Solo Leveling: Arise, Netmarble's webtoon-based game to spur turnaround

South Korean game developer Netmarble Corp. said on Tuesday it is set to launch “Solo Leveling: Arise” — a new title based on a popular digital comic and web novel — globally in May. 

The action role-playing game (RPG) for PCs and mobile devices is Netmarble’s first title based on “Solo Leveling,” a Korean webtoon and digital novel that has attracted 14.3 billion views worldwide. The game was developed by its subsidiary NetmarbleNeo, which has produced such beloved titles as “Lineage 2: Revolution.”

“Solo Leveling: Arise” players assume the identity of Sung Jinwoo, the main character in the original webtoon and novel, and engage in stylish combat, Netmarble said.

“This game is expected to immediately improve sales once it's launched in May,” said Netmarble CEO Kwon Young-sik at the game’s media showcase in Seoul. “We aim to turn back to the black in the first half, not only from ‘Solo Leveling: Arise’ but also other promising games in the works.”

In 2023, the company shrank its operating loss by 35.9% to 69.7 billion won ($52.1 million) even as its sales dipped 6.4% to 2.5 trillion won.

STARTS PRE-REGISTRATION, OPEN BETA SERVICE IN CANADA, THAILAND

Netmarble launched game pre-registration the same day as it planned its open beta service for Canada and Thailand starting March 21.

“We expect its success in the Korean, North American and Japanese markets where the webtoon was popular,” said Cho Shin-hwa, Netmarble’s business group leader.

The company plans to expand the game’s platforms.

“It will be supported not only on PCs, Android and iOS, but also on Google Play Games and macOS,” Cho said. “We aim to expand its platforms to include Steam, an online game platform, by year's end.”

CEO Kwon said the company also plans to introduce a console version of the game as early as next year after expanding it to Steam.

Write to Seung-Woo Lee at leeswoo@hankyung.com
 
Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.