“Spend 500,000 Won Just To See This Dance From NewJeans? Sorry, My Wallet”
Krafton’s "PUBG: Battlegrounds" and "Battlegrounds Mobile" are experiencing explosive popularity following a collaboration with the popular girl group NewJeans
Among users, there are reports that acquiring all NewJeans members in the game costs around 500,000 won. Despite the relatively high price, the collaboration has garnered strong fan support from both PUBG and NewJeans fans, leading to a rise in Krafton’s stock price.
Popular gaming YouTuber “Akdong Kimblue” recently posted a review titled “What do you think of the 500,000 won NewJeans skin in PUBG?”. He spent a total of 500,000 won to acquire all NewJeans members through paid purchases.
The Taego map in PUBG has been decorated with the “Battlegrounds x NewJeans” theme, with the school playground transformed into an outdoor stage. Using the “Battlegrounds x NewJeans” emote triggers the corresponding music video of the song associated with the emote.
Some buildings have been turned into record stores where players can listen to NewJeans’ songs. Icons and items symbolizing NewJeans are scattered throughout the map. Players can also enjoy NewJeans’ hit songs through in-game emote dances.
Despite the high cost, the results have received positive reviews. The characters closely resemble the actual NewJeans members, and their group dance moves on the in-game stage are highly praised. Many comments express admiration, such as “So cute” and “Sorry, my wallet.”
Several reviews on YouTube and community forums indicate that it costs around 500,000 won to acquire all NewJeans members.
Krafton’s stock price is also on the rise. As a company heavily reliant on the success of PUBG, the recent collaboration with NewJeans has driven the stock up by over 30% from 225,000 won to 297,000 won in the past three months. The stock has seen a continuous rise for eight trading days following the release of the collaboration with NewJeans.
Nam Hyo-ji, a researcher at SK Securities, said, “The collaboration with NewJeans in June is reflecting positively. The company will achieve results that meet high expectations in the second quarter.”
However, the unexpected popularity has also brought some controversy. Recently, there was a debate over item probability information. The launch of the “NewJeans Premium Package” included a disclaimer that “If you do not obtain a set design after four cumulative attempts from the same box, you will obtain it with a 100% probability on the fifth attempt”, which was found to be inaccurate.
Krafton’s management explained in a notice that the description was mistakenly applied to the “Premium Package” instead of another item and is currently reviewing compensation plans.
