YJM Games

What YJM Games does

YJM Games Co., Ltd. (operating under parent LINKED Co., LTD, KOSDAQ ticker 193250) is a Seoul-headquartered, publicly listed Korean entertainment and technology group operating across three business divisions: mobile game publishing, VR/AR/MR content, and IT components manufacturing. Founded in 2011 by former Nexon business director Min Yongjae together with veterans from Netmarble, Nexon, and JCE, the company has scaled to global publishing across 50+ countries and operates manufacturing facilities in Weihai and Liaocheng (China) and Vinh Phuc (Vietnam), with a US subsidiary (YJM Games USA, Los Angeles) supporting VR investment and content acquisition.

The product portfolio spans freemium mobile RPGs, action, racing, and VR titles (e.g., Once Heroes, I Cannot Be A Hero, NAN: The Prince's Whereabouts, BladeX, BangYaBangYa, Kingdom: Blood of Kings, Overtun, Kart Chaser, Smashing the Battle), distributed via Google Play, Apple App Store, One Store, Kakao Games, Steam, HTC Vive, Oculus, PICO Store, and Microsoft Store. The VR division (YJM VR, formerly YJM Entertainment) is anchored by the Seoul VR Startups accelerator (a JV with Japan's gumi Inc.) and the oneIMMERS JV with SURVIOS for offline VR cafe operations, while the IT components division supplies Brush DC, Brushless DC, Cylindrical DC, and Linear AC motors primarily for haptic and industrial applications.

The company monetizes through freemium mobile in-app purchases (currencies, characters, items), one-time VR game licenses across Steam and VR storefronts, hardware sales from the motor business, and managed VR cafe operations (self-operated and franchise, in partnership with Juyeon Tech). CJ Corporation is the largest disclosed shareholder at 40.1% as of July 2018, with no AI/ML capabilities, US exchange listing, or recent (post-2015) audited revenue figures disclosed in the available data.

Name

YJM Games

Legal name

YJM Games Co., Ltd.

Website

https://yjmgames.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Short description

YJM Games (LINKED Co., LTD), a KOSDAQ-listed Korean group, publishes mobile and VR games globally across 50+ countries and manufactures small DC/AC motors in China and Vietnam, serving mass-market gamers, VR platform users, and electronics manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile and VR Game Publishing

NAICS

Software Publishers (51321), Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (33993)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategy/4X/Management Game Studios (MPAFAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital Game Marketplaces & Item Economies (NFT/Skins/Trading) (BPAMAKAJ)

Keywords

• Mobile game publishing
• VR game development
• IT component manufacturing
• VR arcade operations
• Immersive content

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Mobile Game Publishing: Revenue from publishing mobile games globally through app stores, including in-game currency sales (ruby, gold), character/item purchases, and premium content
2. VR Game Publishing and Development: Revenue from publishing and developing VR games for platforms including Steam, HTC Vive, and Oculus
3. IT Components (Motors): Sales of brush DC motors, brushless DC motors, cylindrical DC motors, and linear AC motors for various applications
4. VR Cafe Operations: Offline VR entertainment through VR cafe franchise and directly operated locations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

YJM Games develops and publishes mobile games (titles including I Cannot Be A Hero, Once Heroes, NAN, Book of Dimension, Cart Battle, BladeX, BangYaBangYa, Jinhon for Kakao, Kingdom: Blood of Kings, Warrior! Mining Life Site, and Clan & Conquest) and VR/AR/MR content (Kart Chaser, Overtun, Smashing the Battle, Overturn: Revive) for global consumer and platform partners, while also manufacturing IT component motors (Brush DC, Brushless DC, Cylindrical DC, and Linear AC) for electronics industry buyers, and operating VR cafe franchise infrastructure through its parent LINKED Co., LTD.

