Nexon hits record Q1 earnings on global franchise growth

The headquarters of Nexon in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province / Korea Times file

Nexon reported record first-quarter earnings, driven by strong global demand for its flagship franchises and accelerating growth outside traditional East Asian markets.

The game giant posted revenue of 152.2 billion yen ($960.82 million) and operating profit of 58.2 billion yen, up 34 percent and 40 percent year-over-year, respectively. Its net profit jumped 118 percent to 57.2 billion yen, marking all-time quarterly highs across the three metrics.

The results reflect Nexon’s push to expand globally, a strategy outlined in its Capital Markets Briefing (CMB) event in March.

Revenue from North America and Europe surged 310 percent year-over-year, while other regions, including Southeast Asia, grew 111 percent, both reaching record growth. Overseas sales accounted for 62 percent of total revenue, offsetting weaker momentum in China.

Growth was led by the MapleStory franchise and the extraction shooter title ARC Raiders, which helped diversify its revenue base.

MapleStory franchise revenue climbed 42 percent from a year earlier, supported by robust global user growth for its newer titles, including MapleStory: Idle RPG, which exceeded expectations in North America, Europe and Southeast Asia after launching globally last year.

MapleStory Worlds also saw a 79 percent increase in revenue, boosted by a holiday update in the Taiwan region.

A poster for Nexon's MapleStory: Idle RPG / Courtesy of Nexon

ARC Raiders, launched last October, has rapidly emerged as a key global franchise. The title sold an additional 4.6 million copies in the first quarter, bringing cumulative sales to 16 million within six months of release.

Nexon said more than half of players logged over 100 hours of gameplay, highlighting strong engagement. The game also won five major global game awards, including the Multiplayer category at this year’s British Academy Games Awards.

The game helped Nexon’s PC and console revenue surpass 1 trillion won ($666.98 million) for the first time on a quarterly basis in the first quarter.

“We achieved outstanding first-quarter results driven by the global success of the MapleStory franchise and ARC Raiders,” Nexon CEO Lee Jung-hun said.

“Through stronger strategic partnerships and a solid new title lineup, we will secure mid- to long-term growth drivers while enhancing profitability and global competitiveness through the innovation initiatives presented at CMB 2026.”

Alongside its earnings, the company announced it will be extending strategic partnerships for its two other franchises, signing a long-term publishing agreement with Electronic Arts for EA Sports FC Online in Korea and a 10-year extension with Tencent for Dungeon Fighter’s PC version in China.

Nexon is also expanding its pipeline through new partnerships and upcoming releases. It recently agreed with the U.S.-based Blizzard Entertainment to publish the PC version of Overwatch in Korea later this year.

The upcoming expansions include Mabinogi Mobile’s launch in Taiwan and Japan in the second half of this year, as well as new titles in role-playing game (RPG) Azur Promilia and massively multiplayer online RPG Project T.