XLGAMES

XLGAMES Inc. is a game development company founded in April 2003 that builds massively multiplayer online role-playing games and related mobile and blockchain titles. Its best-known property is ArcheAge, a seamless open-world MMORPG built on CryEngine 3 that combines lifestyle systems such as construction, crafting and housing with large-scale combat content including siege warfare and nation declaration. Development of ArcheAge began in the second half of 2006, the title was named in December 2009, and commercial service started in Korea in January 2013, followed by Japan (2013), Russia (2014), North America and Europe (2014), China (2015), Taiwan/Hong Kong/Macau (2017) and Southeast Asia (2020).

The company has extended the ArcheAge IP across platforms and genres: ArcheAge Begins, a hero-collecting 3D MORPG on Unreal Engine 4 launched in 2017; ArcheAge War, a combat-focused Unreal Engine 4 MMORPG launched in March 2023 domestically with a global launch in June 2024; ArcheWorld, a blockchain-enabled open-world PC MMORPG using land and equipment NFTs and the BSLT (BlueSalt) token as in-game currency; and ArcheAge Chronicles, an Unreal Engine 5 open-world action MMORPG in development with non-targeting combat and multi-platform support. Outside the ArcheAge universe, XLGAMES developed Royal Road: Legendary Moonlight Sculptor and Moonlight Sculptor: Dark Gamer, both MMORPGs based on the Legendary Moonlight Sculptor novel; Civilization Online, an MMO co-developed under a partnership with Take-Two Interactive/2K Games; the mobile titles Braves for Kakao and Archeville; and THE CUBE, SAVE US, a survival extraction action game set in a post-nuclear world, unveiled in August 2025.

XLGAMES also operates internal R&D and technology efforts, having established the XLGAMES Laboratory in 2007 and released its proprietary game engine XLE as open source in December 2015.

Founding story

XLGAMES Inc. was founded in April 2003 and began by developing an online racing game, XL1, in 2004. Its founder is Jake Song, who remained at the helm of the studio following the Kakao Games acquisition.

Business model

XLGAMES develops online, mobile and multi-platform games, primarily MMORPGs, and monetizes them both through its own live services and by licensing its IP and titles to regional publishers. It has signed license and publishing agreements with partners including Tencent, GameOn, Trion Worlds, Mail.ru, Gamevil, Playwith, gamigo, Zlong Game, Lantu Games and Kakao Games, and has also run direct services such as ArcheAge in Southeast Asia and Asia-region operations.

Revenue derives from live game services and from license and publishing agreements with regional partners; ArcheWorld additionally monetizes through NFT land and equipment minting and the BSLT in-game token.

Traction

ArcheAge War achieved two million pre-registrations and reached first place in sales on both Google Play and the App Store in March 2023. THE CUBE, SAVE US ranked third worldwide in peak concurrent users during Steam Next Fest in October 2025, surpassed 150,000 wishlists and was named a top 10 featured game by international gaming media. Moonlight Sculptor: Dark Gamer has been operating since September 2023, adding servers in 2024 and 2025 and a Japanese service in April 2024.

Latest developments

In 2025 XLGAMES unveiled the extraction-action title THE CUBE, SAVE US (August), released a playable demo at Steam Next Fest (October), integrated domestic and global ArcheAge War services and launched the first Universe Dungeon 'Silent Forest' (October), marked Moonlight Sculptor: Dark Gamer's second anniversary with a new server (September), launched an ArcheAge series brand website and a new globally integrated ArcheAge War server (December). In February 2026 it launched the official website for THE CUBE, SAVE US. ArcheAge Chronicles, showcased at Sony's State of Play in September 2024 and covered by a publishing agreement with Kakao Games signed in 2022, remains in development.