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NCSoft Corporation
Native name
엔씨소프트
Company typePublic
KRX:036570
IndustryVideo games
Founded11 March 1997;27 years ago(1997-03-11)
FounderKim Taek Jin
HeadquartersPangyo, Seongnam,South Korea
Key people
Kim Taek Jin (CEO)
ProductsSee complete list of products
Revenue
  • IncreaseKR₩2.416 trillion (2020)
  • KR₩1.701 trillion (2019)
  • IncreaseKR₩824 billion (2020)
  • KR₩478 billion (2019)
  • IncreaseKR₩586 billion (2020)
  • KR₩359 billion (2019)
Total assets
  • IncreaseKR₩4.081 trillion (2020)
  • KR₩3.346 trillion (2019)
Total equity
  • IncreaseKR₩3.144 trillion (2020)
  • KR₩2.512 trillion (2019)
Owner
[1]
Number of employees
3100
Websitencsoft
Footnotes / references
[2][3]
Kim Taek Jin, the founder and CEO of NCSoft

NCSoft Corporation(Korean:엔씨소프트,stylized asNC,formerly stylized asNCSOFT) is a South Koreanvideo game developerand publisher headquartered inPangyo, Seongnam,South Korea, primarily known for the distribution ofmassively multiplayer online role-playing gamessuch asLineageandGuild Wars.

History

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NCSoft was founded in March 1997 by Kim Taek Jin. In September 1998, NCSoft launched its first gameLineage.In April 2001 the company created a US subsidiary under the name NC Interactive (based inAustin, Texas,and would later become NCSoft West) after acquiringDestination Games,headed byRichard GarriottandRobert Garriott.[4]In 2004, NCSoft launched two MMORPGs,Lineage IIandCity of Heroes.[5].In December 2023, NCsoft released the MMPRPG ‘Throne and Liberty’[6].

The company formed NCSoft Europe in July 2004 as a wholly owned subsidiary with its main office inBrighton,England. They broughtCity of Heroesto several European countries on February 4, 2005, and have since established European service forWildStarandBlade & Soulas well.[7][8][9]

On April 26, 2005, NCSoft published Arenanet's first MMO Guild Wars Prophecies as well as Arenanet's follow up campaigns Factions and Nightfall and the expansion Eye of the North. NCSoft also published Guild Wars 2 but stopped being the publisher for Guild Wars 2 in 2015 with the release of Heart of Thorns.[10]

On September 10, 2008, NCSoft announced the formation of NCSoft West, a subsidiary which manages NCSoft's other western organizations, and established its headquarters for that subsidiary in Seattle, Washington.[11]On July 28, 2021, NCSoft announced that it was adding the talents of long-time video game industry veteranJeffrey Anderson (game designer)to its executive leadership team as the new CEO of NCSoft West, overseeing its games business in the Americas, EMEA, and Oceana regions.[12]

On July 8, 2011, NCSoft started talks withSK Telecomto acquire Ntreev Soft Co., Ltd.[13]The talks were expected to last less than a month, but it took seven for NCSoft to complete the acquisition; purchasing 76% of Ntreev's stock for ₩108 billion (US$96.7 million) on February 15, 2012.[14]

In 2011, NCSoft purchased Hotdog Studio, a mobile game studio based in Seoul that produces phone and smartphone titles such asDark Shrine.[15]

In June 2012, NCSoft launchedBlade & Soul,their first MMORPG sinceAionlaunched in 2006.

In 2012Nexonacquired a 14.7 percent interest in NCSoft for $688 million.[16]Nexon sold all of its shares of NCSoft in October 2015.[17]

On November 19, 2015, NCSoft West announced the formation of Iron Tiger studios, a developer based in San Mateo, California focused on adapting Korean-made mobile titles for the West, as well as developing their own mobile games.[18]

On August 21, 2020, NCSoft entered the Korean entertainment industry by launching a new subsidiary called "Klap Co., Ltd."[19]Klap and NCSoft launched the entertainment platformUNIVERSEon January 28, 2021.[20]

In March 2022, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia acquired a 9.26 percent stake in NCSoft, becoming the company's second largest shareholder after Kim Taek Jin.[1]

In November 2023, NCSoft announced that it had signed a strategic partnership withSony Interactive Entertainment.[21]On January 18, 2024, NCSoft wound down and laid off all 70 employees of itsNtreev Softsubsidiary.[22]

Subsidiaries

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Current

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Former

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NcSoft Structure

Controversies

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Stolen source code

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On April 27, 2007,SeoulMetropolitan Police said that seven former employees of NCSoft are suspected of selling theLineage IIIsource codeto a major Japanese game company.[24]According to NCSoft, the potential damages may exceedUS$1 billion.[25]

