Nexon’s 'The Finals' draws record-high concurrent users

South Korea’s game publishing giant Nexon Co. is set to release another blockbuster game after its new first-person shooting game “The Finals” drew a record high number of concurrent users during its open beta test.

According to the world’s largest PC game distribution platform Steam on Monday, peak concurrent users of “The Finals” hit 267,874 on Oct. 29, beating this year’s previous high of 108,520 recorded by another Korean release “Dark and Darker” developed by Ironmace.  

Nexon has been testing the new game in an open beta service since Oct. 26. The test will end on Nov. 5, the company said.

The new game’s milestone of recording this year’s highest concurrent user number comes after the successful debut of Nexon’s other hit game, “Dave the Diver,” a PC RPG game rolled out in June, underscoring the Korean gaming company’s success in building a solid new game pipeline this year.

“The Finals” was developed by Embark Studios, Nexon’s subsidiary in Sweden that the Korean parent took over in 2019.

The first-person shooting game allows its users to fight in a team in virtual arenas that they can change, exploit and even destroy.

The company attributed the initial cheers to the game’s unique map design integrating the city views of Seoul and Monaco and freedom given to the players to destroy their arenas and move anywhere they want.

Nexon has not confirmed the official release date of “The Finals.”

ROSY EARNINGS OUTLOOK

As Nexon’s two games, “The Finals” and “Dave the Diver,” have ranked No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, in terms of concurrent users, the Korean gaming company is expected to report upbeat earnings this year.

It reported 264 billion won ($195.6 million) in operating profit in the second quarter this year, up 22% from the same period of last year. Revenue also increased 12% on-year to 902.8 billion won.

The stellar performance was largely owed to the ongoing popularity of its 20-year-old title "MapleStory," as well as other steady sellers "Dungeon & Fighter" and "FC Online."

Nexon has been clever in extending the lifespan of its old games with constant content upgrades and eye-catching marketing campaigns.

On top of that, its new releases have been well received by gamers, helping the company further distance itself from others in a new game race.

“Dave the Diver” has already sold 2 million copies in less than six months since its launch.

Nexon expects its revenue for this year to reach about 4 trillion won.

Write to Ju-Hyun Lee at 2juhyun@hankyung.com

Sookyung Seo edited this article.