Domestic game companies are preparing to launch new subculture games. Subculture games, which were previously produced mainly for niche markets, have seen explosive growth alongside animation, resulting in increased market demand. With the high revenue return compared to development capital, subculture games are expected to become a new revenue source for game companies as they gain popularity.
According to the gaming industry on the 18th, new subculture games are set to be released, including ▲NCSOFT's 'Breakers: Unlock the World' ▲LIONHEART STUDIO's 'Project C (tentative title)' ▲WEBZEN's 'Terviz' ▲Smilegate's 'Chaos Zero Nightmare.'
First, NCSOFT made an equity and rights investment worth 37 billion won in Big Game Studio last August, securing global publishing rights for Breakers. NCSOFT has begun recruiting personnel for the launch project and marketing related to Breakers this month. The developer, Big Game Studio, is set to participate in a subculture event in Japan on the 26th.
LIONHEART STUDIO is developing a mobile nurturing simulation game called 'Project C (tentative title),' aiming for a global release in the third quarter of this year. WEBZEN is working to enhance the quality of 'Terviz' with plans to launch it within the year. This game has been exhibited consecutively at major domestic gaming and animation events, including G-Star and AGF, as well as Japan's largest subculture event, 'Comic Market.'
Smilegate is preparing to launch 'Chaos Zero Nightmare,' a game known to be developed under the direction of CEO Kim Hyung-seok.
Subculture refers to genres based mainly on elements derived from Japanese popular culture, such as anime and light novels, featuring beautiful girls, fantasy, and science fiction. In the past, the term 'sub' was attached, as it was relatively separated from mainstream culture and represented the niche demand. However, with the growing popularity of anime, the subculture genre is now establishing itself as a central axis in the gaming market. According to the Korea Creative Content Agency, the global animation market size is projected to increase from $355 billion (498.85 trillion won) in 2020 to $404 billion (574.93 trillion won) in 2023, averaging an annual increase of about 25 trillion won.
Recently, subculture has gained popularity, particularly among the generations born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s, as otaku culture has become mainstream. Through social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and TikTok, illustrations, fan fiction, and cosplay videos created by fans have rapidly spread.
As a result, subculture games are also becoming popular. In fact, 'Genshin Impact,' released in 2020, surpassed $1 billion (1.42 trillion won) in global cumulative revenue within six months of its release, proving the potential for subculture games to succeed. Following this, hits in the subculture genre like 'Arknights,' 'Blue Archive,' 'Goddess of Victory: Nikke,' and 'Myungjo' have emerged one after another.
In particular, the entry of large game companies that have previously been passive regarding subculture games into the market is attributed to the expectation that this genre could become a cash cow with the increasing popularity of subculture. Subculture games generate revenue based on a solid fandom. In fact, subculture games tend to have a higher ratio of daily active users (DAU) to monthly active users (MAU) compared to other genres. This allows for higher revenue per user and the potential for additional revenue through merchandise and other secondary sales. For instance, 'Genshin Impact' has collaborated with retail companies such as Pizza Alvolo and Mega Coffee.
Furthermore, subculture games tend to have lower barriers between existing users and new users compared to multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). This is because many users invest affection into characters and stories rather than focusing on competition within the game. There is also great potential for expansion by combining with various genres such as idle, strategy, defense, nurturing, and RPG.
A gaming industry official noted, "The main user demographic of MMORPGs, led by 'Lineage' and 'The Kingdom of the Winds,' is the 40-50 age group, and there is unofficial survey data indicating that the genre that encompasses appealing elements for the younger 10-20 generation is subculture games." They added, "As we are putting effort into carefully developing and preparing to launch subculture games, we can expect the birth of a flagship game soon."