Posts Tagged ‘Mabinogi’

Nexon North America reports a 42 percent jump in Q4 revenues

Friday, January 28th, 2011

Nexon America, the North American publishing arm of Nexon global, is reporting a healthy revenue jump of 42 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010. Nexon is pointing to a strong showing in December, when Nexon reports a 60 percent increase in revenues YoY when compared to 2009’s revenues.

Nexon North America’s microtransaction based revenue generators include their highly successful FPS Combat Arms, classic MapleStory, Vindictus, Dungeon Fighter Online, Mabinogi, and PopTag! While now available for consideration on the “classics” list, Nexon’s one-that-started-it-all, MapleStory continues to drive revenues and expansion at Nexon North America, as the “Big Bang” expansion was a large driver of late 2010 revenues, bringing in not only a host of new players, but perhaps more importantly, pulling back lapsed players. As a point of reference, in mid-December, Nexon reports a massive 136,000 concurrent MapleStory players, a number that shattered the title’s previous record, in fact, nearly doubling the former record.

“It was a tremendous fourth quarter and year for Nexon and MapleStory’s Big Bang had a lot to do with it,” said Daniel Kim, Nexon America’s CEO in a statement. “Nexon has perfected a formula for gameplay with a business model that attracts players and keeps them loyal. Players don’t have to pay a cent to enjoy Nexon’s games, but our players who do pay to enhance their gameplay experience tend to spend more than the typical social gamer or subscription-based game player. Evidence of the success of this formula was seen with the release of the Big Bang expansion and the resulting increase in concurrent players and revenues.”

And although Nexon has been at it for some 10 years now, first introducing the world to the free-to-play, pay small bits of money in the game, aka microtransaction, model, the company doesn’t show any signs of resting on it’s collective laurels. 2011 hold a new title in store for Nexon America, the anticipated Dragon Nest – a fantasy based action MMOG. Initially unveiled at the 2010 E3 expo, Dragon Nest has been received with fervor in Korea and elsewhere.

“Dragon Nest will continue to raise the bar for microtransaction-based games and should energize the North American market with stylized graphics, fast action and immersive gameplay,” Kim said.

 

Nexon and 7-Eleven cross promote with in-game items and beta key giveaways

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

Free-to-play giant Nexon and fructose corn syrup magnet 7-Eleven have been working together for almost a year now via selling Nexon pre-paid cards at a number of the highly popular convenience stores.  Things just got a bit more interesting this past Monday, when Nexon and 7-Eleven unveiled an in-game Slurpee/game code cross promotion.

Titled “Where U Play For Free!”, the cross promotion features Slurpee cups that feature graphics from Nexon’s popular titles; MapleStory, Mabinogi, Combat Arms, and the upcoming Sugar Rush.  Partakers of über sugared icy goodness will receive a Nexon game DVD when ordering up a 22-oz. or larger Slurpee, including all 4 games featured on the specially branded cups.

Ok, so far so good…7-Eleven is promoting Nexon via a free-to-play game giveaway, but what’s in it for 7-Eleven?  Ah ha! Glad you asked.  Here’s where things get really interesting.  Each Nexon branded Slurpee cup has an exclusive game code that may be entered in any one of Nexon’s titles to redeem custom 7-Eleven branded in-game gear.  Mabinogi features 20 in-game Slurpees that recover 100 HP each.  The MapleStory code will provide double XP for 90 Minutes, and the Combat Arms code will provide players with a 7-Eleven Cap and Supply Case that contains a free weapon.  If this isn’t brilliant enough, the game code ALSO provides 7-Eleven customers the opportunity to participate in the closed beat of Sugar Rush.  That’s a heckuva cool way to get in on a beta that’s scheduled for an early ’09 release.

“We’ve seen great success with the Nexon pre-paid cash cards and this partnership further solidifies 7-Eleven as a premier gaming destination,” said Brad Haga, 7-Eleven’s senior product director of services. “Free-to-play games are more popular than ever in North America, and with Nexon, we can deliver a dynamic experience for our customers looking for great entertainment.”

Now let’s take a step back to have a better look at what’s going on here.  Nexon has been leading the free-to-play charge in North America for quite a while now, and has obviously made great headway.  A strategic partnership with a non-game related brick and mortar store has been a brilliant move.  At a shop where you might stop to pick up some milk on the way home, grab a quick bite on the go, or quench your thirst (I might even have a reason to buy a Slurpee now), why not pick up a pre-paid game card to fuel your free-to-play compulsion?  Great move in itself.

Now add the branded cups, in-game virtual item redemption codes, including access to a closed beta, and in-game branded merchandise?  Someone slap me and wake me up, as this has got to be one of the best moves of the year.  If this campaign is even remotely successful, I could imagine retailers lining up around the block to get their message branded in in-game virtual items.  Racing game?  Great.  How about redeeming an Exxon cap after purchasing $20 of gas or more?  Exxon could then sell pre-paid gaming cards right next to those pre-paid phone cards.

The Nexon/7-Eleven cross promotion is a stellar example of how virtual worlds, and their associated real world marketing and advertising opportunities are becoming more and more visible and valuable to the entire business.  Do I want to see every mom and pop joint with a redeemable in-game code?  No.  Do I want to see great forays into realizing and recognizing the real-world financial possibilities for the sale, trade, and consumption of virtual world items and services? Absolutely!

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