Seoul: Netmarble Corp. on Thursday reported its third-quarter net profit of 40.6 billion won (US$28 million), marking an increase of 97.1 percent from the previous year. This substantial growth reflects the company's improved financial performance in the latest quarter.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Netmarble's operating profit for the July-September period rose by 38.8 percent on-year, reaching 90.9 billion won. Meanwhile, the sales figures showed a 7.5 percent increase, totaling 696 billion won.

Despite the impressive growth numbers, Netmarble's earnings fell short of market expectations. Analysts had anticipated a higher net profit, with an average estimate of 67.4 billion won based on a survey conducted by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data firm of Yonhap News Agency.