NX3GAMES

What NX3GAMES does

NX3GAMES is a South Korean privately-held video game development company founded in June 2017 and headquartered in Seoul's Gangnam district (Lucent Tower, Teheran-ro). The company develops mobile and PC games across multiple genres, with a core focus on next-generation MMORPGs. Its product portfolio includes Lord Nine (the flagship mobile/PC title that achieved #1 revenue on Apple App Store and Google Play in Korea and won the Excellence Award at the 2024 Korea Game Awards), Rohan M (released across Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Southeast Asia), AVATARA (a blockchain-based P2E MMORPG), and a broad pipeline of development projects including Chronomaze, Project M5, Project Z, Project L, Project T, Project C, Project Outant, and Project Kana. Leadership is anchored by Sae-yong Kim, the producer of Ragnarok and Tree of Savior, lending established MMORPG domain expertise to the studio.

The company's technology encompasses proprietary next-generation MMORPG development capabilities, blockchain infrastructure for P2E gameplay (AVATARA), and metaverse platform integration through a partnership with Naver Z's ZEPETO. NX3GAMES operates wholly-owned regional subsidiaries—Toppa Studio in the United States (established Q2 2020) and Triple A Studio in China (established Q1 2020)—for regional market development. The company secured Series B funding at a USD 300 million valuation in Q3 2021.

NX3GAMES monetizes through freemium models (in-app purchases) on mobile app stores, paid game distribution on PC platforms, and revenue-sharing arrangements through global publishing partnerships—most notably Smilegate, which handles global publishing for Lord Nine and Project M5. The primary customer segment is mobile and PC gamers in Asian markets, with a secondary segment of blockchain and crypto-native gamers interested in P2E mechanics. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; no enterprise customer logos or B2B contracts are documented, consistent with a consumer-facing distribution model.

Name

NX3GAMES

Legal name

NX3GAMES

Website

https://nx3games.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

NX3GAMES is a South Korean game development company founded in 2017 that builds mobile and PC MMORPGs, blockchain P2E games, and metaverse titles for Asian consumer markets. Its flagship Lord Nine ranked #1 on Korean app stores, distributed globally through a Smilegate publishing partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile and PC MMORPG Games

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

akta.pro primary industry

Web3/Blockchain Game Studios (MPAFAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Blockchain Game Studios & Game Development (FSAPAGAC), GameFi Economies & Token Systems (tokens, staking, sinks/sources, inflation control) (FSAPAGAG), In-Game Asset Standards & Infrastructure (NFT items, marketplaces, royalties, asset registries) (FSAPAGAE)

Keywords

• Mobile game development
• MMORPG development
• Blockchain gaming
• Metaverse game platform
• PC game publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Daechidong

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Game Publishing Revenue: Revenue generated from publishing mobile and PC games through app stores and direct distribution. Lord Nine achieved #1 revenue ranking on Apple App Store and Google Play in Korea, demonstrating strong commercial performance.
2. P2E/Blockchain Gaming: Revenue from blockchain-based P2E MMORPG AVATARA, combining traditional gaming monetization with play-to-earn token mechanics.
3. Global Publishing Contracts: Revenue sharing arrangements through global publishing partnerships, such as the Smilegate publishing contract for Lord Nine and Project M5 global publishing agreement.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

NX3GAMES is a South Korean video game development company that develops, publishes, and distributes MMORPGs and other game genres across mobile, PC, blockchain, and metaverse platforms. Its core product portfolio includes flagship title Lord Nine (mobile/PC MMORPG with global publishing by Smilegate), Rohan M (multi-market MMORPG), AVATARA (blockchain-based P2E MMORPG), and My Pet Diary (metaverse platform game on Naver ZEPETO). The company leverages proprietary next-generation MMORPG development technology and pursues both Korean and global markets through app stores, publishing partners, and regional subsidiary studios.

