Posts Tagged ‘Nexon’

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Nexon announces partnership with 2K Sports to produce Baseball Sim

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

Leading games producer 2K Sports and free-to-play originator Nexon Corporation have recently announced a partnership agreement that will see the development and publishing of a new online baseball game, produced exclusively for the South Korean market. As both parties have strategic motives, 2K Sports wins with expanding their offerings into the Asian market, while Nexon scores a win with a major developer with a standard of excellence, and a long proven track record of quality gaming.

“Nexon is a pioneer in the online gaming space and its track record of creating quality online titles makes them an ideal partner,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K in a statement. “We view this as a great opportunity to deliver an outstanding simulation game to a population that enjoys online gaming and has a passion for baseball. We look forward to reaching new audiences with our authentic simulation titles.”

Not only will 2K Sports be entering the market with an established partner, but this new development project will serve to further expand and enhance their existing sports lineup. Building upon their NBA 2K and MLB 2K franchises, this new versioning of a baseball title is expected to fall right in line with Nexon’s MO, presumably making the game free-to-play, with the now-standard microtransaction based monetization module.

“This partnership is an opportunity to demonstrate the scope of our development capabilities by creating a new type of online game,” said Min Suh, CEO of Nexon Corporation in a statement. “We’re confident that Visual Concepts’ (a 2K Sports studio) proven success in developing sports simulations coupled with our online gaming expertise will result in a new kind of baseball experience for Korean online gamers.”

And while Nexon has enjoyed tremendous success with their more “traditional” titles such as MapleStory and KartRider, Take-Two Asia president Hubert Larenaudie is quick to point out a market primed for baseball, “As Korea’s number one spectator sport with nearly six million fans in 2010, baseball has a massive untapped audience to whom we believe our game will appeal.”

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Nexon: Q1 revenues up 59 percent

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

Free-to-play/Microtransaction based games maker Nexon is reporting that it’s North American business unit, Nexon America, grew a healthy 59 percent in year-over-year first quarter revenues. Traditionally a slow season for the gaming industry, Nexon has beat the odds, making this growth particularly notable. The secret sauce behind Nexon’s impressive showing? A steady release of new content, resulting in increased user engagement and sales of microtransaction based items.

“Our success is the result of our ability to deliver engaging content that our players find valuable, whether they are playing for free or purchasing items in our games,” said Daniel Kim, CEO of Nexon America. “The substantial growth we are experiencing in North America is a reflection of how well Nexon is doing globally. We are growing our traditional MMOG business as well as expanding into other platforms such as the mobile and social games, which will help to expand our global reach and the number of people playing our games.”

In addition to their currently available Atlantica Online, Combat Arms, MapleStory, Vindictus, Dungeon Fighter Online, Mabinogi, and PopTag!, Nexon plans on a second appearance at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, and will showcase Dragon Nest, Nexon’s yet-to-be-released offering, as well as Vindictus. Dragon Nest is slated for a summer release for free-to-play PC gamers in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. According to Nexon, the title will combine fast-paced action alongside an engaging storyline and a the distinctive Nexon art style. Naturally, the title will be free-to-play, and microtransaction supported.

Likewise, as we recently reported, Nexon is teeing up a Facebook version, MapleStory Adventures, of the long running MapleStory franchise. And while Q1’s numbers are certainly impressive, with a Facebook launch of a perennial favorite, as well as a new “full” game, Nexon’s Q4 numbers should be poised to be off the charts.

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Nexon: How to make Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list two years running

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

After accomplishing a global spread of their innovative idea, free-to-play, Nexon is looking to the next generation of success, and has recently been named to Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in Gaming for the second consecutive year.

We’ve covered Nexon’s various achievements this year, but a quick rundown sees the company diving head first into Mobile, Social, and Console gaming congruently.

On the mobile front, Nexon produced a special “Thief Edition,” of their bread-and-butter, side scroller, Maple Story for iOS devices in 2010, while March of this year saw the arrival of their “other” top seller, Kart Rider which counts a massive 200 million registered users worldwide. Within it’s first week of availability, Kart Rider clocked over 1 million downloads.

Socially, Nexon has been a bit late to the party, however they’re making up for it with a significant partnership with A Bit Lucky which focuses on cross-platform social gaming. Not putting all their eggs in one basket, Nexon has also founded the iNiative program which selected both Antic Entertainment and onetribe to receive $1 million in capital to put towards developing games for social networks. It’s still unclear as to who exactly is driving development, but Nexon has announced a Facebook bound version of MapleStory, aptly titled MapleStory Adventures.

