Netmarble

Netmarble has its origins in the video game developer Ipopsoft ({{Korean|hangul=아이팝소프트|labels=no}}). Around the late 1990s, that company was in crisis. As an outsider, Bang Jun-hyuk helped locate investors to support the company. After the company again went into crisis, Bang took over the company as CEO and reorganized it into Netmarble.{{Cite web |date=2018-03-02 |title=흙수저 딛고 1조신화…방준혁을 만든 `Do Dream` |url=https://www.mk.co.kr/news/culture/8213695 |access-date=2025-01-03 |website=매일경제 |language=ko}}{{Cite web |last=임재후 |date=2020-01-22 |title=[Who Is ?] 방준혁 넷마블 이사회 의장 |url=https://businesspost.co.kr/BP?command=mobile_view&num=160619 |access-date=2025-01-03 |website=businesspost.co.kr |language=ko}}

The company saw initial early successes. These caught the attention of CJ Group, which agreed to acquire it in 2004.{{Cite web |last=Jin-young |first=Cho |date=2018-06-07 |title=The Invincible Bang Brothers: Game and Entertainment Moguls Join hands |url=https://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=22870 |access-date=2025-01-03 |website=Businesskorea |language=ko}}{{Cite web |last=Chung |first=Grace |title=High School Dropout To Billionaire Status: How One Man Built Korea's Biggest Mobile Gaming Company |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/gracechung/2016/11/30/high-school-dropout-to-billionaire-status-how-one-man-built-koreas-biggest-mobile-gaming-company/ |access-date=2025-01-03 |website=Forbes |language=en}} Bang stepped down for health concerns in 2006, but rejoined the company after five years after it went into crisis. He then focused the company on the mobile gaming market.

Netmarble developed Lineage 2: Revolution in 2015 and released to the public that same year. As of 2019 L2R became one of the highest-grossing mobiles in the market; exceeding 924 million dollars in 11 months since its release. Currently, Netmarble continues to update and bring new content to L2R.

Netmarble produces role-playing mobile games. As of 2015, it had more than 3,000 employees and served over 120 countries worldwide. In May 2017, Bang took the company public, raising $2.4 billion.{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/bang-jun-hyuk/#605eb4906a22|title=Profile: Bang Jun-hyuk|work=Forbes|date=February 28, 2019}}

Netmarble has developed mobile games including Seven Knights, Raven (Evilbane in the U.S.) and Everybody's Marble. It also claims a large shareholder stake in SGN, a casual game developer, and has a strategic partnership with CJ ENM.{{cite web|url=http://dart.fss.or.kr/dsaf001/main.do?rcpNo=20181114002692|title=넷마블 분기보고서|publisher=Dart|date=September 30, 2018|language=ko}}

Since 2015, the company has licensed Disney-owned properties to produce games such as Marvel: Future Fight (2015),{{cite web|url=https://news.marvel.com/games/24540/marvel_future_fight_launches_from_netmarble/|title=Marvel: Future Fight launches from Netmarble|publisher=Marvel Entertainment|via=Marvel.com|date=April 30, 2015|access-date=July 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226131134/https://news.marvel.com/games/24540/marvel_future_fight_launches_from_netmarble/|archive-date=December 26, 2017|url-status=dead}} Disney Magical Dice (2016),{{cite web|url=http://heavy.com/games/2016/04/disney-magical-dice-tips-cheats-ios-android-mobile-games/|title=Disney Magical Dice: Top 10 Tips & Cheats You Need to Know|date=April 28, 2016|publisher=Heavy.com|first=Elton|last=Jones|access-date=July 26, 2017}} and Star Wars: Force Arena (2017).{{cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2016/11/17/star-wars-force-arena-for-mobile-sure-looks-like-a-moba/|title=Star Wars: Force Arena for mobile sure looks like a MOBA |date=November 17, 2016 |first=Mike |last=Minotti |publisher=VentureBeat |access-date=July 26, 2017}}{{cite web |url=https://www.starwars.com/news/dream-teams-star-wars-force-arena |title=Dream Teams: How Star Wars: Force Arena Puts You in Control of the Galaxy's Greatest |publisher=StarWars.com |first=Dan |last=Brooks |date=January 12, 2017 |access-date=July 26, 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.adweek.com/digital/netmarble-launches-star-wars-force-arena-on-ios-android/|title=Netmarble Launches Star Wars: Force Arena on iOS, Android|work=AdWeek |first=Brandy |last=Shaul |date=January 12, 2017 |access-date=July 26, 2017}}{{cite web |url=http://www.starwarsforcearena.com/en |title=Star Wars: Force Arena |publisher=Netmarble Game |via=StarWarsForceArena.com |access-date=July 26, 2017}}

In 2017, Netmarble acquired North American interactive entertainment company Kabam.{{cite web|url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2016-12-20-netmarble-buys-kabams-vancouver-studio/|title=Netmarble buys Kabam's Vancouver studio|website=gamesindustry.biz|date=December 20, 2016 }}

