Nexon posts record nine-month earnings as MapleStory, FC Online hit all-time highs

Nexon achieved its best-ever nine-month earnings this year, driven by record quarterly sales from its flagship MapleStory franchise and FC Online.

The company reported consolidated sales of 1.23 trillion won ($908 million) and operating profit of 371.8 billion won for the third quarter, up 17 percent and 11 percent, respectively, from a year earlier.

On a nine-month cumulative basis, sales reached 3.79 trillion won and operating profit came to 1.21 trillion won — up 17 percent and 12 percent year-on-year, respectively — marking all-time highs for both metrics.

Nexon credited the strong results to growth in the MapleStory franchise and FC Online, both of which set quarterly sales records.

The MapleStory franchise posted a 72 percent year-on-year sales increase in the third quarter, fueled by growth in the original PC title at home and abroad, global expansion of the mobile idle game MapleStory: Worlds Awaken, and the continued rise of MapleStory World.

The domestic PC version of MapleStory saw sales climb 19 percent year-on-year, boosted by major summer and autumn updates. Overseas, sales roughly doubled from a year earlier, driven by the strong performance of classic servers launched in China and Taiwan and new content tied to popular animation collaborations in North America and Europe.

The mobile game MapleStory: Worlds Awaken also delivered solid sales both domestically and internationally after incorporating user feedback. The sandbox platform MapleStory World likewise doubled its sales year-on-year, led by South Korea and Taiwan. FC Online also staged a recovery, posting higher sales in the quarter.

Backed by its core intellectual properties, Nexon said domestic sales rose 17 percent year-on-year in the third quarter while overseas sales grew 16 percent.

Nexon plans to begin rolling out its new title lineup later this month to secure medium- to long-term growth drivers. On Nov. 26, the company will launch the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Tembbal: Overgeared in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, and will begin domestic service of the fantasy RPG Azure Promilia on the same day.

In the first half of next year, Nexon will release the mobile idle RPG Dungeon & Fighter: Rise globally. The company will also introduce a range of other titles, including the action RPG Vindictus: Defying Fate and the zombie survival game Paradise: Last Paradise.

"In the third quarter, our key intellectual properties delivered broad-based results through gameplay improvements and content enhancements, diversifying our revenue sources," said Lee Jeong-heon, chief executive of Nexon's Japan subsidiary. "From the end of this year, we will expand our portfolio with new titles and refine the operation of our live titles to broaden our medium- to long-term growth foundation."