And finally, on the console front, just last month, Nexon announced plans to bring their popular fighter, Dungeon Fighter Online to Xbox 360 users, available in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Chinese.

Obviously, with so many plates spinning, Fast Company has, yet again, taken notice. Dungeon Fighter Online with it’s 200 million global registrants, and MapleStory (90 million worldwide registered users) are leading the charge, and the gleam of Fast Company’s eye. But it’s not just Nexon’s actual gaming titles that have garnered a nod from Fast Company. The organizations’ innovative business model surrounding their Game Cards which carry pre-determined amounts of NX, Nexon’s virtual currency, are available at more than 70,000 retailers across the US in 7-Eleven, Toys ‘R Us, and Gamestop outlets.

“While Nexon has had great success in Asia and North America, our efforts to expand our platform reach is a push to make Nexon a global gaming power,” said Nexon America CEO Daniel Kim in a statement. “To be named on the Fast Company list of Most Innovative Companies in Gaming two years in a row is truly such an honor for the entire organization. We look forward to many more years of offering the best gaming experience to our fans, whether that be PC, mobile or social network platforms.”

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Nexon adds Dungeon Fighter Slayer Edition to iOS – thoughts on Nexon’s bigger plan

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

Nexon has recently unleashed their popular MORPG Dungeon Fighter for iOS devices. Known as Dungeon & Fighter in all territories other than North America, The title is one of Nexon’s hottest properties, with over 200 million registered users, and now available for play on the go.

According to Nexon, the Dungeon & Fighter Slayer Edition is optimized for all iOS devices, and created by Neople, a fully owned subsidiary of Nexon. While this might be a “special edition” of Dungeon & Fighter, Nexon has taken the higher road, and is not pushing a watered down version of the title, but rather, has included a plethora of content not found on other versions of the game. Content includes Ancient Dungeons, as well as a playable Mage class to name a few. Neople/Nexon have also taken advantage of the unique interface offered by iOS devices, as players now have access to a pinch and zoom in/out of the mini-map, as well as use on screen directional keys for movement. The title still retains it’s long standing side-scrolling game play, a mechanic players have come to love and expect from Nexon.

“The iOS release of Dungeon & Fighter Slayer Edition represents a significant step forward for the Dungeon & Fighter franchise,” said Hyun-Jong Kim from Nexon Mobile in a statement. “Both longstanding fans of the franchise and new players alike will now be able to take the enthralling action of the Dungeon & Fighter universe with them on the go.”

Now if this were any other company offering yet another version of a title, I’d promptly yawn and move on. However, this is Nexon we’re talking about here. If you’re not familiar with Nexon, in a nutshell, if you like free-to-play, or paying for bits and pieces as you go, aka microtransactions, you’ve got respect to pay. While certainly not on the level of Apple, it’s fair to say that Nexon has done for games what Apple via iTunes did for music. I’ll explain:

Apple started a revolutionary program and idea with the advent of the iTunes store. It provided a safe and legitimate mechanism whereby users could pay for what they want, and download it directly to their computer. Not coming from the exact same starting point, Nexon sought to put games piracy to bed, once and for all. Their logic? Let the games loose for free, and then charge users for what they want along the way; be that a sword or potion here, or a map or additional levels there. For the longest time Nexon pushed this business model, and is not reaping the rewards. However, this was primarily browser based gaming via Nexon’s portal only.

Within the past week, we’ve seen Nexon port KartRider and their long standing flagship MapleStory over to both iOS devices and Facebook (and other social networks), as well as lead a financing round for a promising social games development house, A Bit Lucky. It’s a fair statement to make that something is definitely afoot at Nexon. With that said, Nexon is still at the pivot point, meaning, they’re now bringing their popular titles over into the social/mobile world. I see this as phase one of a much larger plan in the works. Once Nexon is settled and established in this playfield and worked out all the kinks, I believe this will be the time when we see Nexon’s investment in A Bit Lucky start to pay off, as the firm will undoubtedly produce Nexon’s next “big hit.”

Only time will tell, but it might be time to keep a closer eye on what Nexon’s up to, as Q1 is rapidly coming to a close. Next phase? My money’s on a Q4 ’11 release, just in time to take full advantage of the upcoming iOS, and most probably Phone 5.

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Nexon Dungeon Fighter headed to Xbox LIVE arcade

Friday, March 25th, 2011

Free-to-play innovator Nexon has recently announced a publishing deal with Microsoft Game Studios to bring the popular MORPG Dungeon Fighter Online to Xbox LIVE Arcade users everywhere.

