NCSoft

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South Korea-based video game developer and publisher

title: "NCSoft" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["ncsoft", "city-of-heroes", "companies-based-in-gyeonggi-province", "companies-listed-on-the-korea-exchange", "companies-in-the-kospi-200", "south-korean-brands", "south-korean-companies-established-in-1997", "video-game-companies-established-in-1997", "video-game-companies-of-south-korea", "video-game-development-companies", "bundang"] description: "South Korea-based video game developer and publisher" topic_path: "geography/south-korea" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCSoft" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary South Korea-based video game developer and publisher ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]

FieldValue
nameNCSoft Corporation
logo[[File:NCSOFT logo.svg
native_name엔씨소프트
native_name_langko
typePublic
traded_as
key_peopleKim Taek-jin (CEO)
industryVideo games
productsSee complete list of products
revenue
operating_income
net_income
assets
equity
num_employees3100
foundation
founderKim Taek-jin
owner{{plainlist
<ref name"PIF Investment"
locationPangyo, Seongnam, South Korea
homepage
footnotes
::

| name = NCSoft Corporation | logo = [[File:NCSOFT logo.svg|140px]] | native_name = 엔씨소프트 | native_name_lang = ko | type = Public | traded_as = | key_people = Kim Taek-jin (CEO) | industry = Video games | products = See complete list of products | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | assets = | equity = | num_employees = 3100 | foundation = | founder = Kim Taek-jin | owner = {{plainlist|

NCSoft Corporation (stylized as NC, formerly stylized as NCSOFT; ) is a South Korean video game developer and publisher headquartered in Pangyo, Seongnam, South Korea, primarily known for the distribution of massively multiplayer online role-playing games such as Lineage and Guild Wars.

History

NCSoft was founded in March 1997 by Kim Taek-jin. In September 1998, NCSoft launched its first game Lineage. In April 2001 the company created a US subsidiary under the name NC Interactive (based in Austin, Texas, and would later become NCSoft West) after acquiring Destination Games, headed by Richard Garriott and Robert Garriott. In 2004, NCSoft launched two MMORPGs, Lineage II and City of Heroes. In December 2023, NCsoft released the MMPRPG 'Throne and Liberty'.

The company formed NCSoft Europe in July 2004 as a wholly owned subsidiary with its main office in Brighton, England. They brought City of Heroes to several European countries on February 4, 2005, and have since established European service for WildStar and Blade & Soul as well.

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.

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. On July 28, 2021, NCSoft announced that it was adding the talents of long-time video game industry veteran Jeffrey 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.

On July 8, 2011, NCSoft started talks with SK Telecom to acquire Ntreev Soft Co., Ltd. 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 () on February 15, 2012.

In 2011, NCSoft purchased Hotdog Studio, a mobile game studio based in Seoul that produces phone and smartphone titles such as Dark Shrine.

In June 2012, NCSoft launched Blade & Soul, their first MMORPG since Aion launched in 2008.

In 2012 Nexon acquired a 14.7 percent interest in NCSoft for $688 million. Nexon sold all of its shares of NCSoft in October 2015.

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.

On August 21, 2020, NCSoft entered the Korean entertainment industry by launching a new subsidiary called "Klap Co., Ltd." Klap and NCSoft launched the entertainment platform UNIVERSE on January 28, 2021.

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.

In November 2023, NCSoft announced that it had signed a strategic partnership with Sony Interactive Entertainment. On January 18, 2024, NCSoft wound down and laid off all 70 employees of its Ntreev Soft subsidiary.

NCsoft received the Chinese government's approval for their online games on October 25, 2024.

Subsidiaries

Current

Former

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Ncsoft.jpg" caption="NcSoft structure"] ::

Controversies

Stolen source code

On April 27, 2007, Seoul Metropolitan Police said that seven former employees of NCSoft are suspected of selling the Lineage III source code to a major Japanese game company. According to NCSoft, the potential damages may exceed .

Worlds.com patent lawsuit

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

Richard Garriott termination

Richard Garriott, lead developer of the failed MMORPG Tabula Rasa, sued NCSoft for in 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 by forging his resignation announcement. On July 30, 2010, a jury in a Texas federal court awarded him in 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. Garriott again prevailed on appeal and NCSoft was required to pay an additional , bringing the total damages awarded to Garriott to .