In 2018, Netmarble named Park Sean as its new CEO. Park, the former chief strategy officer of the operator of KakaoTalk, co-headed Netmarble with incumbent chief Kwon Young-sik.{{cite web|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2018/02/26/0200000000AEN20180226009900320.html|title=Netmarble names Park Sean as new CEO|date=February 26, 2018|work=Yonhap News}}

In April 2018, Netmarble acquired 25.71% in Big Hit Entertainment, the agency of Korean boy group BTS and TXT, becoming its second largest shareholder.{{cite news|last1=Herman|first1=Tamar|title=Netmarble Games Becomes Second-Largest Shareholder Of BTS's Label, BigHit Entertainment|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/tamarherman/2018/04/04/netmarble-games-becomes-second-largest-shareholder-of-bts-label-bighit-entertainment/#25752e4f8e94|work=Forbes|language=en}} As of 2021, Netmarble owns 19.31% of the Big Hit Entertainment after it changed its name to HYBE Corporation{{Cite web|title=HYBE Corporate Governance|url=https://hybecorp.com/eng/ir/structure/stock|access-date=2021-08-13|website=hybecorp.com|language=en}}

Netmarble and Disney's partnership significantly deteriorated near the end of 2018 when the former announced that it can no longer support Disney Magical Dice and Star Wars: Force Arena, and eventually shut down both games,{{citation_needed|date=March 2019}} leaving Future Fight as the only Disney-based game it supported.

In February 2021, the company acquired Los Angeles based developer Kung Fu Factory.{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/netmarble-acquires-kung-fu-factory|title=Netmarble acquires Kung Fu Factory|last=Sinclair|first=Brendan|website=GamesIndustry.biz|date=February 19, 2021|access-date=May 19, 2023}}

On August 20, 2021, the company established a subsidiary label known as Metaverse Entertainment which partnered up with Kakao Entertainment to manage musical artists.{{Cite web |date=November 8, 2022 |title=메타버스엔터테인먼트, 공식 회사 홈페이지 오픈 |trans-title=Metaverse Entertainment opens its official company website |url=https://ch.netmarble.com/Newsroom/PressRelease/Detail?post_seq=3459&bbs_code=1014&post_tag=메타버스엔터테인먼트 |access-date=February 12, 2023 |website=Ch netmarble}} Five days later, Kabam released a sequel to Future Fight, titled Marvel Future Revolution, which was an ambitious online open-world superhero action RPG that ran on Unreal Engine 4, employed several notable voice actors and offered a more cinematic presentation. On January 25, 2023, the label debuted a virtual girl-group known as Mave:.{{Cite news |last=Jang |first=Woo-young |date=January 11, 2023 |title=메이브, 4인조 완전체 비주얼 첫 공개…러블리→힙 '4色 매력' |language=Korean |trans-title=Mave, 4-member complete visual first released...Lovely→Hip 'Charm of 4 Colours' |work={{ill|Osen (newspaper)|ko|OSEN|lt=OSEN}} |url=https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/109/0004771990?lfrom=twitter |url-status=live |access-date=February 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115201236/https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/109/0004771990?lfrom=twitter |archive-date=January 15, 2023}}

As of 2021, Netmarble shareholders consisted of Bang Jun-hyuk (24.12%), CJ ENM (21.78%), Tencent (Han River Investment Pte. Ltd.) (17.52%), NCsoft Corp. (6.8%) and Others (29.78%).{{cite web|date=August 13, 2021|title=Netmarble Corporate Governance|url=https://company.netmarble.com/en/invest/structure|publisher=Netmarble|language=en}}

Following the poor performance of Marvel Future Revolution, Netmarble announced in June 2023 that the game would shut down on August 25, 2023.{{Cite web |last=Derrick |first=Connor |date=2023-06-05 |title=Marvel Future Revolution announces it will end service and leave storefronts in the coming months |url=https://www.pocketgamer.com/marvel-future-revolution/shut-down/ |access-date=2024-03-05 |website=www.pocketgamer.com |language=en}} On January 19, 2024, Netmarble shut down its metaverse subsidiary, laying off 70 employees.{{Cite web |last=김 |first=주환 |date=2024-01-19 |title=기세 꺾인 메타버스…넷마블F&C, 메타버스월드 전원 권고사직 |url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20240119080700017 |access-date=2024-03-05 |website=Yonhap News Agency |language=ko}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|https://company.netmarble.com/en}}

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Category:South Korean companies established in 2000

Netmarble

Category:NCSoft

Category:Tencent

Category:Mobile game companies

Category:Video game companies established in 2000

Category:Video game companies of South Korea

Category:Video game development companies

Category:Video game publishers

Category:Companies based in Seoul

Category:Companies in the KOSPI 200