Worlds patent lawsuit

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WorldsCEO Thom Kidrin claimed the idea of a "scalable virtual world with thousands of users" is patented by his organization[26]and targeted NCSoft for patent infringement in 2008,[27]in what he says will be the first of many lawsuits against MMO developers.[26]On April 23, 2010, the Worlds case settled, but the terms of the settlement were kept confidential.[citation needed]On July 22, 2010, Worlds requested the case be reopened.[citation needed]

Richard Garriott termination

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Richard Garriott,lead developer of the failed MMORPGTabula Rasa,sued NCSoft forUS$24 millionin damages concerning his termination from the company. Garriott asserted in his suit that he was forced out of the company and was made to sell his 400,000 shares in NCSoft's stock, costing him millions of dollars. In addition, he claimed that the company was guilty of fraud byforginghis resignation announcement.[28]On July 30, 2010, a jury in aTexasfederal court awarded himUS$28 millionin damages. NCSoft described Garriott as someone "who keeps finding different ways to turn the company into his personal ATM," and that "Garriott left the company voluntarily to catch his ride to the International Space Station." Citing his questionable work ethic and the failure of his video game project despite an $84.4 million investment, NCSoft pulled the plug on the game after which Garriott announced he would be leaving the company. This came after he boarded a much-publicized news on his boarding of a Russian aircraft, which cost $30 million.[29]Garriott again prevailed on appeal and NCSoft was required to pay an additionalUS$4 million,bringing the total damages awarded to Garriott toUS$32 million.[30]

Closure of Paragon Studios andCity of Heroes

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On August 31, 2012, NCSoftliquidatedParagon Studios and announced the closure ofCity of Heroes.Over 21,000 players signed an online petition contesting the shut-down[31]and many used social media to promote their criticisms.

Games

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Year Title Developer Genre Notes
1998 Lineage NCSoft (Team L2Live) MMORPG
2003 Lineage II NCSoft MMORPG
2004 City of Heroes Paragon Studios MMORPG Shut down on November 30, 2012.

On January 4, 2024 Homecoming Servers had announced they'd been given a limited license[32]to run their server.

2005 Guild Wars ArenaNet MMORPG
2006 Auto Assault NetDevil MMORPG Shut down on August 31, 2007.
2007 Dungeon Runners NCSoft MMORPG Shut down on January 1, 2010.
Tabula Rasa Destination Games MMORPG Shut down on February 28, 2009.
Exteel NCSoft (E&G Studios) TPS Shut down on September 1, 2010.
2008 Point Blank Zepetto FPS Shut down on July 13, 2011.
2009 Aion NCSoft (Team Aion) MMORPG
2012 Blade & Soul NCSoft (Team Bloodlust) MMORPG
Guild Wars 2 ArenaNet MMORPG
2013 Shin Jan Ryu Mon NCSoft Japan Mahjong
2014 WildStar NCSoft (Carbine) MMORPG Shut down on November 30, 2018.
2016 Love Beat CrazyDiamond Dance/Rhythm
Lineage Red Knight NCSoft RPG
2017 Final Blade NCSoft RPG
Pro Baseball H2! NTREEV (Baseball Team) Sport
Master X Master NCSoft (Studio MXM) MOBA Shut down on January 31, 2018.
Lineage M NCSoft MMORPG
Aion: Legions of War NCSoft RPG
2019 Lineage II M NCSoft (Team L2Live) RPG
2020 FUSER Harmonix Rhythm Shut down on December 19, 2022
2021 Pro Baseball H3! NTREEV (Baseball Team) Sport
Trickster M NTREEV (Trickster Team) MMORPG
Blade & Soul 2 NCSoft (Team Bloodlust) MMORPG
Lineage W NCSoft MMORPG
2024 Battle Crush NCSoft Action, brawler
Throne and Liberty NCSoft (TL Heroes) MMORPG Published in the West and Japan byAmazon Games
TBA Project LLL NCSoft MMORPG
Project G NCSoft Strategy RPG
AION 2 NCSoft MMORPG
Blade & Soul S NCSoft Strategy RPG
Blade & SoulConsole NC Interactive (NCWEST) Action MMORPG
Pangya M NTREEV (Project G Team) Sport RPG

In addition, NCSoft is also the developer and maintainer of a variety of web-basedboard gamesin Asian markets.

