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Nexon America recently underwent a reorganization which resulted in a small number of staff layoffs. The company confirmed the layoffs, but did not disclose the exact number of employees affected.
As part of the reorganization, Nexon America has established a new Western Development Group in Los Angeles, California, which will be led by Hanbyeol Oh. While some staff were let go as a result of the restructuring, severance packages were offered. Despite the layoffs, the company is actively hiring for new positions in development, particularly for engineers and designers.
A spokesperson did not provide specific details on the roles that were impacted by the layoffs.
Western Development Group
“Our new CEO Junghun Lee recently outlined a long-term IP growth strategy involving the development of new games and extensions for existing franchises such as MapleStory,” said a Nexon spokesperson.
“One of the key components of this strategy is hyperlocalization, where teams are hired to customize games to the preferences of players in major markets like Europe and North America. The establishment of the Western Development Group in Los Angeles, under the leadership of Hanbyeol Oh, is a significant step in this direction.
“While some roles were eliminated as part of the reorganization, severance packages were offered to those affected. However, Nexon America is actively hiring to build the new development team, with a focus on hiring engineers and designers.
“Exciting times lie ahead for Nexon America, and we are eager to reveal more about our plans.”
New Growth Strategy
In early September, Nexon president and CEO Junghun Lee and CFO Shiro Uemura introduced a new growth strategy for the company. The strategy involves centralizing the organizational structure around IP growth to expand existing IPs and create new hit games.
The company aims to increase revenue to ¥750 billion and operating income to ¥250 billion by 2027, according to Uemura.
In July, Nexon-owned studio Pixelberry Games, creators of the mobile game Choices: Stories You Play, was acquired by Series Entertainment.
Earlier this year, Nexon launched Dungeon & Fighter Mobile in China, which has achieved impressive success with over $800 million in revenue on the App Store in its first four months, according to AppMagic estimates. This figure does not include player spending on third-party Android stores, which could potentially raise the revenue significantly.
