‘Aion 2’ Lifts NCSoft Back Into the Black After Loss Year (Image courtesy of NCSoft)
SEOUL, Feb. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — NCSoft, the South Korean video game developer known for its blockbuster online role-playing franchises, returned to profitability last year, buoyed by the strong debut of its new MMORPG “Aion 2.”
The company said Tuesday that it posted an operating profit of 16.1 billion won ($12 million) in 2025, reversing a loss of 109.2 billion won the previous year. Annual revenue slipped 4.5 percent to 1.51 trillion won, while net profit surged 269 percent to 347.4 billion won.
The turnaround was driven largely by “Aion 2,” released in November, which quickly became a key revenue engine. In the fourth quarter alone, the game generated 168.2 billion won in sales — the company’s highest quarterly revenue from a single title since 2017 — helping NCSoft return to operating profit for the quarter.
Chief Executive Park Byung-moo said 1.5 million users had purchased memberships for “Aion 2” as of Feb. 9, and estimated that revenue from the game since Jan. 1 would approach 70 billion won. Notably, he said, a recent Season 2 update has produced higher revenue than the game’s launch period, defying the typical post-release drop-off common in the MMORPG genre.
By title, annual sales were led by “Lineage M” at 433 billion won, followed by “Lineage W” and “Lineage 2M.” “Aion 2” generated 94.1 billion won in total operating revenue in 2025, including other income streams.
NCSOFT Corp.’s headquarters in Pangyo, just south of Seoul, is seen in this photo provided by the company. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Overseas and royalty revenue accounted for 38 percent of total sales, underscoring NCSoft’s global ambitions.
Executives signaled that 2025 marked a year of stabilization, while 2026 would usher in a new phase of growth. Chief Financial Officer Hong Won-jun said the company aims to reach the upper end of its previously stated revenue target of 2 trillion to 2.5 trillion won.
NCSoft plans to launch “Aion 2” globally in the third quarter of 2026 and roll out a slate of new titles across genres, including shooters and roguelikes. The company is also accelerating its push into mobile casual gaming, targeting the segment to account for more than one-third of total revenue next year.
Recent acquisitions of casual game studios and ongoing merger talks in Europe are expected to contribute to earnings beginning this year.
“Until now, NCSoft has been viewed as a content company whose stock rose and fell with the success of individual titles,” Mr. Park said. “We will transform into a company capable of sustained, predictable growth in both revenue and profit.”
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
