NCSoft stock broadens game pipeline with startup support push

NCSoft is marking a decade of support for South Korean game startups by taking its "Startup with NC" program to the business-to-consumer hall at G-STAR 2026. Seoul Economic Daily reported on October 27 that the company will host the booth from November 19 to 22, with SuperJoy and Genie Soft participating.

The initiative has supported 43 startups through 51 sponsorships since 2017, according to the report. A survey by the Korea Internet Corporations Association found that 17 responding firms generated combined 2025 revenue of about 67.58 billion won, up from roughly 10.27 billion won when they entered the program. Their combined headcount also rose to 448 from 163.

Publishing becomes a wider growth lever

NCSoft is broadening its portfolio beyond its traditional concentration on massively multiplayer online role-playing games. Aju Press reported on October 20 that the company launched the mobile casual title Planet Destroying Nyangnyang in six Asian markets through its VeroPlay subsidiary, marking NCSoft's first direct publishing of a game from an external developer.

Mobile casual games are being supported by acquired studios and JustPlay, a mobile rewards platform serving more than 40 games, according to Aju Press. The strategy gives NCSoft additional routes into publishing, user acquisition and live operations while reducing reliance on a smaller group of internally developed releases.

Competition is widening across Korea

NCSoft develops and publishes online games for international audiences, with a portfolio that includes MMORPG franchises and an expanding mobile casual operation. The company is based in South Korea and is extending its publishing activity into additional genres and external intellectual property.

In the South Korean game market, NCSoft competes with Nexon, Krafton and Neowiz. DigitalToday described NCSoft as a major publisher with more than 10 in-house titles and more than six publishing titles, while the peer group is also combining internal development with external publishing. NCSoft remains particularly associated with large-scale MMORPGs, whereas its current strategy is adding subculture, shooting and mobile casual projects.

Read the full Seoul Economic Daily report for the G-STAR program and its startup results. Aju Press provides further coverage of NCSoft's mobile casual publishing expansion.