With over 200 million registered users worldwide, Dungeon Fighter is a heavy weight in it’s own class.  While most of Dungeon Fighter’s audience coming from Asia, the game recently set a new record for concurrent players; registering 2.2 million concurrent players across China, Japan, and Korea.

The Xbox LIVE Arcade version of Dungeon Fighter Online won’t be a simple port, but rather will be co-developed between Nexon and Softmax.  Softmax has an appropriate pedigree, having worked on The War of Genesis and Magna Carta.  Nexon’s dev studio, Neople will take lead on the project, and Microsoft will do the publishing via the Microsoft Game Studios.  Likewise, Microsoft will handle the localizations into Japanese, German, Spanish, Italian, and French, while Nexon will handle Chinese and English language support.

“This agreement is a significant step forward for Nexon,” said Min Suh, Nexon’s chief executive officer. “For some time we have been seeking opportunities to expand beyond online PC gaming and move into new platforms like Xbox LIVE Arcade. With the help of Microsoft Game Studios’ deep development and localization experience, we anticipate that Dungeon Fighter Online will bring enjoyment to entirely new audiences on Xbox LIVE Arcade.”

This announcement arrives only days after Nexon’s <a href=”http://www.fatfoogoo.com/2011/03/a-bit-lucky-lands-5m-in-additional-funding-led-by-nexon/”>investment</a> in A Bit Lucky.  Likewise, SOE just <a href=”http://www.fatfoogoo.com/2011/03/sony%e2%80%99s-free-realms-headed-to-playstation-network/”>recently announced</a> that they own Free-to-Play hit Free Realms will be arriving on the PlayStation network later this year.  Call it coincidence, but it looks like we’re in the middle of a reverse flow of games.  Meaning, free-to-play was born from a number of problems, but it’s always been a bit out there on it’s own, at least in the way of “found on my console.”  Free-to-play and the microtransaction business model have fought a long and hard fight, and it looks like they might now be ready for prime time.  If this in fact the case, and if Nexon has broken into the console market, how long will it be before Zynga strikes a deal, and Wii, PS3, and Xbox owners can farm direct from their console?

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Nexon brings KartRider and MapleStory to the social and mobile world

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

Originator of the free-to-play model, Nexon has recently announced that they’re bringing their most popular titles, KartRider and MapleStory to the mobile and social world, respectively. KartRider Rush is targeted at iOS and Android platforms, while the classic side scrolling MapleStory Adventures will find a new home on Facebook. KartRider will arrive later this month (iOS), while MapleStory Adventures is set for a summer ’11 launch.

True to Nexon’s model, both titles will be free-to-play, and offer microtransactions as enhancements to the games, as well as provide a healthy revenue stream for Nexon. KartRider Rush will soon be a free iP (phone, pad, pod touch) app, with an Android based version arriving later this summer. KartRider Rush is a mobile/handheld version of KartRider; a title that counts a massive 200 million registered players worldwide. KartRider Rush features a multiplayer interface, allowing up to four players to race head to head on unique and challenging courses in both battle and time trial modes. If you’ve no friends to play with, fear not, as KartRider Rush also features a rich and engaging solo experience. Single player mode brings up a range of AI racers to square off against in Item Mode and Speed mode. Taking advantage of Facebook Connect, KartRider Rush fans can display their highscores and compare them against friends’ best lap times, etc. Nexon introduces the microtransactions in KartRider Rush via a variety of additional tracks all available for purchase.

On the Facebook front, Nexon brings the all-time classic, side scrolling, MapleStory (Adventures). Arriving this summer, Nexon has taken the already simple interface of MapleStory, and slimmed it down even further. MapleStory Adventures will provide the same MapleStory experience, only now on Facebook, as players are presented with a number of quests and challenges. Only now, they can ask for Facebook friend help in their trials and tribulations. Similar to the original MapleStory, Nexon will be offering microtransactions of the upgrade and in-game items variety.

“Expanding our global IPs into the social and mobile gaming space is a watershed moment in Nexon’s global expansion efforts,” said Daniel Kim, Nexon America’s CEO. “Not only will this move provide new ways for hundreds of millions of fans worldwide to experience Nexon’s games, it allows Nexon the opportunity to prove the robustness of its business model on new platforms.”

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Nexon awards Social Network Game Development program: Antic Entertainment and one2tribe receive benefits

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

Hot on the heels of their 42 percent jump in Q4, Nexon America has recently announced the winners of their Social Network Game Development program, with it’s first recipients being Antic Entertainment and one2tribe. The two firms will share over $1 million in Nexon iNitiative development funding. The two are expected to develop new games for Nexon’s usage worldwide.

