NCSoft has announced that Blade & Soul will launch in North America and Europe under the publisher’s free to play system. When the game goes into closed beta this fall, players will be able to access all content without spending a dime. NCoin, the currency used in other NCSoft titles, will be available to purchase … Continue reading “NCSoft Announces F2P Details For Blade & Soul”
The kind of activity I’m seeing among the Wildstar community is pretty similar to those of other MMOs when they were either in the process of being shut down, or at heavily speculated risk of being shut down. So none of what I’m about to discuss is of any surprise to me, and I don’t … Continue reading “[Column] NCSoft, Misconceptions And Frequently Asked”
NCSoft Korea has shut down development of Project HON, allegedly due to a perceived lack of interest in giant mech games in the local market. Project HON is being shelved to allow NCSoft to focus on its other titles, including the upcoming launch of Lineage Eternal and further growth of Blade & Soul in foreign … Continue reading “NCSoft Shuts Down Project HON”
NCSoft today confirmed to Polygon that it is moving its customer support operations to a third party, during which approximately 16 jobs will be made redundant. The layoffs affect internal customer support staff at the NCWest offices in Austin, Texas, and are the final phase of restructuring that began last October. According to Polygon’s source, … Continue reading “Layoffs Hit NCSoft Customer Support”
MMO Culture is reporting that three staff members have been fired after it was discovered that they were embezzling funds from Project HON, with the possibility that the police may become involved. It was apparently discovered that a third party company had been hired to handle graphics development with ties to the three employees. This … Continue reading “NCSoft Employees Caught Embezzling Development Funds”
The relationship between Nexon and NCSoft has reportedly turned sour as the former has decided to take on a management role in the latter. Over two years ago Nexon purchased a majority stake in NCSoft, announcing at the time that it was purely for “investment” purposes. Relations between the two companies apparently soured when NCSoft appointed CEO … Continue reading “Nexon Engaging Hostile Takeover Of NCSoft”
Frequently Asked is a new column relating to MMOs and common questions that I receive and see on other websites. If you have any questions of your own, feel free to drop a comment. 1. Why does NCSoft shut down everything? Short answer: money. The longer answer is that NCSoft has made a lot of risky investments that … Continue reading “Frequently Asked: NCSoft”
NCSoft has released their third quarter finances, and the news is good. While sales decreased 1% since last quarter, they amounted to approximately $195 million. Operating profit increased 25% quarter over quarter to $74.15 million, with pre-tax income up 33% and net income up 43% to $79 million and $69 million respectively. Increased revenue was attributed … Continue reading “NCSoft Third Quarter Finances”
NCSoft has posted their second quarter finances for 2014 and the results are looking good across the board. Thanks to strong launches including Guild Wars 2 in China and Wildstar in the US and EU, NCSoft saw a 20% increase in sales, a 46% increase in profit, and a 45% increase in net income over … Continue reading “NCSoft Q2 2014 Finances”
NCSoft has released their finances for the first quarter of 2014, and the results are certainly worth taking a look at. Revenues and profits fell by approximately 20% in the first quarter due to a drop in sales in Lineage 1. The report states that in-game item sales were “scaled back,” and were responsible for … Continue reading “NCSoft Q1 Profits Down 22%”
MMO Fallout 