Product overview

YJM Games operates as a mobile game publishing company with a diversified portfolio across three main business divisions: IT Components (motor manufacturing including Brush DC, Brushless DC, Cylindrical DC, and Linear AC motors), VR/AR/MR Content (including Seoul VR Startups acceleration program, VR game publishing, and YJM Games USA subsidiary), and Mobile Games (publishing both self-developed and partner-developed titles). The mobile game portfolio includes collection RPGs (I Cannot Be A Hero with 300+ heroes), turn-based RPGs (Once Heroes), action RPGs (NAN: The Prince's Whereabouts, BladeX, Kingdom: Blood of Kings), racing games (Cart Battle), dungeon shooters (BangYaBangYa), and VR titles (Overtun, Kart Chaser, Smashing the Battle). Products are distributed via Google Play, Apple App Store, One Store, Kakao Games, Steam, HTC Vive, and PICO platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• I Cannot Be A Hero (mobile game) Mobile game title under YJM Games' mobile publishing catalog, targeting consumer gamers on Android and iOS devices via the Google Play, Apple App Store, One Store, and Kakao Games platforms.
• Once Heroes (mobile game) Mobile game title in YJM Games' mobile publishing catalog, released to consumer players on Android and iOS through major Korean and global app storefronts.
• NAN (mobile game) Mobile game title published by YJM Games, available to consumer gamers on Android and iOS storefronts.
• Book of Dimension (mobile game) Mobile game title under YJM Games' published catalog for consumer mobile gamers.
• Cart Battle (mobile game) Mobile game title published by YJM Games for consumer players on Android and iOS platforms.
• BladeX (mobile game) Mobile game title in YJM Games' mobile publishing catalog targeted at consumer mobile gamers.
• BangYaBangYa (mobile game) Mobile game title in YJM Games' mobile publishing catalog for consumer players on Android and iOS.
• Jinhon for Kakao (mobile game) Mobile game version published by YJM Games for the Kakao Games messaging/gaming platform and other major Korean app storefronts.
• Kingdom: Blood of Kings (mobile game) Mobile game title in YJM Games' mobile publishing catalog for consumer mobile gamers.
• Warrior! Mining Life Site (mobile game) Mobile game title published by YJM Games for consumer players on Android and iOS platforms.
• Clan & Conquest (mobile game) Mobile game title in YJM Games' mobile publishing catalog for consumer mobile gamers.
• Kart Chaser (VR game) VR game title developed and published by YJM Games, targeted at VR headset owners on HTC Vive, Oculus, and PICO Store.
• Overtun (VR game) VR game title in YJM Games' VR/AR/MR content catalog for VR headset users.
• Smashing the Battle (VR game) VR game title developed and published by YJM Games, for players on HTC Vive, Oculus, and PICO Store.
• Overturn: Revive (VR game) VR game title in YJM Games' VR/AR/MR content catalog, distributed on HTC Vive, Oculus, and PICO Store.
• IT Components — Brush DC, Brushless DC, Cylindrical DC, and Linear AC Motors Manufactured electromechanical motor product line including Brush DC, Brushless DC, Cylindrical DC, and Linear AC motors, sold by YJM Games to electronics OEMs and industrial buyers for integration into finished products.
• VR Café Operations via LINKED Co., LTD VR café venue operations linked to YJM Games' VR/AR/MR content catalog through parent LINKED Co., LTD, providing physical locations where consumers can experience YJM Games' VR titles such as Kart Chaser, Overtun, Smashing the Battle, and Overturn: Revive.

