Nexon adopts subscription economy for shooting game Sudden Attack

Korean game company Nexon has changed the paradigm of shooting game by adopting a subscription model for its shooting game Sudden Attack.

According to Nexon on Sunday, its first-person shooter game is offering a subscription service called “Sudden Pass,” in which subscribers can receive exclusive characters and items as they level up.

Currently, users can buy the subscriptions for 12,800 won ($10.4) and participate in the second season of Sudden Pass, which is from April 9 to July 2. During the second season, subscribers can receive rewards including limited edition characters and weapons with exclusive lunar designs as they level up. The maximum level is 60.

“Sudden Pass has clearly motivated users. Compared to the last Sudden Pass season in 2019, the number of subscribers in the current second season has doubled. The participation rate of the current second season also jumped 70 percent from the previous season,” a Nexon official said.

According to Nexon, 60 percent of subscribers are playing Sudden Attack every day.

On top of the subscription service, Sudden Attack is keeping loyal users and bringing in new players by collaborating with popular media content.

On April 29, Sudden Attack introduced game characters modeled on actors and actresses who starred in “Itaewon Class” -- a webcomic-turned-TV drama -- into Sudden Attack.

The final episode of “Itaewon Class” took a 16.5 percent audience share, the third highest viewership rating for JTBC and seventh highest for a drama in Korean cable TV history, according to Nielsen Korea. The final episode also scored an average viewership rating of 18.3 percent in the Seoul metropolitan area.

“Sudden Attack is focusing on new content users can enjoy by collaborating with webcomics and other content,” said Nexon GT, developer of Sudden Attack.

By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)