KRAFTON said it will expand its creative studios to a total of 19 this year as part of a broader push to secure major franchise intellectual property.

The company said that after announcing a mid- to long-term strategy last year focused on “securing big franchise IPs,” it has increased investment in in-house production centered on new game development and talent acquisition. Over the past year, KRAFTON has recruited 15 key production leaders and proceeded with the establishment of new studios.

Creative studios established last year or slated to be launched this year include 9B STUDIO, OmniCraft Labs, Loonshot Games, and Olivetree Games. Seonghun Kim has been appointed as head of 9B STUDIO, Jeonghwan Roh as head of OmniCraft Labs, Hyeonguk Bae as head of Loonshot Games, and Changmyeong Lee as head of Olivetree Games.

KRAFTON said it plans to pursue new game development through small, team-based development units led by newly recruited production leaders with proven experience creating hit titles. New projects will be validated by first targeting markets with clearly defined core fanbases, and projects with confirmed performance will be expanded step by step and grown into franchise IP.

KRAFTON is currently operating a total of 26 new-title pipelines and is aiming to release 12 titles over the next two years.

9B STUDIO | CEO Seonghun Kim

9B STUDIO is preparing highly immersive games across a variety of genres and is expected to establish its corporate entity within the year.

Kim previously served as vice president at HYBE Interactive Media (HYBE IM). At Nexon, he participated in the development of Crazyracing KartRider and Crazy Arcade, and at EA Korea he oversaw titles including FIFA Online and RayCity, demonstrating his game development capabilities. He later founded Nine M Interactive, achieved results in the global market, and led the company through a successful sale. At 9B STUDIO, Kim will play a central role in positioning the studio’s new projects in the global market.

OmniCraft Labs | CEO Jeonghwan Roh

OmniCraft Labs develops games without boundaries of platform or genre, focusing on pure fun and a high level of polish.

Roh previously served as vice president at Nexon Korea and led multiple hit titles—including Dungeon & Fighter and Cyphers—across Nexon Korea and Neople. He also has experience driving organizational culture innovation for efficiency and advancing development environments. Roh will systematize OmniCraft Labs’ distinctive development process and lead the global expansion of new projects, as well as the establishment of a sustainable growth model.

Loonshot Games | CEO Hyeonguk Bae

Loonshot Games is responsible for producing new titles, including anime-style subculture mobile games, and is expected to establish its corporate entity in the first half of the year.

Bae is a mobile-focused production leader who, at Devsisters, oversaw the launch, publishing, live-service operations, and franchise expansion of the CookieRun IP through titles such as CookieRun: OvenBreak and CookieRun: Tower of Adventures. Drawing on his experience leading long-term operations and expansion strategies for global IP, Bae will spearhead the development of new-genre IP at Loonshot Games.

Olivetree Games | CEO Changmyeong Lee

Olivetree Games will establish its corporate entity this year and will develop social, casual, and puzzle games designed to be enjoyed by players worldwide.

Lee is a development leader with extensive experience in casual mobile game production. At Wemade Play, he led development of the Anipang series, successfully establishing one of South Korea’s representative casual IPs. Lee and the Olivetree Games production team, drawing on experience launching more than 10 casual IPs domestically and overseas—including Anipang, Disney POP TOWN, LINE POP, and Friends Popcorn—will develop casual IP targeting emerging global markets.

This article was translated from the original that appeared on INVEN.