Posts Tagged ‘daniel kim’

Nexon North American up in revenue and players

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

Nexon North America has recently posted their Q2 2010 results with a 26 percent increase in growth as the company now reports 7 million players in Maple Story alone, up 1 million YoY. The company reports that June in particular showed strong growth (school summer holidays?), with revenues increasing a solid 36 percent when compared to June ’09.

Naturally, the increase in revenues is tied to the aforementioned increase in users. Maple Story North America has now officially surpassed the 7 million registered user mark. Likewise, Nexon’s first-person-shooter offering, Combat Arms has passed the 4 million registered user mark, and Mabinogi went over the 1 million mark earlier this year. From these three titles alone, that puts Nexon North America at over 13 million registered users, and that’s not even including Dungeon Fighter Online, PopTag, and Vindictus.

“Our player base and revenues continue to expand, which tells us that gamers find that our free-to-play business model fits their play needs,” said Daniel Kim, Nexon Americas CEO. “MapleStory is celebrating its fifth year of service in North America and shows no sign of slowing down, while Combat Arms is growing into one of the markets most popular online FPS games. With the recent successful launch of Dungeon Fighter Online and the release of Vindictus on the horizon, 2010 looks to be a big year for Nexon in North America.”

And if the numbers alone aren’t enough to back up Kim’s supposition, Nexon’s strong (and first) showing at this year’s past E3 convention in Los Angeles has firmly planted Nexon on the North American gamers’ radar. In addition to excited attendees that got their hands on Vindictus for the first time, Nexon also through what’s been reported as, “definitely a contender for ‘Best E3 Party’.” There may or may not have been reports of gaming industry figure Thresh dancing on tables with sparklers atwhirl. But again, this may or may not just be speculation.

“We made a strong statement about Nexons leadership position at E3 and we will work hard to maintain that momentum, deliver great games and continue to satisfy the gaming pubic,” Kim added.

Nexon North America has been five years in the making now, and as Kim states, it looks like the hard work and persistence are starting to pay off, and in droves. Again, the numbers above reflect only Nexon NA’s three largest titles, with a fourth, Vindictus, poised for closed beta launch on August 10th. It should be quite interesting to see how/what Nexon’s numbers will look like this time next year.

 

Nexon America appoints new CEO: Daniel S. Kim

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009

Daniel S. Kim has recently been appointed to the CEO position at Nexon America.  He will oversee the day-to-day management and operations of the premier destination for free-to-play games in North America.  Wasting no time, Kim’s appointment is effective as of March 3rd.

daniel_kim_nexon“Nexon emerged as an innovator in the gaming industry by mapping its own direction, and I believe in maintaining this spirit as CEO,” said Kim. “There’s great potential in this company, and what we can deliver to the entertainment marketplace in North America. Nexon pioneered the free-to-play model in North America, and I’m thrilled to join Nexon America to continue to lead the market with more high quality, live gaming experiences for our users.”

Kim, who holds a Masters Degree of Science in Product Design and a Bachelor of Science Degree from Stanford University, has been with Los Angeles based Nexon since November 2006 (remember, Nexon North America was founded in 2005).  Prior to coming to Nexon, he served as a VP in charge of Asia-Pacific business development for IDEO. And remember Handspring Inc.?  Kim was one of the folks behind this product, where he served as senior product design engineer.  At Handspring Inc., Kim managed research, design, development and production of the digital device.  Capping off a list of already impressive accomplishments, Daniel Kim has also served as director of design and user experience at DoDots, Inc.

“The growth of free-to-play gaming in North America is hitting its stride and Daniel is an ideal candidate to lead Nexon America in a competitive marketplace,” said S.W. Choi, global chief executive officer for Nexon Group. “He is a proven leader in our company, and understands how Nexon can effectively grow as a brand and a business in North America.”

Kim has certainly put in his time with Nexon, and his double threat of Product design and engineering put him in a unique position to drive the Nexon ship.  I guess my only question is, “What happened to John H. Chi, the companies former President and CEO?”

Congratulations Mr. Kim, we look forward to seeing how you take Nexon North America to the next level.

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