The balance of power among a trio of gaming-company superpowers is about to shift.Founded in South Korea and now based in Japan, Nexon disclosed investments last month comprising $874 million in entities like Bandai Namco, Hasbro, Konami and Sega Sammy, representing 58% of $1.5 billion the company freed up in 2020 for such moves.While CEO Owen Mahoney has played coy, remarking that "leveraging partnerships" was "not a decision" in these investments, there are key factors motivating these investments that are...
Nexon
Owen
Mahoney
President / CEO
Based in Japan, Nexon is a key player in the Asia-Pacific region, behind larger Chinese companies Tencent and NetEase, but Mahoney is expanding the company’s terrain. Nexon achieved record annual revenue of $2.3 billion in 2020 led in part by online titles like “MapleStory” and “FIFA Online” that account for a strong push into mobile. The company has since added former Disney streaming chairman and TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer to its board of directors. In March 2021, it disclosed investments totaling $874 million in IP holders such as Bandai Namco, Hasbro, Konami and “Sonic the Hedgehog” owner Sega Sammy, amounting to 58% of $1.5 billion the company set aside in 2020 to build relationships with such entities. Nexon also completed its acquisition of Swedish developer Embark Studios.