Started in the Spring of 2010, Nexon’s iNitiative program is designed to target and support new innovative game technology and projects that fold nicely into Nexon’s community based, long-term user goals. The idea is to find original, unique and forward looking video game efforts, and provide these studios with the necessary funding to help them reach these goals. This year alone, Nexon received 115 submissions from 26 countries around the globe. After a heavy scrutiny under the Nexon microscope, two firms have floated to the top: London, Ontario based Antic Entertainment and Poland based one2tribe.

“The Nexon iNitiative had many outstanding submissions,” said Won Il Sue, Nexon America’s vice president of business development in a statment. “Antic Entertainment and one2tribe presented truly innovative ideas that fit right into what we’re trying to do at Nexon. As recipients of the Nexon iNitiative funding, Antic Entertainment and one2tribe will be instrumental in expanding our catalogue and bringing Nexon games to new audiences.”

Founded in 2008, Antic Entertainment is based on London, Ontario, and focuses on building and publishing casual games for regular gamers. Founders Fredrik Liljegren, Mark Mikulec and Jeff Evans report that they’re hard at work on an unannounced social media game for Nexon.

On the other side of the pond, Polish studio one2tribe was founded in 2003 by Mojciech Ozimek and Aleksander Solecki, and is hailed for their innovative projects, including the fusion of several platforms including Xyber Mech and The Witcher: Versus. The firm has yet to announce any Nexon related plans … but that doesn’t mean that they’re not working on it.

Both firms will share in the $1 million prize, although distribution numbers were not provided. By accepting the funding, both firms are now committed to a co-developed Nexon project, which will later be published by the free-to-play giant. This distribution will effectively reach 71 countries around the world.

No launch or expected arrival dates have been announced, but if Nexon’s selection process is anything akin to their already published titles, it should be quite interesting to see what these two now-funded studios have in store for us.

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Nexon North America reports a 42 percent jump in Q4 revenues

Friday, January 28th, 2011

Nexon America, the North American publishing arm of Nexon global, is reporting a healthy revenue jump of 42 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010. Nexon is pointing to a strong showing in December, when Nexon reports a 60 percent increase in revenues YoY when compared to 2009’s revenues.

Nexon North America’s microtransaction based revenue generators include their highly successful FPS Combat Arms, classic MapleStory, Vindictus, Dungeon Fighter Online, Mabinogi, and PopTag! While now available for consideration on the “classics” list, Nexon’s one-that-started-it-all, MapleStory continues to drive revenues and expansion at Nexon North America, as the “Big Bang” expansion was a large driver of late 2010 revenues, bringing in not only a host of new players, but perhaps more importantly, pulling back lapsed players. As a point of reference, in mid-December, Nexon reports a massive 136,000 concurrent MapleStory players, a number that shattered the title’s previous record, in fact, nearly doubling the former record.

“It was a tremendous fourth quarter and year for Nexon and MapleStory’s Big Bang had a lot to do with it,” said Daniel Kim, Nexon America’s CEO in a statement. “Nexon has perfected a formula for gameplay with a business model that attracts players and keeps them loyal. Players don’t have to pay a cent to enjoy Nexon’s games, but our players who do pay to enhance their gameplay experience tend to spend more than the typical social gamer or subscription-based game player. Evidence of the success of this formula was seen with the release of the Big Bang expansion and the resulting increase in concurrent players and revenues.”

And although Nexon has been at it for some 10 years now, first introducing the world to the free-to-play, pay small bits of money in the game, aka microtransaction, model, the company doesn’t show any signs of resting on it’s collective laurels. 2011 hold a new title in store for Nexon America, the anticipated Dragon Nest – a fantasy based action MMOG. Initially unveiled at the 2010 E3 expo, Dragon Nest has been received with fervor in Korea and elsewhere.

“Dragon Nest will continue to raise the bar for microtransaction-based games and should energize the North American market with stylized graphics, fast action and immersive gameplay,” Kim said.

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Nexon America dishes up Black Friday deals

Friday, November 26th, 2010

For American consumers, the day after Thanksgiving, aka, Black Friday, can mean only one thing; shopping! And why should your favorite freemium game not offer the same type of “crazy” or “insane” markdown prices brick-and-mortar stores prepare months in advance for? Well according to Nexon America, they shouldn’t.

