 | |
Native name | 넷마블 주식회사 |
|---|---|
| Company type | Public |
| KRX:251270 | |
| Industry | Video game |
| Founded | March 1, 2000; 25 years ago (2000-03-01) |
| Founder | Bang Jun-hyuk |
| Headquarters | Guro District, Seoul, South Korea |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Park Sean (CEO)[1] |
| Products | Video games |
 KRW 294 billion (2016)[2] | |
| KRW 209 billion (2016)[2] | |
| Total assets | KRW 1,957 billion (2016)[2] |
| Total equity | KRW 1,310 billion (2016)[2] |
| Owner |
|
Number of employees | 3,000 non-consolidated in Korea (2016)[2] |
| Subsidiaries | Kabam Kung Fu Factory Jam City, Inc. (minority stake) |
| Website | [1] |
Netmarble Corp. (Korean: 넷마블 주식회사) is a South Korean game developer and publisher, which was founded in 2000 byBang Jun-hyuk.[4]
Netmarble originated from the game developer Ipopsoft (아이팝소프트), which faced financial trouble in the late 1990s. Bang Jun-hyuk, then an outsider, secured investment for the company and later took over as CEO, rebranding it as Netmarble.[5][6]
After early success, Netmarble was acquired byCJ Group in 2004.[7][8] Bang stepped down in 2006 due to health issues but returned in 2011 to refocus the company on mobile games.[8]
In 2015, Netmarble developedLineage 2: Revolution, which surpassed $924 million in revenue within 11 months of launch. The company continued releasing RPG mobile titles likeSeven Knights,Raven (Evilbane), andEverybody's Marble. As of 2015, it employed over 3,000 people and operated in 120+ countries. Netmarble went public in May 2017, raising $2.4 billion.[4]
Netmarble also formed a strategic partnership withCJ ENM and invested inSGN.[9]
Between 2015 and 2017, Netmarble licensedDisney IPs, producing games such asMarvel: Future Fight (2015),[10]Disney Magical Dice (2016),[11] andStar Wars: Force Arena (2017).[12]
In 2017, Netmarble acquiredKabam's Vancouver studio.[13] In 2018, it appointed Park Sean as co-CEO alongside Kwon Young-sik.[1]
That year, Netmarble acquired a 25.71% stake inBig Hit Entertainment (nowHybe Corporation), becoming its second-largest shareholder.[14][15]
Netmarble later shut down bothDisney Magical Dice andStar Wars: Force Arena, citing lack of support, leaving onlyFuture Fight active.[citation needed]
In 2021, Netmarble acquiredKung Fu Factory[16] and launched the subsidiary Metaverse Entertainment withKakao Entertainment.[17] It debuted the virtual girl groupMave: in 2023.[18]
Marvel Future Revolution launched in August 2021 but was shut down in August 2023 due to underperformance.[19] In January 2024, Netmarble shut down Metaverse Entertainment and laid off 70 employees.[20]
As of 2021, Netmarble's major shareholders included Bang Jun-hyuk (24.12%),CJ ENM (21.78%),Tencent via Han River Investment Pte. Ltd. (17.52%),NCsoft (6.8%), and others (29.78%).[21]
In July 2025, Netmarble's liquidity was significantly strengthened by its investment in HYBE shares. Despite selling approximately ₩743 billion worth of stock in 2023 and 2024, it retained a 9.44% stake (393,813 shares) valued at around ₩11.07 trillion. Its original 2018 investment of ₩201.4 billion in HYBE had appreciated considerably. Additionally, its stake inNCsoft rebounded from a ₩1.5 trillion write-down to an estimated ₩400 billion in value.[22]
Also in July 2025, Netmarble considered issuing ₩2.5 trillion in exchangeable bonds (EB), backed by part of its HYBE stake, to repay debt incurred from its ₩2 trillion acquisition ofSpinX. NH Investment & Securities was expected to underwrite the deal, supported by NH Hedge Asset Management and institutional investors. The company had previously used HYBE shares as collateral, including a 2023 block trade and a 2024 price return swap.[23]
However, in August 2025, Netmarble canceled the EB issuance due to volatility in HYBE's stock price following an "owner risk" scandal involving HYBE founder Bang Si-hyuk. The bond proceeds were intended to reduce SpinX-related debt, which has since been cut from approximately ₩1.6 trillion to the mid-₩200 billion range.[24]
| Year | Title | Developer | Publisher | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | GunZ: The Duel | MAIET Entertainment | Netmarble | Publisher in Korea only |
| Grand Chase | KOG Studios | Netmarble | One of many publishers | |
| 2007 | SD Gundam Capsule Fighter Online | Softmax | Netmarble | |
| 2008 | Uncharted Waters Online | Koei Tecmo | Netmarble | Publisher inNorth America and Europe only |
| Prius Online | CJI | Netmarble | ||
| 2012 | Scarlet Blade | Liveplex | Netmarble | |
| District 187: Sin Streets | Netmarble | Netmarble | ||
| 2014 | Seven Knights | Netmarble Nexus | Netmarble | |
| 2015 | Marvel Future Fight | Netmarble Monster | Netmarble | |
| 2016 | Lineage 2: Revolution | Netmarble Neo | Netmarble | |
| Knights Chronicle | Netmarble | Netmarble | Initially Japan only; released globally in June 2018;[25] shut down on July 4, 2023[26] | |
| 2017 | Star Wars: Force Arena | Netmarble Monster | Netmarble | Shut down on January 12, 2019 |
| Arena of Valor | TiMi Studio Group | Netmarble | Publisher only in Korea | |
| 2018 | Jackpot World | SpinX Games | SpinX Games | SpinX Games was acquired by Netmarble in August 2021. |
| The King of Fighters All Star | Netmarble Neo | Netmarble | Shut down on October 30, 2024 | |
| BTS World | Takeone Company Corp | Netmarble | ||
| 2020 | Seven Knights 2 | Netmarble Nexus | Netmarble | |
| Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross | Netmarble F&C | Netmarble | ||
| 2021 | Marvel Future Revolution | Netmarble Monster | Netmarble | Shut down on August, 25th 2023. |
| 2022 | Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds | Netmarble Neo | Netmarble | |
| 2023 | Paragon: The Overprime | Netmarble F&C | Netmarble | |
| Tower of God: New World | Netmarble | Netmarble | In all countries on July 27, 2023 | |
| 2024 | Solo Leveling: Arise | Netmarble Neo | Netmarble | |
| 2025 | Game of Thrones: Kingsroad[27] | Netmarble Neo | Netmarble | |
| TBA | RF Project | Netmarble | Netmarble | |
| Shangri-La Frontier | Netmarble Nexus | Netmarble |
| International | |
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| National | |
