40 Billion Won in Revenue, A Huge Success? The Shocking Reality of Smilegate's 'KAZENA' (The Curse of Epic Seven Seven?)
Hello! This is BuildingStandard, who sharply analyzes issues and trends in the game industry.
On **Wednesday, November 26th**, a number has dominated game news headlines.
It's the news that Smilegate's ambitious title, **<Chaos Zero Nightmare (hereinafter KAZENA)>**, recorded **40.2 billion KRW in revenue** and **1.11 million daily active users (DAU)** just one month after its launch. 💰
Looking at the numbers alone, it seems like a "mega-hit." 🥳
However, gamers' reactions are cold, even burning with anger. Terms like **"it's a trap of numbers"** and **"it's already off the charts"** are circulating. 🥶
I'll meticulously investigate the debate between official announcements and actual indicators, and the reasons why it earned the derogatory nickname **'EpicSevenSeven'**. 🔎
1. Official Announcement: "Global Box Office Hit" 🚀
First, let's look at Smilegate's announcement. Indeed, the initial momentum was formidable.
- No. 1 in Downloads: It dominated the No. 1 spot in app stores in 8 countries, including Korea, the US, Japan, and Taiwan, from the day before its launch.
- Tremendous Traffic: The record of exceeding 40 billion KRW in cumulative revenue and 1.11 million daily active users in the first month is certainly a difficult number to see in the subculture game scene.
Up to this point, it seemed like a new legend, a 'second Epic Seven', was being written. However, the story changes when we delve into the **'sales rank'**. 📉
2. The Truth of the Charts: Discrepancy Between Downloads and Revenue 🤔
Contrary to its impressive download figures, the actual **'sales ranking'** is precarious.
- Failure in the Japanese Market: In Japan, the home of subculture, KAZENA was pushed out of the top 50, losing to its competitor **<Stella Sora>**.
- U.S. Market: It settled outside the top 100, effectively failing to achieve meaningful results.
Why are there many downloads but low revenue?
It means users only 'tried it out briefly' but didn't open their wallets. This is also evidence of significant distrust in the game's business model (monetization) or its operations. 💸
3. The Curse of 'EpicSevenSeven' and Chart Expulsion 😱
Among users, a painful nickname, **'EpicSevenSeven'**, has emerged.
As its sales rank in Japan rapidly fell to **77th place**, a mocking meme was born, intertwining with past controversies surrounding its predecessor, <Epic Seven>.
A more shocking incident is its **expulsion from the Play Store's popular charts**.
- Reason: Allegations of rating manipulation.
- Result: Disappearing from the list of popular games effectively cut off the channel for new users (newbies) to join. This is widely regarded as a **'death sentence'** for a mobile game. 💀
4. The Future of KAZENA: Service Termination vs. Rebound? 🔮
Although revenue briefly bounced back with the recent 'Yuki' pick-up event, it plunged out of the top 60 in both Japan and Korea within two days. It seems difficult to offset losses in a market dominated by monster-level games like Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves. 🎢
However, immediate service termination is unlikely.
- Chinese Market: The card of 'China server' launch still remains. 🇨🇳
- Roadmap: The development team has issued a commitment (?) to reorganize the main story by June 2026.
Ultimately, from Smilegate's perspective, success in the Chinese market appears to be the lifeline for this game's existence. 🙏
📝 Concluding: Shadows Behind the Brilliant Numbers 🌑
40 billion KRW in revenue.
While it is undoubtedly a large sum, considering the refund requests, marketing costs, and shattered user trust involved, it doesn't seem like a situation to simply fire off celebratory cannons.
What are your thoughts?
Will KAZENA **revive as a 'super game'**, or will it simply **fade into history?** ☄️
Please leave your vivid reviews in the comments if you've played it yourself! 💬
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