NC

NCSOFT today announced a joint venture, NCV GAMES, in partnership with Vietnam’s leading comprehensive IT company, VNG, to tap into the Southeast Asian market.

On August 6, NCSOFT and VNG jointly announced the establishment of NCV GAMES during a signing ceremony at VNG Campus in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The event was attended by top executives from both companies, including Taekjin Kim, founder and CEO of NCSOFT, and Le Hong Minh, founder and CEO of VNG.

Founded in 2004, VNG is a leading tech company renowned for developing and operating ‘Zalo’, the most popular mobile messaging app in Vietnam. As Vietnam’s first unicorn company, VNG has achieved significant growth through active business diversification in both platform and content sectors. Its main business segments include Online Games, Zalo & AI, Fintech, and Digital Business.

VNGGames, a leading game publisher and developer in Vietnam and the region boasts a portfolio of 130 games, including some of the world’s most popular titles across Southeast Asia. Since its establishment in 2004, VNGGames has developed extensive expertise in game publishing and operations across various genres, especially MMORPGs. The company currently operates game studios in ten major cities throughout the Asian region.

The new joint venture, NCV GAMES, will oversee the service and operation of NCSOFT IPs in Southeast Asia. Starting with the launch of Lineage 2M later this year, NCV GAMES will introduce NCSOFT’s games to six major countries in the region: Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines. In addition, NCV GAMES will expand its services by leveraging VNG’s extensive capabilities and specialized expertise in Southeast Asin market, over the mid- to long-term partnership.

Taekjin Kim, founder and CEO of NCSOFT, commented, “VNG operates across a wide range of business segments beyond gaming, including messaging app, electronic payments, and has a successful track record in game services based on a deep understanding of the regional market and its users. This makes VNG an ideal partner to connect with NCSOFT’s games to offer new experiences in the market.” He also added, “NCV GAMES will serve as a pivotal foundation for NCSOFT to deliver new, innovative experiences in the Southeast Asian market.”

Le Hong Minh, founder and CEO of VNG, said, “NCSOFT is considered the “father” of online gaming, especially MMORPGs. I vividly recall my excitement over 20 years ago at the first-ever World Cyber Game in South Korea in 2002, and experiencing NCSOFT’s 3D game, Lineage 2, in 2006. At that time, we at VNG were just releasing 2D games. Bringing Lineage 2 to Vietnam has been a long-standing goal for VNG. Today, our collaboration with NCSOFT marks the achievement of that goal. With NCSOFT’s rich history in the gaming industry and VNGGames’ publishing capabilities, we are poised to bring blockbuster Korean games to players in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.”