Quantifiable outcome

• Once Heroes reached 200,000 pre-registrations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Action SquarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 February 2024Development partnership for mobile game 'Kingdom: Blood of Kings' (킹덤: 왕가의 피). YJM Games publishing the game developed by Action Square. Global pre-registration reached 500,000 users.
• Won UniversecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 February 2024Metaverse platform development partnership. Won Universe developing 'Overturn: Revive' published by YJM Games on PICO Store. Also partnered for NFT-P&E game 'Champions Arena' alpha test.
• One UniverseminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 February 2024Partnership for non-face-to-face Taekwondo platform 'Step: Taekwondo' joint business contract.
• CJ 4DPLEX (4DX VR)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2017Content distribution partnership for VR experiences. CJ 4DPLEX providing 4DX VR technology for VR content distribution.
• SURVIOScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 October 2017Partnership through oneIMMERS joint venture. SURVIOS is a global top VR game developer. Joint offline VR cafe 'ENTER VR' business launched.
• StudioHG (Han Dae-hoon)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 January 2017VR game publishing partnership for 'Smashing The Battle' HTC Vive version and 'Overtun'. Han Dae-hoon is a VR star developer from Mabinogi and Blade & Soul background.
• Juyeon TechcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 December 2016VR business MOU for VR cafe franchise operations. Joint venture established for offline VR business including VR cafe self-operated and franchise locations. YJM Games supplying VR games to Juyeon Tech VR cafes.
• Hongbin Network (China)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 November 2016China VR strategic partnership for VR content publishing and distribution. Plans include Korea-China VR cafe and China theme park ventures. Hongbin Network is location-based VR platform leader in Shanghai.
• Spigen KoreaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 November 2016Collaboration event with 'I Can't Be a Hero' iOS launch featuring Spigen Korea products as in-game items and promotional partnership.
• BitaPardaz (Iran)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 9 September 2016Iran mobile game publishing joint venture. First Korean game company to enter Iranian market. JV for localization and publishing of YJM Games titles in Iran and Middle East.
• Gumi (Japan)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 August 2016Joint venture for Seoul VR Startups (SVS) - VR incubation program. Gumi providing Tokyo VR Startups (TVS) network and operational know-how. YJM Games providing Korean VR talent and content scouting.
• IllioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 August 2016VR game publishing partnership with equity investment. Illion developing VR game for Sony PlayStation VR. YJM Games investing in Illion for VR publishing expansion.
• YG EntertainmentminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 June 2016Marketing partnership featuring YG's mascot character KRUNK as a hero in 'I Can't Be a Hero' mobile game.
• W-FoundationminorOthers · 9 June 2016Climate refugee relief cooperation. YJM Games adding W-Foundation hero character in 'I Can't Be a Hero' for world natural conservation and climate refugee relief activities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Pearl Abyss: Korean game developer (Black Desert Online). Larger Korean gaming incumbent operating across mobile and PC; comparable business model and Korean market dynamics to YJM.
• NCSoft: Major Korean game developer (Lineage franchise). Larger incumbent in the same Korean mobile/online gaming industry; competes for talent, IP partnerships, and Korean gamer wallet share.

Direct peers

• Nexon: Major Korean/Japanese online and mobile game publisher. Comparable as YJM's CEO Min Yongjae is a Nexon alumnus; both publish mobile and online games globally, though Nexon operates at significantly larger scale.
• Kakao Games: Korean mobile and online game publisher. Direct comparable — YJM publishes Jinhon for Kakao through Kakao Games' Korean distribution platform, and both companies compete in Korean mobile RPG/action game publishing.
• Netmarble: Korean mobile game publisher also listed on KOSDAQ. Directly comparable to YJM Games: publishes mobile RPGs and action games globally, has partnered with YJM for Japan distribution of Kart Battle, and competes in the same Korean and global mobile gaming categories.
• Com2uS: Korean mobile game developer and publisher (subsidiary of Gamevil). Comparable to YJM in mobile RPG and collectible card game publishing, with global distribution footprint and KOSDAQ/KOSPI listed status.
• Krafton: Korean game developer/publisher (PUBG franchise). Comparable Korean game publisher with mobile publishing capabilities and global distribution; competes for similar mobile gaming wallet share and talent.
• gumi Inc. Japanese mobile game developer. Direct comparable and YJM's joint venture partner for Seoul VR Startups; both publish mobile RPGs and have VR content initiatives, providing cross-market comparability.
• Action Square: Korean mobile game developer (Uncharted Wars, Kingdom: Blood of Kings). Direct comparable in Korean mobile RPG genre; Action Square develops Kingdom: Blood of Kings which YJM publishes — both companies operate in the same niche.

Emerging players

• SURVIOS: US-based VR game developer (Creed, Sprint Vector). Direct peer in VR game development and YJM's JV partner via oneIMMERS for the ENTER VR cafe business; comparable VR content strategy and location-based VR ambitions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookbusiness.facebook.com/yjmgames
• Xx.com/yjmgames

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments2 records

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

Frequently asked questions about YJM Games