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PANGYO, Korea (March 20, 2024) – NCSOFT today announced implementing a co-CEO structure aimed at fostering sustainable growth, discovering new growth drivers, and propelling into the global market.  

NCSOFT’s new dual leadership structure seeks to capitalize on the expertise of each CEO while fostering synergy as ‘One Team’ to accomplish shared objectives amidst an increasingly uncertain business landscape.

As CEO and CCO (Chief Creative Officer) of NCSOFT, Taekjin Kim will lead initiatives to bolster the company's competitiveness in game development and business. Byungmoo Park, the new CEO nominee, intends to prioritize strengthening NCSOFT's management fundamentals and identifying new growth opportunities, leveraging his extensive background and expertise.

Taekjin Kim will spearhead strengthening the competitiveness of its games with new title releases, global market penetration, AI integration, and talent acquisition.

Kim will set his focus on enhancing NCSOFT’s gaming competitiveness in the global market. To achieve this, he will leverage his capabilities in developing new games that offer unique and fresh enjoyment, creating games tailored to the global audience, strengthening collaboration with global companies, and pursuing innovation in the game development process using AI technology.

The primary objective is to create new titles that offer innovative and captivating play experiences. Kim stated, "Drawing upon NCSOFT's advanced development capabilities, we are actively working on games across various genres such as 'MMO Shooting,' 'MMO Sandbox,' and 'MMORTS.'" He also mentioned, "We are pushing boundaries in different genres with fresh concepts, including the action brawler 'BATTLE CRUSH' and the collectible RPG 'Project BSS,' both scheduled for global release this year. 'AION 2,' our next-generation MMORPG, is under development to elevate gameplay to new heights."

Kim will also concentrate on the development of titles targeted for the global market. In pursuit of this goal, NCSOFT is actively collaborating with numerous global partners. Kim said, "We are closely cooperating with various global partners to refine development and specifications through extensive testing in local regions for global services such as THRONE AND LIBERTY with Amazon Games and Blade & Soul 2 with a local publisher in China.” He also added, "We are engaged in discussions with major tech companies including Sony, exploring new avenues of cooperation in global business, details of which will be disclosed at a more appropriate time.”

Moreover, Kim is committed to pioneering innovation in game development practices, with a particular emphasis on integrating AI technology and fostering emerging leaders. He mentioned, “We intend to proactively incorporate AI technology into game production to streamline costs and reduce production timelines, while simultaneously enhancing creativity.” Furthermore, he emphasized, “To realize this vision, we will actively seek out creative talents and offer comprehensive support by leveraging all available resources within the company.” 

Byungmoo Park, the new CEO nominee, will focus on solidifying NCSOFT’s management fundamentals and identifying new growth opportunities through strategic investments and M&As.

Byungmoo Park will concentrate on re-aligning NCSOFT’s internal resources and capabilities to bolster sustainable growth.

Park highlighted, “NCSOFT possesses exceptional assets for growth and rebound, including a wide array of independently developed IPs, outstanding talent pool with decades of game development and live service expertise, a breadth of experiences to learn from both successes and setbacks, and strong financial stability.” He added, “Together with CEO Taekjin Kim, we will unleash NCSOFT’s potential as ‘One Team’ and leap into becoming a leading global company.”

Park will focus on solidifying management fundamentals and establishing systems to propel NCSOFT's transformation. He outlined four key aspects to achieve this: a) enhancing management efficiency to bolster core competitiveness, b) implementing a data-driven system to ensure an accurate assessment of the current state, c) laying the groundwork for global expansion by internalizing experience, and d) pursuing investment and M&A activities to secure IPs and new growth opportunities.

Park emphasized, "We will improve management efficiency to align with the core competitiveness of each department, rather than solely focusing on numerical efficiency which can significantly undermine a company's competitiveness and its foundation." He also stated, "We will integrate the lessons learned from our ongoing global expansion endeavors into the organization, reinforcing our support for CEO Kim’s globalization initiatives.”

Additionally, he addressed plans for investment and M&A to acquire IPs and generate new growth momentum. Park mentioned, "Securing IPs of genres in which NCSOFT lacks presence is considered a top priority for investing in both domestic and global game companies" He added, "We are rigorously evaluating M&A opportunities that align with three key criteria: 'business synergy,' 'future growth momentum,' and 'financial assistance,' all aimed at capturing new sources of growth."

The two leaders, Kim and Park, affirmed, "Even in uncertain times, NCSOFT will continue to strive for advancing as a global gaming company," and "As co-CEOs, we will proactively and collectively create positive changes as ‘One Team’ at the forefront."

Park, co-CEO nominee, is scheduled to officially assume office following the annual general shareholders' meeting on March 28.