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NCsoft Acquires Casual Power Ntreev Soft

February 15th, 2012

NCsoft has wholly acquired Ntreev Soft after 7 months of negotiation with SK Telecom today, taking over 76% share of the firm at KRW108 billion(US$96.7M).

A popular online golf game <Pangya> and an online horse racing game <Alicia>’s Ntreev Soft has been a strong casual games developer while NCsoft has been known as a strong MMORPG company with <Lineage>, <Lineage 2>, <Aion>, <Blade&Soul>, and <Guild Wars 2>.

NCsoft has always been hungry for casual online games because it has had hard time with its past casual online games such as <Toy Strikers>, <Exteel>, <Point Blank>, <Atrix>, <Dragonica>, and <Punch Monster>.

Pro-baseball Manager

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Posted in Korean Games Industry

Tags: acquisition age of wushu alicia casual games heroes of newerth MMORPG NCSoft Ntreev Soft Pangya power ranger online share sk telecom

WeMade Invests US$ 4.6m in Smartphone Messenger Kakao Talk

August 29th, 2011

WeMade Entertainment announced an agreement of strategic partnership with Kakao, the developer of a smartphone messenger Kakao Talk.

Kakao Talk is the number one messenger holding 22 million users in Korea. Kakao recently issued new shares worth US$ 19m and WeMade purchased about US$ 4.6m in order to enter the social network business successfully.

WeMade is looking forward to expose its subsidiary WeMade Creative’s smartphone games to Kakao Talk for analyzing customers’ needs and quality assurance.

“WeMade and Kakao pursue the social network power that Facebook and Zynga has shown,” said NamChul Kim the vice president of WeMade Entertainment. “By providing a strong smartphone game lineup of WeMade Creative, we will do our best to make a innovative example of changing paradgm of the global market.”

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Posted in Korean Games Industry

Tags: invest kakao messenger mobile share smartphone talk WeMade

NCsoft Acquired A Mobile Game Studio

July 26th, 2011

NCsoft took over a mobile game studio named Hotdog Studio by purchasing 58.3% of shares in the company.

Hotdog Studio had developed <Orient Saga> <Dark Shrine> etc. for feature phones and has been seperated independantly from a mobile application company HuOne ever since January 2010.

As it became an independant smart phone studio, it made many games including <Ready Action> <Tap Tap Shooter 2+1>.

NCsoft said “We are enhancing our ability in smart phone environment for NCsoft’s future. The acquisition is not M&A but a share investment which is a part of the business expansion we have worked on for a long time.”

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Posted in Korean Games Industry

Tags: 58.3% acquisition dark shrine development hotdog studio invest M&A mobile game mobile game studio NCSoft orient saga ready action share smart phone tap tap shooter 2+1

Nexon Acquired 20% of Eyasoft

May 27th, 2011

Nexon purchased 20% share of Eyasoft?and the publishing right of veiled game titled <Obelisk>, an action RPG.

With this, Nexon can exercise its influence over <Obelisk> and added another title to its future lineup.

The takeover is reportedly made because Eyasoft needed more money for the development for new projects. Eyasoft has struggled with poor revenue generated from the three?self-published games, <Iris> <Legend of Edda> and <Luna Plus>. The three are scheduled to be closed on June 1 in Korea.

Eyasoft is trying to be dedicated to MMORPG development, excluding the publishing business. They have prepared 6~7 projects besides the three already launched. But some of them are likely to be canceled due to limited finance.

It is plausible that Nexon may purchase more share of Eyasoft later as Eyasoft seems in trouble with money.

One industry official said “Eyasoft has planned too many projects over their ability and now is at a financial crisis which drove it to the situation of select & focus. The takeover seems made in order to get invested.”