Neptune is officially diving into the hybrid-casual game publishing arena as part of its latest business pivot. To spearhead this initiative—one of its three core new business pillars—the company has launched a dedicated brand dubbed 'Flick'. It’s also teaming up with its parent company, Krafton, to host a global hybrid-casual game competition.

The name 'Flick' is meant to capture the idea that a light touch applied to a small, humble concept can fundamentally shift the market landscape. It also reflects the publisher’s philosophy that strategic, granular support can maximise a game's true value and stir up a fresh breeze in the industry. Neptune intends to anchor its future publishing endeavours under this new banner.

The inaugural project is a collaborative global hybrid-casual game competition run alongside Krafton. Beyond just handing out prizes, the contest promises a robust publishing support programme for the winners. If you’re curious about the fine print, the judging criteria, or just want to learn more about Flick, the official website is already live and ready for your perusal.

A representative for Neptune remarked, "This competition acts as a starting gun for our strategic investment expansion into the hybrid-casual genre," adding that, "we aren't just looking for a one-off hit; we’re building a sustainable publishing pipeline for the long haul."

Neptune's clear strategy is to hunt down competitive hybrid-casual intellectual properties (IP) for the global market, leveraging its partnership with Krafton to sharpen its international distribution muscle.