Product overview

NX3GAMES is a Korean game development company with a portfolio of games across multiple platforms including mobile, PC, and emerging technologies like blockchain and metaverse. The core products include Lord Nine (their flagship mobile/PC game achieving #1 revenue in Korea and Excellence Award), Chronomaze, AVATARA (blockchain P2E MMORPG), Rohan M (released across multiple Asian markets), and My Pet Diary (metaverse platform game). The company also operates several development projects (Project M5, T, C, Z, L, Outant, Kana) targeting both Korean and global markets. NX3GAMES has two international subsidiaries: Toppa Studio (USA) and Triple A Studio (China). The company pursues a 'Next' vision, focusing on cutting-edge graphics and technology exploration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lord Nine A mobile/PC MMORPG developed by NX3GAMES that achieved #1 in revenue on Apple App Store and Google Play in Korea, winning the Excellence Award at the 2024 Korea Game Awards. Published globally by Smilegate.
• Rohan M An MMORPG released across multiple Asian markets including Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Reached #1 in App Store sales ranking in Korea.
• AVATARA A blockchain-based P2E (Play-to-Earn) MMORPG launched globally in Q1 2023, combining traditional gaming monetization with play-to-earn token mechanics.
• My Pet Diary A game released on the Naver Zepeto metaverse platform in Q3 2022.
• Chronomaze A game project listed in NX3GAMES portfolio on the official Games page.

Quantifiable outcome

• Lord Nine achieved #1 revenue ranking on Apple App Store and Google Play in Korea (Q3 2024)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• SmilegatecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 April 2023Global publishing contract signed in Q2 2023 for Lord Nine. Smilegate handles global distribution and publishing of the game, leveraging their international network and publishing expertise to reach broader markets beyond Korea.
• Naver Z (ZEPETO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2022Partnership for metaverse platform integration on ZEPETO. Projects include My Pet Diary launched on Naver Zepeto (Q3 2022) and Project C development initiated (Q4 2021). NX3 develops games specifically for the metaverse platform.
• Project M5 Global Publishing PartnersflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2022Agreement on global publishing of Project M5 in Q3 2022. This is a flagship next-generation MMORPG led by Sae-yong Kim, producer of Ragnarok and Tree of Savior, targeting global markets.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pearl Abyss: South Korean game developer behind the Black Desert Online MMORPG franchise, listed on KOSPI. Directly comparable as a Korean-headquartered MMORPG-focused studio with global publishing ambitions and comparable headcount and pipeline scope.
• Wemade: Korean game developer behind the Legend of Mir franchise and operator of the WEMIX blockchain platform. Closely comparable to NX3 as a Korean MMORPG studio that has also built a Web3/blockchain gaming stack, making it the most direct cross-format peer.
• Krafton: Korean game developer and publisher of PUBG, TERA, and The Callisto Protocol. Comparable as a large Korean game developer with prior MMORPG experience (TERA) and global publishing scale, competing for similar talent and Korean/global market share.
• Com2uS: Korean mobile and online game developer of Summoners War and a major blockchain gaming player via the C2X/XPLA ecosystem. Comparable as a Korean studio operating across mobile MMORPGs and blockchain gaming, with similar cross-format ambitions to NX3.
• Webzen: Korean game developer and publisher of MU Online and the upcoming MU Origin 3 / Dark Legend titles. Comparable as a Korean-headquartered MMORPG studio with similar scale and target demographic.

Broad incumbents

• Smilegate: Korean game developer/publisher of CrossFire and Lost Ark, and NX3's global publishing partner for Lord Nine and Project M5. Comparable as a much larger Korean incumbent that both develops flagship MMORPG-style games and operates the global publishing infrastructure NX3 relies on.
• NCSoft: Korean game developer of the Lineage, Aion, and Blade & Soul MMORPG franchises. Comparable as an established Korean MMORPG incumbent with significantly larger scale, competing for the same Korean and global MMORPG audience.
• Netmarble: Korean mobile and online game developer/publisher of Lineage 2 Revolution and Marvel Future Fight. Comparable as a large Korean incumbent developing MMORPG IPs for mobile and PC, directly overlapping with NX3's product strategy.
• Kakao Games: Korean game publisher and developer affiliated with Kakao, publishing titles such as PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Black Desert Online in Korea. Comparable as a Korean game publishing/development platform that NX3's titles could partner with or compete against for distribution.

Emerging players

• Sky Mavis: Vietnam-based developer of Axie Infinity, one of the most prominent blockchain P2E games. Comparable as a Web3-native game studio whose P2E mechanics and on-chain economies most closely parallel NX3's AVATARA business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/surffinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NX3GAMES