In less than a day – only eight hours after its debut – Netmarble Corp.’s Vampir had already drained the competition.
The gothic-themed new title topped Apple App Store’s top-grossing chart in South Korea by late Tuesday, the company said on Wednesday, underscoring both strong anticipation and voracious early spending by players.
Set in a dark medieval world, Vampir, a vampire-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), allows players to build characters through customizable bloodlines, with gameplay shaped by moon phases and clan allegiances.
Built by veterans of the Lineage 2: Revolution team, the game supports cross-play between mobile and PC through Netmarble’s Connect app.
The launch highlights the major Korean gaming publisher’s bid to regain momentum in the global mobile gaming market, where growth has slowed and competition has intensified.
Best known for hits such as Lineage 2: Revolution and Seven Knights, the game developer is betting that a string of new releases will revive its fortunes.
Netmarble plans to roll out at least six more titles in the second half of this year, spanning original intellectual properties and diverse genres.
The lineup includes King of Fighters AFK, Mongil: Star Dive, The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, Project SOL and Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive, in addition to Vampir.
Earlier in 2025, the company scored with two successful launches, raising investor expectations for a strong year-end.
Despite Vampir’s strong start, Netmarble shares slipped 0.8% in Wednesday afternoon trading.
By Sookyung Seo
skseo@hankyung.com
Jennifer Nicholson-Breen edited this article.
