Our inbox here at MOP gets flooded with three things that are the equivalent of nails-on-a-chalkboard to me: requests for sponsored content, requests for blockchain content, and requests from online casinos. So the word “casino” in this press release automatically put me on edge and had my finger hovering over the delete button, but it’s worth a note, as the MMO company Netmarble known in the west largely for Lineage 2: Revolution, Uncharted Waters Online, and Grand Chase has apparently decided to buy itself a mobile casino games outfit.
“Global mobile game publisher Netmarble Corp. today announced that it has entered into a share purchase agreement for the acquisition of SpinX Games, one of the fastest-growing companies in the mobile Social Casino game industry. Under the agreement, Netmarble will acquire 100% of shares of SpinX Games at $2.19 billion (appx. ₩2.5 trillion), to continue its global expansion by adding a new genre of games to the current extensive roster. Established in 2014, SpinX Games is a Social Casino game company with multiple hit titles in the category including [some casino games I don’t want searchable on MOP]. In the second quarter of 2021, the company ranked third in global sales in the mobile Social Casino genre.”
All that said, it doesn’t sound as if Netmarble is planning to inject more gambling content or tech into its MMOs; it’s just hedging it bets in the gaming market, pun fully intended. “Through the acquisition, Netmarble will add the Social Casino genre alongside its existing main genre of RPG to further strengthen its lineup of casual games,” Netmarble’s CEO says. “With this diversified portfolio, we expect to fortify our competitive edge in the global mobile gaming market.”
