major app markets, gaining early traction. Mir M is a restored work that reflects a modern interpretation of "Legend of Mir 2," preserving the traditional gameplay through 8-direction grid combat and a quarter-view perspective. Notably, Mir M is a very important game for Wemade as it is a new title expected to continue growth in the P2E (play-to-earn) market pioneered by Wemade with Mir4.

Next month, Netmarble will release "Seven Knights Revolution." This game is the latest installment in Netmarble’s flagship IP "Seven Knights" series, which was first introduced to the domestic market in 2014. Having turned to a deficit in the first quarter, Netmarble is aiming for improved performance in the second half of the year with Seven Knights Revolution as a stepping stone.

An industry insider explained, "As major blockbusters like Uma Musume and Mir M reach their one-month mark and their performance is evaluated, the release of Netmarble’s anticipated title will intensify the competition. The success of these games will determine the performance in the second half of the year."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.