On June 18, union members of Neople, a Nexon subsidiary, sing “March for the Beloved” before a rally in front of the company’s Seoul branch in Gangnam, protesting changes to the company’s performance bonus system. The protest anthem, which symbolizes the May 18 Democratization Movement, is widely regarded as a song of solidarity for the oppressed. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 25 (Korea Bizwire) — Workers at Neople, the Nexon subsidiary behind the blockbuster Dungeon & Fighter franchise, will stage a full-scale, three-day strike this week—marking the first such labor action in South Korea’s gaming industry.
The Neople union, part of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), announced Tuesday that it will hold mass rallies at its Seoul and Jeju offices on June 24 and 25, respectively, and begin a complete walkout starting June 26.
Neople’s Jeju headquarters oversees development of the Dungeon & Fighter PC version, the upcoming Project Overkill, and the action title Cyphers. Its Seoul branch handles Dungeon & Fighter Mobile and the highly anticipated First Berserker: Kazan.
At the heart of the dispute is the company’s decision to reduce performance-based compensation for new project development. The union claims that despite Dungeon & Fighter Mobile achieving record revenue of ₩1.378 trillion (approx. $1 billion) last year—driven by success in China—the company cut its New Game Incentive (GI) payout to just two-thirds of the amount previously tied to post-launch profits.
The union is demanding ₩39.3 billion, or 4% of Neople’s 2023 operating profit of ₩982.4 billion, be distributed among employees as a performance-sharing bonus (PS).
Citing overwork and burnout, the union criticized the company’s labor practices, stating that Neople has some of the “highest levels of overtime and late-night work” within the Nexon group. It added that artists and media professionals in particular face “excessive workloads and fatigue,” despite delivering high-impact creative output.
The union also disputed recent media reports portraying Neople as offering the industry’s highest salaries. While the company’s 2023 average compensation reportedly reached ₩220 million, the union clarified that the average base salary remains in the ₩60 million range, and that the spike was due to a one-off compensation adjustment following years of stagnant wages.
Following the three-day strike, the union plans to implement a rotating, department-by-department strike strategy unless progress is made.
Though a strike was previously threatened by Webzen workers in 2022 during wage negotiations, no walkout ultimately occurred—making Neople’s labor action the first actual strike in South Korea’s gaming sector.
The unprecedented move highlights growing labor tensions in a maturing industry long associated with crunch culture and opaque compensation practices.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
