What Linkworld does

Linkworld (operating as LinkWorld International Limited, also branded LKWD) is a Shanghai-headquartered gaming marketing agency that provides end-to-end marketing services to mobile game publishers expanding into Asian markets, with primary delivery in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. The agency was founded circa 2016 and currently operates from three offices — Shanghai (headquarters), Taipei, and Wuhan — with 110 full-time employees. Service offerings are organized into six lines: Game Marketing (strategy and full campaign execution), KOL Services (access to a network of more than 3,000 Key Opinion Leaders across Asian markets), Offline Marketing (events plus outdoor placements such as subway advertising), Celebrity Marketing (top-tier celebrity representation for game branding), Brand Creative (in-house design team of 10+ designers), and UE4 Creative (50+ Unreal Engine 4 specialists producing user-acquisition ad creative).

The agency's underlying production stack is built on specialized human creative talent rather than software platforms. Its proprietary assets are the KOL network (3,000+ relationships), the UE4 expert bench (50+), and the in-house brand design team (10+), all concentrated on gaming-vertical output. There is no indication of proprietary software products, AI tooling, or API-based delivery; services are delivered as professional engagements.

Linkworld's go-to-market is sales-led, with direct engagement to enterprise game publishers. The company has executed 350+ projects across Asian markets and reports 120+ active client relationships. The client base is concentrated in mobile game publishing and includes marquee enterprise customers such as Level Infinite (Tencent's global publishing arm), NUVERSE, NetEase, Lilith, Bilibili, Century Games, StarUnion, Yoozoo, Sky Entertainment, DeNA, FingerFun, JunHai Entertainment, and Happy Elements. Revenue is generated through project-based, quote-driven professional services engagements; no pricing or revenue figures are publicly disclosed, and Linkworld is a privately held company with no reported institutional funding rounds.

Name

Linkworld

Legal name

LinkWorld International Limited

Website

https://lkwd.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Linkworld is a Shanghai-based gaming marketing agency providing mobile game publishers end-to-end marketing services—including strategy, 3000+ KOL campaigns, offline events, celebrity endorsements, brand creative, and UE4 creative production—across Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Game Marketing Services: Full-service marketing agency providing strategy development and campaign execution for mobile game publishers expanding into Asian markets (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Southeast Asia)

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Linkworld is a B2B marketing agency that plans and executes full mobile-game marketing campaigns across Asian markets. Its services span marketing strategy, KOL/influencer activation through a 3,000+ KOL network, offline events and out-of-home media (including subway placements), celebrity endorsements, in-house brand creative design, and UE4-based user acquisition creative production for client game publishers.

Product overview

Linkworld (LKWD) is a mobile gaming marketing agency offering a comprehensive suite of services including Game Marketing (strategy and execution), KOL Services (access to 3000+ influencers), Offline Marketing (events and outdoor), Celebrity Marketing, Brand Creative (in-house design team of 10+), and UE4 Creative (50+ UE4 specialists for UA creative). The company operates as a service-based agency rather than a software product platform, with services designed to help mobile games reach global audiences in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Game Marketing Marketing strategy and full marketing execution services for mobile games, including campaign planning and performance optimization, offered to mobile game publishers expanding into Asian markets.
• KOL Services Key Opinion Leader (influencer) connection services providing access to more than 3,000 KOLs for game promotion across Asian markets including Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia.
• Offline Marketing Offline event organization and outdoor advertising services including subway and other out-of-home media placements for game publishers operating in Asian markets.
• Celebrity Marketing Top celebrity representation services for game branding and promotional campaigns, leveraging celebrity endorsements for game launches in Asian markets.
• Brand Creative In-house creative design services with 10+ designers specializing in game branding, visual assets, and brand materials for mobile game publishers.
• UE4 Creative Unreal Engine 4 creative services for user acquisition (UA) ad creative production, delivered by a team of more than 50 UE4 experts to produce video ads and playable assets for mobile game user acquisition campaigns.

Named customers16 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Level InfinitecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor game publisher client for whom Linkworld has executed marketing campaigns including Dragon Realm Fantasy (龙族幻想) in Japan market (2020-2022). Level Infinite is a subsidiary of Tencent specializing in global game publishing.
• NUVERSEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTop-tier gaming publisher for whom Linkworld executed Ragnarok X Next Generation marketing campaign across Southeast Asia (2021-2022).
• NetEasecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured as top client on Linkworld's client roster. NetEase is a major Chinese game publisher with global operations.
• LilithcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured as top client. Lilith Games is a prominent mobile game developer and publisher known for Rise of Kingdoms and AFK Arena.
• BilibilicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured as top client. Bilibili is a leading Chinese video platform with significant gaming division.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Moloco: Mobile programmatic advertising and machine-learning platform providing user acquisition solutions for app and gaming advertisers. Comparable to Linkworld as a mobile-game marketing services provider with a stronger technology/platform component.
• Digital Turbine: Mobile advertising and monetization platform (incorporating AdColony and Fyber) serving gaming and app advertisers globally. Operates in the same mobile game marketing ecosystem as Linkworld via media buying, creative, and user acquisition services.
• Liftoff: US-headquartered mobile ad-tech platform specializing in user acquisition and creative for gaming apps. Provides the same core mobile game marketing services as Linkworld — creative production, UA, and media buying — but at global scale with proprietary technology.
• Septeni Holdings: Japanese digital advertising and marketing holding company with a strong focus on gaming clients and digital ad operations. Closely comparable to Linkworld in digital-first, gaming-specialized marketing services in the Japanese and broader Asian market.
• Adways: Japan-based mobile marketing and ad-tech company providing mobile advertising solutions with a focus on app and gaming clients. Directly comparable to Linkworld in mobile-first, app-ecosystem marketing services across Asian markets.
• FreakOut Holdings: Japanese digital advertising technology and marketing firm providing programmatic and digital media services. Competes with Linkworld for gaming advertiser budgets in Japan and APAC and operates a similar tech-enabled, digital-first agency model.

Broad incumbents

• Cheil Worldwide: Major Korean advertising agency affiliated with Samsung Group with a global gaming marketing practice. Competes with Linkworld for Korean and pan-Asian gaming publisher clients and operates a full-service offering across strategy, creative, and media.
• Hakuhodo: Second-largest Japanese advertising agency with significant gaming and digital marketing capabilities. Serves major game publishers in Japan and broader Asia, directly overlapping with Linkworld's core markets while offering a much wider agency portfolio.
• Innocean Worldwide: Korean-headquartered global advertising agency (Hyundai Motor Group affiliate) with a growing digital and gaming practice. Comparable to Linkworld as a cross-border marketing services provider serving Asian markets, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Dentsu: Japan-headquartered global advertising network with a dedicated gaming practice that delivers cross-border marketing services to mobile game publishers in Asia. Competes with Linkworld for the same publisher marketing budgets but operates at vastly larger scale with a much broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lkwd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Linkworld