Nexon Has Strong Q4, Looks To KartRider And Embark Studios To Bolster 2020

Nexon reported its "Highest Ever Q4 Revenue in Korea" in its most recent financial report to investors, thanks in large part to MapleStory, MapleStory M, and FIFA Online 4. New mobile MMORPG V4 also got a call-out for its "solid" early performance; it's currently ranked #4 in both the Google Play Store and App Store.

In fact, most of the financial report is a celebration of Nexon's IPs, with impressive numbers to go with them: Dungeon&Fighter has grossed over $10 billion, MapleStory has total revenue about equal to Disney's Frozen franchise (which is "only" about $2.6 billion), while over half of the Korean population, and 45% of Taiwan's, have played KartRider.

Results from the rest of the world were not as rosy, with revenues dipping slightly in Japan, North America, Europe, and other regions. For 2020, the only region that's expected to improve year-over-year is Korea. Even so, the company is looking forward to 2020, with Dungeon&Fighter 2D Mobile, KartRider: Drift, and Embark Studios' initial title also on the schedule. Technically, those three fall under the category of "Product Beats," so it's uncertain as to whether we'll see an actual launch for Embark's game, which sounds cool but for which solid details are lacking.

Finally, if you're still wondering why nearly every game developer out there -- and some retail platforms -- celebrate Lunar New Year, a Chinese holiday that takes place during Q1 of every fiscal year, look no further than this chart:

Given its strong presence in China, Nexon probably benefits from its Lunar New Year promotions in January and February more than most companies, but even a fraction of that kind of revenue increase is enough for game companies to see red -- and green.