South Korean Gaming Giant WeMade’s Blockchain Bet Finally Pays Off?

The South Korean gaming behemoth WeMade is hopeful that its massive blockchain gaming drive is finally starting to pay dividends, media reports claimed on March 13.

Business Post claimed that the industry was “paying attention” to the firm amid the crypto bull market.

South Korean Gaming Firm’s Token Booming

WeMade began its ambitious crypto pivot back in 2018, first spinning off a dedicated blockchain gaming affiliate and then later reincorporating it.

Its flagship project is arguably the WEMIX coin and platform. Despite a controversial domestic delisting decision in late 2022, WEMIX is now enjoying its day in the sun.

On March 13, the coin’s 24-hour trading volume hit the $17.8 million mark, with prices climbing across the wider crypto market.

However, the token still has some way to go before it reaches its November 2021 all-time high of $24.71.

The media outlet remarked that WeMade has posted two consecutive years of losses on its blockchain operations.

However, the firm appears confident of turning the tide in 2024. After several lackluster blockchain gaming releases, the company seems to have scored a hit with its latest title, Night Crows.

Per Hanguk Kyungjae, Night Crows debuted “in over 170 countries” this week, “reaching 150,000 concurrent users within a day of launching.”

WeMade claimed that some 100,000 people had accessed the game “within an hour of its launch” and “reached a peak of 164,000 at around midnight.”

The firm’s MIR4 title, by contrast, “reached 120,000 concurrent users within a month of its launch in 2021.”

WeMade called the feat a “record-breaking achievement,” while the media outlet claimed industry figures think the firm may have reaped some $4.6 million in revenue from the release already.

The South Korean gaming firm also unveiled an interoperability platform named Unagi this month.

WeMade says the platform allows users to “move freely” between “major blockchain ecosystems,” providing a bridge between its own WEMIX 3.0 network and protocols like Ethereum, Klaytn, Avalanche, and Polygon.

The company has never disclosed the full amount of its investment in blockchain. But it has been posting losses since 2022, when, Business Post claimed that “investment began in earnest.” The media outlet wrote:

“As deficits continued in 2023, there was pessimism about the WEMIX blockchain business, both inside and outside the company.”

WeMade posted losses of around $85.5 million in 2023. It also paid the cost of an unsuccessful legal struggle against the 2022 WEMIX delisting.

In January this year, the company was handed a $41 million “crypto tax bill,” in a further financial blow.

But buoyant WEMIX prices and a positive reaction to Night Crows could point to a change in fortunes. CEO Jang Hyun-guk said in January this year:

“WeMade’s blockchain business will attain its greatest success so far with the global launch of Night Crowa in 2024. [People] will be able to easily understand our future and vision.”