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| "Black Desert Mobile" developed by Pearl Abyss / Courtesy of Pearl Abyss |
By Jun Ji-hye
Pearl Abyss has been riding high on the popular mobile version of its multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), "Black Desert."
In the second quarter of the year, the Korean game developer posted 112.7 billion won ($98 million) in sales with a 54.8 billion won operating profit. The sales and operating profit surged 241.2 percent and 147.1 percent from a year ago, respectively.
The great performance of the company stands out compared to other bigger game firms that saw downward curves in their operating profits during the April-June period due to delays in releasing new games.
Nexon, the nation's top game developer and publisher, saw a 2 percent decrease in its operating profit, while that of Netmarble Games fell by 40.8 percent during the same period.
Pearl Abyss said its sales of the mobile division, generated by "Black Desert Mobile," were tallied at 82.8 billion won, a 99.1 percent surge from the previous quarter.
"Black Desert Mobile has led our sales increase," a Pearl Abyss official said.
Since the mobile game was released in February, the firm has created consistent updates, offering abundant content to users.
The game is placed at the No.2 spot at the Google Play Store in sales after NCSOFT's "Lineage M."
The growth trend of Pearl Abyss is expected to continue in the latter half of the year, with the firm scheduled to begin the service of "Black Desert Mobile" in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, Aug. 29. Afterward, the game will be released in Japan and the United States next year.
The game firm also plans to establish subsidiaries in Japan and the United States during the third quarter to actively target overseas markets.
In order to develop new games and expand its global business, the company will increase the number of employees to 700 this year from its current 500.
The company is also giving efforts to diversify its game publishing platforms to expand its market influence and attract more users. Such plans include the release of the game for console devices in the fourth quarter.
"We are in the final stage of developing the console version," said Cho Seok-woo in charge of financial affairs at Pearl Abyss. "We expect we can bring it out to the market soon."
The firm's robust performance also appeared to inspire investors as its share price surged 4.95 percent to 237,600 won, Friday.
Kosdaq closed at 784.81, down 4.67 points or 0.59 percent from its previous close.