While Nexon’s Black Friday deals have technically been running all week, today is officially Black Friday, and Nexon hopes to cash in on a bit of post-turkey pixel playing. So much so, that Nexon America isn’t just offering a deal or two, here or there, as they’ve discounted a number of virtual goods items across their entire collection of properties. And just to get everyone in the holiday spirit, Nexon is also hosting holiday activities that include increased experience points events, as well as holiday and winter based events. Combat Arms snowball fight?

“We work hard on a game-by-game basis to deliver unique holiday items,” said Daniel Kim, Nexon America’s CEO. “With the enormous number of microtransactions we conduct, we have proven that we know how to bring exciting and desired virtual items to our customers. Much like brick-and-mortar retailers, the holiday season represents a great opportunity for us to expand our customer base through fun sales and exciting in-game events.”

When it comes to what’s on tap for each individual Nexon title, they’ve really pulled out the stops, again, putting their best face forward, at a time when consumers are abnormally willing to spend a bit more than usual. Let’s see what your favorite Nexon title has to offer:

  • Maple Story: Using a milestone measurement, Maple Story players will unlock special discounts based on their logins and purchases. Pets, Meso Sacks, Skill point resents, and other items will be available for 30 percent off, starting today, November 26th.
  • Mabinogi: All cash items are on sale on Black Friday to Mabinogi players. Beginning November 25th, players can expect to spot a Double Rainbow Event, offering double drop rates, skill training, and ability points.
  • Dungeon Fighter Online: Perhaps the biggest discounted title of them all, DFO players will be able to buy items in bulk, with a discounted rate of 20-50 percent off. DFO’s also offering a “Capture Seria’s Turkeys” challenge, as well as a Thanksgiving Parade that rewards Thanksgiving “leftovers,” as well as costumes. DFO’s offers run through to the end of the month.
  • Vindictus: Vindictus players should swing by their nearest Supply Depot, as special giveaways and promotions have been launched since this past Wednesday. These promotions include 20 percent discounts on individual items, as well as packages. Vindictus players can also keep their eye out for a daily giveaway of the Goddess Grace, a unique in-game weapon.
  • Combat Arms: Combat Arms players have been building up points in a month long promotion that culminates today. Similar to Maple Story, Combat Arms players have had their progress tracked by a Black Friday Sale Meter, ultimately resulting in more deals for those that have played more. Soldiers can expect big discounts on weapons, gear, holiday packages, and the occasional (read: rare) free permanent items. And if cool new gear wasn’t enough, Nexon is really pulling out the stops in Combat Arms, offering double drops rates and quadruple experience points.

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Nexon America launches free-to-play Vindictus

Friday, October 29th, 2010

Never resting on their laurels, Nexon recently officially launched their highly anticipated MMO Vindictus. A mild departure for the free-to-play giant, Vindictus has a few features in store for gamers that they’re not quite yet accustomed to, at least not in the free-to-play market. Partnering with Valve, Nexon hopes to take free-to-play to the next level through what they’re calling a “breakthrough experience that truly brings physics alive.”

A physics based MMORPG, Vindictus runs on a modified version of Valve’s Source Engine, and allows characters to interact with their physical environment. Not only do these improved physics allow for throwing enemy corpses, shattering walls, and binding monsters with change, it also employes a unique mechanism that affects players’ wear and tear on their armor. Valve’s Source Engine, you’ll remember, is the same one powering Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, and Portal.

vindictus

“With the launch of Vindictus, free-to-play gaming will never be the same,” said Daniel Kim, Nexon America’s CEO.“The high-quality content and amazing physics in Vindictus will make it hard for players to believe that this game is free. Vindictus is the leading example of Nexon’s efforts to forever change what players will expect from free-to-play games. More than that, Vindictus is just plain fun.”

To celebrate the launch of Vindictus, Nexon is introducing a powerful female mage character named Evie. Evie will now join the ranks of currently available characters, the dual sword wielding Lann, and sword and shield bearing Fiona. Currently, the game features 3 “episodes” to keep players playing, with presumable more added in the future. Nexon has not commented on whether these will be available for free or via a microtransaction purchase, but I would presume the latter. Additionally, as part of the opening promotion, Nexon America will refill players’ access tokens three times a week.

A nice diversification for Nexon, and the improved physics are sure to up-the-ante in a number of free-to-play circles. However, in a genre so over crowded, and dominated by one particular MMORPG in particular, can Nexon garner enough attention to the title to make it all worth it? If their past track record is any indication as to the market and numbers that they’re able to pull through the door, Vindictus may very well have a very bright future ahead of it.

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