Netmarble's Game YouTuber Marketing: The SOL: enchant Campaign and the 'Promotion BJ' Debate
Key Takeaways
- · 넷마블 '솔: 인챈트'는 2026년 6월 18일 출시돼 익일 국내 구글 플레이 매출 1위에 올랐고, 한 게임 유튜버의 거액 결제가 '프로모션 BJ' 논쟁을 다시 불렀다(매체 보도).
- · Dhesy 데이터 기준 최근 180일 넷마블 협업 표본 200편 중 183편이 롱폼으로, 롱폼 비중 91.5%는 주요 게임사 평균 83%보다 높은 편이다.
- · 넷마블의 유튜브 협찬은 게임 채널 롱폼 리뷰·플레이가 중심이며, '몬길: 스타 다이브'처럼 숏폼 인플루언서 마케팅을 병행한다.
- · '순위조작'은 입증된 사실이 아니라 한국게임이용자협회 지목과 게임업계 반론이 맞선 업계 논쟁 사안이다.
- · 하반기 '아스달 연대기'·'샹그릴라 프론티어' 신작이 이어지는 만큼 협업과 '프로모션 BJ' 논쟁은 신작마다 반복될 여지가 있다.
On the launch day of Netmarble's new MMORPG SOL: enchant, a game YouTuber with roughly 230,000 subscribers reportedly spent about 270 million won on in-game purchases in a single day, according to multiple outlets. That one event, paired with the unfamiliar term 'Promotion BJ,' reignited a ranking controversy across the Korean game industry. Game YouTuber marketing refers to studios entrusting new-title promotion to YouTubers while supporting them with ad fees or in-game currency.
Why one game YouTuber's spending became the story on SOL: enchant's launch day
SOL: enchant launched on June 18, 2026, and by the very next day, June 19, it topped Google Play's grossing chart in Korea (per Maeil Business and others). At the center of that momentum sat an unexpected figure. According to reports from Insight and Sisajournal-e, a game YouTuber, 'A,' with about 230,000 subscribers spent roughly 270 million won in the game on launch day alone.
The context, more than the figure itself, fueled the debate. The Korea Game Users Association named this a flagship case of the so-called 'Promotion BJ' practice, and suspicions of rank manipulation - the idea that a YouTuber's large spending pushed the new title up the charts early - spread across gaming communities. The other side countered that it was a personal purchase and simple marketing. Neither claim has been proven, and there is no confirmed basis to identify 'A' by name or to assert wrongdoing.
What 'Promotion BJ' means: the association's callout and the 'cost-recovery' argument
'Promotion BJ' refers to marketing in which a studio entrusts promotion to YouTubers or streamers, supports them with ad fees or in-game currency, and the streamer uses that to showcase large-scale spending and play. Outlets such as Sisajournal-e and Asia Economy described the practice as a structure where the marketing costs a studio pays flow back in as in-game currency purchases, citing SOL: enchant as a representative case in the K-game marketing debate.
Two questions sit at the core. One is whether a streamer's spending actually affects a new title's early revenue and ranking; the other is where the line falls between supported currency and voluntary spending. The Korea Game Users Association raised user protection and disclosure transparency, while some in the industry pushed back that this is merely a long-standing promotion method. We revisit both perspectives in the debate section below.
The SOL: enchant campaign: No.1 grossing a day after launch, and ALT9's new IP
SOL: enchant is a PC and mobile cross-platform MMORPG released as a wholly new IP by ALT9, a new studio built around developers behind Lineage M. Netmarble handles the service, and the game drew attention before launch with its 'divine authority' system that lets players intervene in the game's rules. Topping the grossing chart a day after launch shows that pre-release anticipation translated into early results.
For Netmarble, SOL: enchant is the company's fifth new title this year. According to reports, it caps a lineup that ran through Stone Age Idle, The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, and MONGIL: STAR DIVE in Q1, and Game of Thrones: Kingsroad and SOL: enchant in Q2. The denser the release calendar, the larger the role of YouTuber partnerships that manufacture launch-window buzz.
The two pillars of Netmarble's launch marketing: long-form reviews and short-form
Looking at Netmarble's YouTube partnerships through its brand data, two tracks appear. One is long-form review and play partnerships on game channels; the other is buzz-building through short-form influencers. MONGIL: STAR DIVE hit No.1 on both major markets a day after launch (per industry and blog reports), and short-form channels such as sketch-comedy YouTuber 'Minamjaehyung' joined the promotion.
The center of gravity, though, clearly tilts toward long-form. Here is Netmarble's baseline partnership profile per Dhesy data.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Category | Games (mobile game development and publishing) |
| Recent 180-day collab sample | 200 videos (top-200 by views, capped) |
| Participating creators | 41 |
| Long-form vs. shorts | 183 vs. 17 |
| Long-form share | 91.5% |
| Sample average views | 111,148 |
| Most-viewed collab | ~2.27M (an entertainment mukbang collab) |
Shorts run in parallel, but game-channel long-form takes the bulk of the partnership count. Widen the window and the tilt holds.
