Nexon, the publisher of popular games such as Dungeon & Fighter and MapleStory, posted record-high annual sales of over 4 trillion won ($2.76 billion) last year, becoming the first Korean gaming company to hit the milestone.
The company, listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, announced Thursday that its total revenue for the previous year reached 446 billion yen, or 4.01 trillion won, a 5 percent year-over-year increase. Fourth-quarter sales declined by 6 percent to 79.7 billion yen.
The yearly operating profit reached 124 billion yen, despite a 1.7 billion yen deficit in the fourth quarter.
The company attributed its record sales to a roughly 10 percent sales increase in its three key franchises — the MMORPGs Dungeon & Fighter and MapleStory as well as the soccer video game FC. Together, these titles, along with revenue from services related to its intellectual properties, accounted for 74 percent of Nexon’s total sales.
Among them, Dungeon & Fighter saw a 53 percent year-over-year increase in sales, driven by the successful launch of its mobile version in China last May.
MapleStory, a long-beloved title in Korea, also saw 24 percent growth as its global reach expanded. Nexon introduced localized content and targeted promotions, focusing on penetrating global markets.
While continuing to strengthen those thriving flagship franchises, Nexon plans to broaden its product lineup by leveraging its IPs to achieve sustained growth, tapping into revenue from its core game titles.
“Nexon is enhancing strategic research and investment to expand its business through strong IPs such as Dungeon & Fighter and MapleStory,” said Nexen CEO Lee Jung-hun.
“We will strive to bring greater joy to our users through both existing franchises and new intellectual property-based games.”
forestjs@heraldcorp.com
