Recently, the gaming industry has been preparing for the release of new titles in the zombie genre. Zombie games are popular in Western countries like North America and Europe, leading domestic game companies that had previously focused on the Asian market to expand their presence.
According to the gaming industry on the 13th, Nexon released a new gameplay video for its upcoming zombie genre title "Paradise: Last Paradise" in May. Paradise is set in a post-zombie apocalypse Seoul, where survivors struggle to survive in a PvPvE (Player vs. Player vs. Environment) survival game. It was first revealed through a pre-alpha test at the end of 2023. Users establish a base in Yeouido, Seoul, living during the day and exploring the city filled with infected individuals at night to secure resources. Various strategic choices must be made, including sneaking past the infected or attacking other survivors.
Kakao Games also released a new trailer for its zombie genre title "God Save Birmingham" in April. Set in 14th century England, this game tells the story of a struggle to find items necessary for survival, such as food and water, in a city overrun by zombies. God Save Birmingham is being prepared for Steam Early Access release by the indie developer Ocean Drive Studio. Kakao Games has signed a global publishing contract for God Save Birmingham and will support localization and marketing for the global launch.
NHN also began its global open beta service (OBT) for the zombie genre game "Darkest Days" in April. This game features survival in a world of a zombie apocalypse, encountering various human groups that exist in the world. It supports seven languages and allows cross-play on PC and mobile. The game will be officially released after a large-scale update planned for the future, with account information from the global open beta period maintained after the official launch.
Wemade plans to release the zombie genre game "Midnight Walkers," developed by its subsidiary One Way Ticket Studio, in the second half of the year. This game is a first-person hardcore shooting game set in a massive complex in downtown Seoul, focusing on gathering resources to escape through an extraction method. Smilegate's new zombie genre title "If Sunset" is an open-world survival role-playing game (RPG), where players enjoy survival and exploration on a peaceful island during the day and defend their base against hordes of zombies that threaten at night.
The zombie genre has a solid global fan base, particularly in Western countries, and is expected to grow further in the future. Titles released by overseas developers, such as "The Last of Us" and "Dead Island," have achieved long-term success in North America and Europe. Market research firm Wise Guy Report forecasts that the global zombie game market size will expand from $7.77 billion (10.65 trillion won) last year to $14.28 billion (19.57 trillion won) by 2032. The strong fan base and the potential for intellectual property (IP) expansion are key factors in the genre's growth.
The initial reactions to new zombie genre titles are also positive. Previously, game companies showcased their new zombie genre titles at the "Zombie vs. Vampire Fest 2025," held on Steam for a week starting from the 27th of last month. This event is held annually by Steam to discover various genres of games, featuring various new titles that match the theme. Smilegate's "If Sunset" rose to 19th place in the global most popular game ranking during the event, while Nexon's Paradise ranked within the top 30 for upcoming titles. NHN's "Darkest Days" reached 22nd place in the global popular game ranking.