넷마블 협업 영상의 롱폼 대 쇼츠 분포 (Dhesy 데이터 기준)
* Source: Dhesy
Whether across the recent 180-day sample or the recent 500 collabs, the long-form share stays above 90%.
Why Netmarble's game partnerships lean long-form
The reason lies in the nature of the content. MMORPGs and collection RPGs have to show character growth, combat systems, and monetization directly for their appeal to land. Short clips struggle to carry that, and viewers draw their judgment from longer play footage. That is why game-channel long-form reviews fill the top of Netmarble's launch partnerships.
MONGIL: STAR DIVE's launch partnerships are one example. Voice-actor channel Namdohyung's Blue Club logged about 440,000 views with a long-form video playing the game alongside its cast.
Game-critique channel Kim Seonghoe's G-Sikbaekgwa gathered about 360,000 views with a long-form review dissecting MONGIL's world and systems.
Set against other studios in the same category, Netmarble's long-form tilt stands out further.
| Studio | Collab sample (videos) | Creators | Long-form share (%) | Avg. views |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netmarble | 200 | 41 | 91.5 | 111,148 |
| NCSoft | 13 | 8 | 85 | 115,458 |
| HoYoverse | 47 | 25 | 85 | 98,345 |
| Nexon | 119 | 52 | 48 | 45,396 |
| Studio average (12 peers, excl. Netmarble) | 21 | 12 | 83 | 68,000 |
Netmarble and Nexon samples were tallied under the top-200-by-views cap, and average views are rounded.
게임사별 롱폼 협업 비중 (Dhesy 데이터 기준 최근 180일 표본)
* Source: Dhesy
Long-form is already the game industry's default: the studio average long-form share is 83%, and Netmarble's 91.5% sits on the higher end, with shorts-heavy Nexon (48%) as the exception pulling the average down. Its most-viewed collab is not a game review but Gojaeyoung's entertainment mukbang collab at about 2.27M views - and how partnership channel mixes differ across studios is covered in more detail in a comparison of four game studios' YouTube sponsorship strategies.
Rank manipulation or simple marketing: two views in an industry debate
The 'Promotion BJ' debate is not a settled matter of fact but an industry dispute between two viewpoints. The Korea Game Users Association named SOL: enchant a representative case, arguing that a streamer's large spending lifts a new title's ranking and clouds user judgment. Disclosure transparency and user protection are the association's concerns.
The opposing logic exists too. Studios and some YouTubers frame it as a personal purchase and a long-standing promotion method, arguing the spending is the streamer's voluntary choice (per Maeil Business and others). The crux is that the line between supported paid currency and voluntary spending is blurry. There is no confirmed basis to assert Netmarble broke the law, and the debate extends to how far disclosure standards and industry practice should be accepted.
The second-half lineup and where game YouTuber marketing goes next
Netmarble has previewed more new titles for the second half, including Arthdal Chronicles and Shangri-La Frontier. As long as launches keep coming, game YouTuber partnerships that manufacture early buzz are likely to continue. And while that method stays centered on long-form reviews, the 'Promotion BJ' debate has room to resurface with each new release. One question remains for viewers: how do you tell whether the partnership video in front of you is a pure review or part of a campaign?
FAQ
Q. What kind of game is Netmarble's SOL: enchant?
It is a PC and mobile MMORPG built as a new IP by ALT9, a new studio led by developers behind Lineage M. Netmarble services it; reports say it launched on June 18, 2026, and topped Korea's Google Play grossing chart the next day.
Q. What is the 'Promotion BJ' controversy?
It is a debate in which outlets flagged the practice of a studio's marketing spend flowing back as in-game currency purchases by YouTubers and streamers. The Korea Game Users Association named SOL: enchant a representative case, but rank manipulation is not a proven fact - it is a dispute met with industry rebuttal.
Q. How does Netmarble run its game YouTuber marketing?
Per Dhesy data, 183 of a recent 180-day sample of 200 collab videos are long-form, a 91.5% long-form share. Game-channel play and review long-form sits at the center, run alongside short-form influencer marketing.
Q. Did MONGIL: STAR DIVE also use YouTuber partnerships?
Yes. It hit No.1 on both major markets a day after launch, with long-form reviews from voice-actor and game-critique channels running alongside short-form marketing on channels such as sketch-comedy channel 'Minamjaehyung' (per industry and blog reports).
Methodology: Based on data from the Dhesy platform's 6,571 brands and 11,598 creators. Netmarble partnership stats aggregate the top-200-by-views sample of collab videos carrying a sponsorship label over the recent 180 days, plus the recent 500 collabs; the sample reached the top-200 cap. Studio comparisons use the same method across a sample of 12 major game studios, and all figures are limited to Dhesy's collected scope. Analysis period: 2026-01-09 to 2026-07-08. Source: Dhesy External sources: Maeil Business, MediaWatch, Sisajournal-e, Asia Economy and other outlets Last updated: 2026-07-08