At the recent NEXT ON media event held at Nexon headquarters ahead of the G-STAR 2024 presentation, company executives shared its vision of the future and development strategy aimed at strengthening its position in the global gaming market. The CEOs of Nexon Korea, Kim Jung Wook and Kang Dae Hyun, made a presentation where they voiced the company’s key values and plans for their implementation.
Kim Jong Wook shared the company’s vision, built on the values developed over 30 years of experience. He emphasized the importance of three main aspects: corporate, social and intellectual values, which underpin business and help a company expand its influence. In particular, he called the main goals of the company the creation of games recognized throughout the world and a positive impact on society.
Nexon excels not only in developing games, but also in creating jobs and supporting shared growth through initiatives such as the NexTorial learning project and the NDC conference. In addition, the company makes a social impact through the Nexon Foundation, which is engaged in IT education and medical support for children. Nexon also places importance on developing gaming culture by listening to players’ opinions and working to improve its products.
Kang Dae Hyun presented the company’s strategy to strengthen Nexon’s position as a global market leader. He emphasized two main goals: strengthening services through expanding strengths and active promotion at the global level.
Nexon plans to strengthen its franchises by adding value to gaming IPs and creating new user touchpoints. The company creates a strong universe for each popular game. For example, Maplestory is expanding its reach to include music, webtoons, merchandising and offline events such as pop-up stores.
The Dungeon Fighter Online franchise is also actively expanding its boundaries. There are plans to release new games within this universe, such as The First Berserker: Khazan and OVERKILL. Development also continues on Dungeon & Fighter: Arad (Project DW), an open-world action RPG that will strengthen the Dungeon & Fighter brand.
Nexon is also developing the Mabinogi universe with the Mabinogi Mobile project, which is in its final stages, and the new game Mabinogi Heroes: Eternal, which is moving to Unreal Engine 5 for improved quality. At the same time, Nexon is creating a third-person action game, Vindictus: Defying Fate. The next alpha will begin in the summer of 2025 and will offer an improved combat system.
In addition to this, Nexon has revealed plans for further development of The Kingdom of the Winds: Yeon series. The sequel to the original, The Kingdom of the Winds 2, will retain the oriental fantasy atmosphere and offer cross-platform between PC and mobile devices, making the game even more accessible to a wider audience.
The company uses its experience and resources to improve publishing services and introduce new gaming solutions. For example, FC Online and FC Mobile use unique Nexon technologies to further immerse users in the gaming experience.
In addition, the company collaborates with independent developers to create new projects. Thus, SUPERVIVE, a MOBA Battle Royale game, is being developed in collaboration with Theorycraft Games. Nexon also intends to revive the once popular Korean game Hwansechwihojeon Online (환세취호전 온라인), keeping its original features but adding ease and accessibility.
Nexon’s Big & Little approach focuses on a balance of large projects and experimental ones. As part of the Big direction, the company is developing Project DX, inspired by the closed survival simulator Durango: Wild Lands. The new product will retain the main features of the original, but will offer improved graphics and systems, making the gameplay even more exciting. Also in development is NAKWON: LAST PARADISE, a survival simulator in the world of a zombie apocalypse.
Projects in the Little category are supported by a dedicated subsidiary, Mintrocket, which focuses on creating unique content, including the continuation of DAVE THE DIVER in the form of story DLC.
The company is actively developing new franchises for the global market, focusing on multi-platform solutions. For example, The First Descendant has already gained popularity in the looter-shooter genre. Embark Studio is working on a PvPvE shooter ARC Raiders with a post-apocalyptic world, which will allow Nexon to enter the international market with a new project. In addition, the company is developing a game based on the new Project RX IP, promising a unique immersive simulation experience.
Kang Dae Hyun noted that the company is focusing on developing innovative gaming solutions that will help Nexon strengthen its position in the global market and offer users fresh genres and unique IPs.
