The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross proves to be a major success, though players bemoan the handling of its global version
Gacha RPG makes the big bucks
The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross, Netmarble's gacha RPG, proved to be quite the hit when it topped 3 million downloads within its first week of launch. Sure, high download numbers might not always equate to incredible in-game spending, but in the case of Grand Cross, it seems like the South Korean developer has got itself a real winner.
Netmarble released its financial results for the first quarter of 2020 earlier today, and Grand Cross was among its best-performing titles, pulling in 12% of the company's revenue.
Marvel Contest of Champions appears to be its top-performing game, amassing 14% of the company's revenue. For those interested, Lineage 2: Revolution earned Netmarble 11% of its quarterly revenue, Blade & Soul Revolution's Korean version managed 8%, and Jam City's Cookie Jam came in at 5%.
"With the highly successful global launch of The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross, and the ongoing enthusiasm for Netmarble's overall lineup, we take pride in our ability to consistently provide engaging entertainment and truly appreciate Netmarble's worldwide community of players," said Seungwon Lee, Co-CEO of Netmarble.
The company managed $446.7 million in total sales, with a net profit of $48.2 million from January through to March. Netmarble's Western expansion appears to be a big contributor to its ongoing success, with overseas sales accounting for 71% of the company's total sales. North America, unsurprisingly, is a big part of this, earning 33% of the global revenue generated.
It's worth noting, however, that recent Google Play user reviews are less than thrilled about Netmarble's handling of the global version, specifically when it comes to rewards, events, and monetisation. It probably doesn't help that global players are comparing their rewards/gifts to those given away in the Japanese version.
If you're a fan of the anime or manga and are yet to give it a go, you'll find The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross available for download now over on the App Store and Google Play.
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