December 22, 2024

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NCSoft headquarters in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province (NCSoft)

South Korean gaming giant NCSoft said Friday it has decided to separate three of its intellectual properties and establish an independent game development studio system. This move is part of its efforts to strengthen its global competitiveness by adopting a multistudio system.

In a bold move to accelerate change, NCSoft separated its inhouse IP -- new game series -- into independent studios: TL, LLL and Tactan. The new system will allow each studio to maximize creativity and innovation in game development, the company said.

The multistudio system is a proven model in the global content market. Companies such as Walt Disney -- which operates Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios and 20th Century Studios -- present diverse content across various genres. Leading gaming companies like Nexon and Krafton are also utilizing multistudio systems to deliver a wide array of IP to the global market here.

“As user preferences shift rapidly, speed is essential, and the studio system is considered more suitable for global trends,” an NCSoft official said. “Particularly, the recent transition of TL into a studio format is expected to strengthen its collaboration with Amazon, streamlining decision-making processes and enabling quicker reflection of global user feedback.”

The gaming firm’s transformation for overseas market expansion began earlier this year by mapping out its historic shift to a co-CEO structure from the sole CEO scheme. The goal was to leverage the expertise of each CEO to enhance NCSoft’s global game competitiveness.

While Kim Taek-jin, the founder and one of the co-CEOs, has focused on game development and strengthening collaborations with global partners, another co-CEO Park Byung-moo has solidified internal management. They also discussed new collaborations with Googld Cloud and strategic partnerships with Sony, resulting in addition of four Sony Interactive Entertainment titles on NCSoft's purple platform.

Additionally, the gaming company announced new strategic and equity investments to secure competitive IP. These investments include those in Sweden-based startup Moon Rover Games and Big Game Studio, a Korean developer specializing in subculture games, to diversify its game portfolio to boost global competitiveness.

By Jie Ye-eun (yeeun@heraldcorp.com)