References

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  1. ^ab"Saudi Arabia's PIF ups invest in NCSoft for second largest ownership, shares rally".Archivedfrom the original on 2022-04-24.Retrieved2022-04-24.
  2. ^"2020 earnings release".NCSoft.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-01-21.Retrieved2021-01-21.
  3. ^"NCSoft Corporate Governance".NCSoft.Archivedfrom the original on June 5, 2021.RetrievedAugust 13,2021.
  4. ^"NCSoft".NCSoft(in Korean).Archivedfrom the original on 2018-04-09.Retrieved2018-04-09.
  5. ^"Seven years of City of Heroes statistics".eurogamer.net. 2011-04-28.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-07-09.Retrieved26 April2015.
  6. ^"Throne and Liberty released".Yonhap News.2024.
  7. ^Adams, David (2005-01-12)."City of Heroes Takes Europe".IGN.Retrieved2024-03-05.
  8. ^NCSOFT."NCSOFT® Announces Blade & Soul® to Launch in North America and Europe this Winter".prnewswire(Press release).Retrieved2024-03-05.
  9. ^Studios, Carbine."Carbine Studios' WildStar® Free-to-Play Launches Today".prnewswire(Press release).Retrieved2024-03-05.
  10. ^Everett, Larry (2015-09-01)."PAX Prime 2015: Guild Wars 2's free-to-play model and publishing takeover | Massively Overpowered".Retrieved2024-03-05.
  11. ^"엔씨소프트의 역사"[History of NCsoft].NCSoft(in Korean).Archivedfrom the original on 2018-05-24.Retrieved2018-05-23.
  12. ^"Games Industry Veteran Jeffrey Anderson Joins NCSOFT West as New CEO".PR Newswire. July 28, 2021.Archivedfrom the original on July 28, 2021.RetrievedJuly 28,2021.
  13. ^Weber, Rachel (July 8, 2011)."NCSoft in talks to acquire Ntreev Software".Gamesindustry International.Archivedfrom the original on July 11, 2011.RetrievedJuly 8,2011.
  14. ^Caoili, Eric (February 17, 2012)."League of Legends and NCsoft's Ntreev acquisition, this week in Korean news".Game Developer.Archivedfrom the original on May 21, 2022.RetrievedMay 1,2022.
  15. ^Caoili, Eric (July 27, 2011)."NCSoft Purchases Seoul-Based Mobile Dev Hotdog Studio".Game Developer.Archivedfrom the original on January 21, 2022.RetrievedMay 1,2022.
  16. ^Takahashi, Dean."Korean game togetherness: Nexon acquires 14.7 percent of NCsoft for $688M".VentureBeat.Archivedfrom the original on 2017-07-27.Retrieved2017-09-05.
  17. ^Pearson, Dan (2015-10-19)."Nexon sells shares in NCSoft, ending takeover bid".GamesIndustry.biz.Retrieved2024-03-05.
  18. ^"About Us".us.ncsoft.Archivedfrom the original on 2017-06-05.Retrieved2017-05-30.
  19. ^NCSoft launches entertainment subsidiary KlapArchived2022-10-05 at theWayback Machine(The Korea Herald,August 21, 2020)
  20. ^"UNIVERSE launches with over 4 million users, here's a guide to the new fan community platform".Bandwagon.28 January 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 9 August 2021.Retrieved9 August2021.
  21. ^Makuch, Eddie (November 28, 2023)."PlayStation Makes Deal With Huge Company To Expand Beyond Console".GameSpot.RetrievedNovember 29,2023.
  22. ^"Game publishers cancel titles, cut employees as economy struggles".Korea JoongAng Daily.2024-01-18.Retrieved2024-03-05.
  23. ^Park, So-eun (2023-08-08)."[단독]엔씨소프트, '클렙' 지분 전량 매각…엔터 사업 손 뗀다".News 1 Korea(in Korean).Retrieved2023-08-14.
  24. ^"Former NCSoft Employees Suspected of Stealing Lineage III Code".WIRED.30 April 2007.Retrieved1 May2022.
  25. ^"Chosun Ilbo article".April 26, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon September 18, 2008.
  26. ^ab"Worlds CEO: We're 'Absolutely' Going To Sue Second Life And World Of Warcraft".Business Insider.Archivedfrom the original on 2018-09-17.Retrieved2019-01-17.
  27. ^"NCsoft Faces Patent Infringement Suit".WIRED.29 December 2008.Retrieved1 May2022.
  28. ^Voecks, K. (6 May 2009)."Richard Garriott blasts NCsoft with $24 million lawsuit".Engadget.Archivedfrom the original on 23 December 2021.Retrieved1 May2022.
  29. ^Kim, Tong-hyung (July 30, 2010)."Garriott wins $28 mil. in NCsoft lawsuit".Archivedfrom the original on September 28, 2012.RetrievedAugust 1,2010.
  30. ^"Garriott wins appeal in NCsoft case".RICHARD GARRIOTT v. NCSoft CORPORATION.Archivedfrom the original on October 26, 2012.RetrievedOctober 30,2012.
  31. ^"Save CoH movement invites NCsoft execs to play, petition passes 20,000 signatures".Engadget.September 27, 2012.Archivedfrom the original on January 7, 2016.RetrievedNovember 10,2012.
  32. ^Royce, Bree (2024-01-04)."NCsoft has officially granted a City of Heroes server license to the Homecoming crew | Massively Overpowered".Retrieved2024-02-18.
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