Closure of Paragon Studios and ''City of Heroes''

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

Major Company Reconstruction in South Korea

In 2024, NCSoft underwent significant restructuring in South Korea to tackle its financial challenges. The process began with the closure of its subsidiary, Ntreev Soft, leading to the layoff of 70 employees in January 2024 after enduring an 11-year deficit. Consequently, the development and service of Trickster M, Pro Baseball H2, and Pro Baseball H3 were terminated. On October 21, 2024, NCSoft declared the main branch's overhaul, which includes the formation of new teams into four business divisions, scheduled to be established as official subsidiaries on February 1, 2025.

  • NC AI will oversee all AI development for games and applications, consolidating NCSoft's AI and NLP teams into a single unit, led by the head of NCSoft's NLP research, Lee Yeon-soo.
  • FirstSpark Games or Studio X will inherit the project Throne and Liberty from TL Heroes and continue its IP development, under the leadership of Choi Moonyoung, one of NCSoft's three chief business officers.
  • BigFire Games or Studio Y will advance the development of Cinder City, guided by Bae Jae-hyun, NCSoft's vice president of game development.
  • Ludius Games or Studio Z will undertake the development of NCSoft's new project TACTAN, currently in the design phase, led by Seo Min-seok.

In the wake of its restructuring, NCSoft will disband the remaining teams that have not been restructured and halt their projects. This includes the cancellation of the single-player action-adventure RPG Project M and the cessation of the newly released game Battle Crush. Additionally, the company will conduct staff layoffs and introduce a voluntary retirement program for its employees.

Games

::data[format=table]

YearTitleDeveloperGenreNotes
1998LineageNCSoft (Team L2Live)MMORPG
2003Lineage IINCSoftMMORPG
2004City of HeroesParagon StudiosMMORPGShut down on November 30, 2012.
2005Guild WarsArenaNetMMORPG
2006Auto AssaultNetDevilMMORPGShut down on August 31, 2007.
2007Dungeon RunnersNCSoftMMORPGShut down on January 1, 2010.
Tabula RasaDestination GamesMMORPGShut down on February 28, 2009.
ExteelNCSoft (E&G Studios)TPSShut down on September 1, 2010.
2008Point BlankZepettoFPSShut down on July 13, 2011.
2009AionNCSoft (Team Aion)MMORPG
2011Gem KeeperNCSoftTower defense
2012Blade & SoulNCSoft (Team Bloodlust)MMORPG
Guild Wars 2ArenaNetMMORPG
2013Shin Jan Ryu MonNCSoft JapanMahjong
2014WildStarNCSoft (Carbine)MMORPGShut down on November 30, 2018.
2016Love BeatCrazyDiamondDance/Rhythm
Lineage Red KnightNCSoftRPG
2017Final BladeNCSoftRPG
Pro Baseball H2!NTREEV (Baseball Team)SportShut down on March 2024
Master X MasterNCSoft (Studio MXM)MOBAShut down on January 31, 2018.
Lineage MNCSoftMMORPG
AionNCSoftRPG
2019Lineage II MNCSoft (Team L2Live)RPG
2020FUSERHarmonixRhythmShut down on December 19, 2022
2021Pro Baseball H3!NTREEV (Baseball Team)SportShut down on March 2024
Trickster MNTREEV (Trickster Team)MMORPGShut down on March 2024
Blade & Soul 2NCSoft (Team Bloodlust)MMORPG
Lineage WStudio WMMORPG
2024Battle CrushNCSoftAction, brawlerShut down on November 29, 2024
Throne and LibertyFirstSpark GamesMMORPGPublished in the West and Japan by Amazon Games
Blade & Soul HeroesNCSoftStrategy RPGKnown as Hoyeon in Korea, and Go-en in Japan.
2025AION 2NCSoft (Team Aion)MMORPG
TBACinder CityBigFire GamesMMO TPS
Time:TakersMistil GamesMMOTPS
Limit Zero BreakersVic Game Studios/KadokawaRPG
Horizon Steel FrontiersNCSoft/Guerrilla Games/PlayStation Studios XDevMMORPGUnder exclusive license from Sony Interactive Entertainment
Project EFirstSpark GamesMMORPG
TACTANLudius GamesMMORPG
Blade & Soul ConsoleNC Interactive (NCWEST)Action MMORPG
::

In addition, NCSoft is also the developer and maintainer of a variety of web-based board games in Asian markets.

