BW Gaming World
KRAFTON recorded 2022 sales of KRW 1,854 billion, OP of KRW 751.6 billion and NP of KRW 500.2 billion in accordance with the Korean International Financial Reporting Standards. Total sales retreated slightly YoY, but annual OP grew 16 per cent YoY to achieve an OPM of 41 per cent. Q4 2022 sales landed at KRW473.8 billion, up 7 per cent YoY, and OP reached KRW126.2 billion, up 179 per cent YoY.
In 2022, KRAFTON solidly operated its core gaming operations and engaged in full-blown efforts to push forward in the global AAA console market. Owing to this, PC and console sales grew 17 per cent and 430 per cent YoY to KRW465 billion and KRW 104.1 billion, respectively, with combined sales growing significantly to account for 31 per cent of total sales. The increasing contribution of PC and console sales is attributed to the continued growth demonstrated by PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, securing approximately 45 million new users after the transition to free-to-play, and the release of The Callisto Protocol in Q4 2022.
Annual mobile sales reached KRW 1,252.8 billion. Although it dropped 12 per cent YoY, KRAFTON attracted more paying users and defended its top spot among mobile battle royale games with new mode updates, small map releases and more collaborations. KRAFTON solidified its position as a global game company with overseas sales accounting for 94 per cent of total sales.
Along with the earnings release, KRAFTON proposed strengthening publishing and production capabilities as the two points of direction for 2023. Backed by its experience gained from launching an AAA game in the global market in 2022, the company plans to focus on game development and publishing to secure a continuous game lineup.
To discover a new IP, KRAFTON will open KRAFTON Montréal Studio, a new studio in Montreal, Canada. KRAFTON Montréal Studio will step up the game development of The Bird That Drinks Tears, led by a prominent figure in the gaming industry, Patrik Méthé, Head of Studio. KRAFTON also unveiled its major game pipelines including Project BlackBudget, Project GoldRush and The Next Subnautica.
Moreover, KRAFTON emphasized its plans to continue investment in deep learning, as a new key business, and sustain game-led expansion. KRAFTON is currently engaged in deep learning projects in four major areas, striving to discover new gameplay based on deep learning and launch the early version of Virtual Game Friend in 2023. Using game production technology, KRAFTON is also preparing a mobile-oriented open-world virtual platform service, planning to test it in the first half of the year and officially release it within this year. With this opportunity, it will start activating a create-to-earn (C2E) ecosystem that connects creators and brands.
“In 2022, the company internally solidified production and servicing capabilities while making new attempts in the global market”. He added, “Building on the experience gained in 2022, we will create more opportunities to showcase a lineup featuring strong gameplay and focus on reinforcing efficiency in 2023,” said CH Kim, CEO, KRAFTON.