References

References

  1. "Saudi Arabia's PIF ups invest in NCSoft for second largest ownership, shares rally".
  2. "2020 earnings release". NCSoft.
  3. "NCSoft Corporate Governance". NCSoft.
  4. (2024-08-12). "NCSOFT reshuffles leadership at global offices".
  5. "NCSoft".
  6. (2011-04-28). "Seven years of City of Heroes statistics". eurogamer.net.
  7. (2024). "Throne and Liberty released".
  8. Adams, David. (2005-01-12). "City of Heroes Takes Europe".
  9. Everett, Larry. (2015-09-01). "PAX Prime 2015: Guild Wars 2's free-to-play model and publishing takeover {{!}} Massively Overpowered".
  10. "엔씨소프트의 역사".
  11. (July 28, 2021). "Games Industry Veteran Jeffrey Anderson Joins NCSOFT West as New CEO". PR Newswire.
  12. Weber, Rachel. (July 8, 2011). "NCSoft in talks to acquire Ntreev Software". Gamesindustry International.
  13. Caoili, Eric. (February 17, 2012). "League of Legends and NCsoft's Ntreev acquisition, this week in Korean news".
  14. Caoili, Eric. (July 27, 2011). "NCSoft Purchases Seoul-Based Mobile Dev Hotdog Studio".
  15. Shea, Cam. (2009-05-21). "AU: Aion Is Coming".
  16. Takahashi, Dean. "Korean game togetherness: Nexon acquires 14.7 percent of NCsoft for $688M". VentureBeat.
  17. Pearson, Dan. (2015-10-19). "Nexon sells shares in NCSoft, ending takeover bid".
  18. "About Us".
  19. Byung-wook, Kim. (2020-08-21). "NCSoft launches entertainment subsidiary Klap".
  20. (28 January 2021). "UNIVERSE launches with over 4 million users, here's a guide to the new fan community platform". Bandwagon.
  21. (March 13, 2022). "Saudi wealth fund buys stakes in Korea game makers". phnompenhpost.com.
  22. Makuch, Eddie. (November 28, 2023). "PlayStation Makes Deal With Huge Company To Expand Beyond Console".
  23. (2024-01-18). "Game publishers cancel titles, cut employees as economy struggles".
  24. (2024). "China approves NCsoft games".
  25. "MSN".
  26. Park, So-eun. (2023-08-08). "[단독]엔씨소프트, '클렙' 지분 전량 매각…엔터 사업 손 뗀다".
  27. (30 April 2007). "Former NCSoft Employees Suspected of Stealing Lineage III Code".
  28. (April 26, 2007). "Chosun Ilbo article".
  29. "Worlds.com CEO: We're 'Absolutely' Going To Sue Second Life And World Of Warcraft".
  30. (29 December 2008). "NCsoft Faces Patent Infringement Suit".
  31. Takahashi, Dean. (2009-03-12). "Worlds.com: We've patented the world".
  32. Krangel, Eric. "$50,000 Reward Offered For Proof Worlds.Com Patent Lawsuit Is Bogus".
  33. (6 May 2009). "Richard Garriott blasts NCsoft with $24 million lawsuit".
  34. Kim, Tong-hyung. (July 30, 2010). "Garriott wins $28 mil. in NCsoft lawsuit".
  35. "Garriott wins appeal in NCsoft case". RICHARD GARRIOTT v. NCSoft CORPORATION.
  36. (September 27, 2012). "Save CoH movement invites NCsoft execs to play, petition passes 20,000 signatures".
  37. (18 January 2024). "Game publishers cancel titles, cut employees as economy struggles".
  38. (23 October 2024). "NCSoft suffers layoffs and cancels projects, including ultra-realistic thriller Project M".
  39. Royce, Bree. (2024-01-04). "NCsoft has officially granted a City of Heroes server license to the Homecoming crew {{!}} Massively Overpowered".
  40. Royce, Bree. (2024-01-04). "NCsoft Q3 2024: NCsoft teases Aion 2 for 2025, says Throne & Liberty sales 'surpassed internal projections' {{!}} Massively Overpowered".
  41. "NCSOFT Secures Global Publishing Deals with Korean and European Development Studios".
  42. "LIMIT ZERO BREAKERS Unveils Full Program for Tokyo Game Show 2025".
  43. "NCSOFT UNVEILS HORIZON STEEL FRONTIERS, A NEW MMORPG SET IN THE HORIZON UNIVERSE".

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ncsoftcity-of-heroescompanies-based-in-gyeonggi-provincecompanies-listed-on-the-korea-exchangecompanies-in-the-kospi-200south-korean-brandssouth-korean-companies-established-in-1997video-game-companies-established-in-1997video-game-companies-of-south-koreavideo-game-development-companiesbundang