Wednesday, 26 August 2026
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Nexon

Nexon is a major game publisher and developer with a broad portfolio spanning live-service titles, remasters, and blockchain projects. As of August 2026, it is returning surplus cash to shareholders via a special dividend, while continuing to expand its mobile and PC offerings and invest in AI-driven development tools.

Synthesized from 23 Yomimono stories · updated 4d ago

Nexon's recent activity spans a wide range of projects, from live-service updates to remasters and blockchain initiatives. In August 2026, the company announced a special dividend of about 324 billion yen, or 415 yen per share, pending board approval in September. The payout follows second-quarter results that beat forecasts, with MapleStory franchise revenue up 63% year-on-year and ARC Raiders cumulative sales passing 16.3 million units.

The company is also pushing forward on multiple fronts. DAVE THE DIVER, developed by its independent studio MINTROCKET, is set to launch on Android and iOS on September 17 as a free-to-play title with in-app purchases. The MABINOGI ETERNITY PROJECT, an Unreal Engine version of the MMORPG Mabinogi, will hold its first large-scale public alpha test in Korea from September 3 to 6. Sudden Attack: Zero Point, a remaster of the 2005 FPS, entered early access on Steam on July 30, with a content roadmap running through seasons.

Nexon's developer conference NDC26, held in June, focused heavily on AI. Co-CEO Kang Dae-hyun argued that the competitive edge now lies in what he called "contextual compound interest," the accumulated understanding between creators and players. Sessions covered AI-driven user research, a data lake for game operations, and a TTS model for Blue Archive. The company also detailed its Replay project, which revives dormant IPs by prioritizing fan communities over old code.

In the blockchain space, NEXPACE, Nexon's subsidiary, announced a $10 million buyback of NXPC tokens for MapleStory Universe, citing 850,000 active wallets. The project is shifting toward a builder-centric platform with AI-assisted creation tools. Meanwhile, Blue Archive's global version saw a mass ban of 122,046 accounts for unfair play, and The First Descendant launched a cosmetic collaboration with Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Key facts

Special dividend
Nexon announced a special dividend of about 324 billion yen, or 415 yen per share, pending board approval in September 2026. ↗
ARC Raiders sales
ARC Raiders cumulative sales passed 16.3 million units. ↗
MapleStory revenue growth
MapleStory franchise revenue was up 63% year-on-year in the second quarter. ↗
DAVE THE DIVER mobile launch
DAVE THE DIVER Android and iOS versions launch September 17, free-to-play with in-app purchases. ↗
Mabinogi Eternity alpha test
The MABINOGI ETERNITY PROJECT alpha test runs in Korea from September 3 to 6. ↗
Sudden Attack: Zero Point early access
Sudden Attack: Zero Point began early access on Steam on July 30, 2026. ↗
Blue Archive mass ban
NEXON Korea permanently suspended 122,046 accounts in the global version of Blue Archive for unfair play. ↗
NDC26 AI focus
NDC26 featured 51 sessions centered on AI utilization in game development. ↗
MapleStory Universe token buyback
NEXPACE announced a $10 million buyback of NXPC tokens for MapleStory Universe. ↗
The First Descendant collaboration
The First Descendant collaboration with Neon Genesis Evangelion began June 18, featuring cosmetic skins. ↗

Timeline

Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.

Facts

Announced
special dividend of about 324 billion yen, or 415 yen per share, pending board approval in September 2026 · 2026-08-14
Announced
Monolake data platform details at NDC 26 · 2026-06-18
Announced
Monolake 2.0, focusing on ontology-driven data for AI use · 2026-06-18
Release
game · 2026-07-02 · 2026-07-03

Connections

Produces
mabinogi mobile, the first descendant, arc raiders, dave the diver, sudden attack zero point, project rx, wars of prasia, replay, embers of the uncrowned, the finals

Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/nexon. CC BY 4.0.

All coverage

4d ago

Mabinogi Mobile Japan Program Streams August 24 With New Footage

Nexon announced on August 21 that the official program for Mabinogi Mobile, an online RPG scheduled to launch in Japan within 2026, will stream on August 24 at 8 PM. Host Chunii will be joined by voice actors Tomomi Isomura and Tomoaki Ono, plus Nijisanji virtual liver Kaede Higuchi. The program will show the latest gameplay footage and reveal new information, including pre-launch campaigns. The game supports cross-play on PC and mobile.

5d ago

The First Descendant Season 4 Adds Raven, Mega Dungeon

Nexon implemented Season 4 Episode 1 for The First Descendant on August 20, 2026. The update adds the new Descendant Raven, the Mega Dungeon Karel's Ship, the main story The Great Battle, new weapons, a Boost Pass, and balance adjustments for Kieran and Kyle. Events run alongside the season, including a Conquest event from September 3 to October 15.

Aug 14

DAVE THE DIVER Android and iOS Versions Launch September 17

Nexon will release the Android and iOS versions of DAVE THE DIVER on September 17. The ocean adventure, developed by its independent studio MINTROCKET, will be free with in-app purchases. The game mixes deep-sea fishing by day with sushi restaurant management at night. The mobile version is optimized for play on phones, and DLC packs including DREDGE and In the Jungle are available as well.

Aug 13

Blue Archive Global Bans 122,046 Accounts in Mass Crackdown

NEXON Korea announced on August 13 that it permanently suspended 122,046 accounts in the global version of Blue Archive. The stated reason is that these players were found to be abusing in-game mechanics to gain an unfair advantage over others. The restriction period is permanent. NEXON said unauthorized programs can harm the game environment and other players and will not be tolerated under any circumstances, and it urged players to report suspicious behavior. The specific methods used and how the scale reached this level were not disclosed. This is not the first such action: the global version saw 23,268 accounts banned in May 2025 and 17,712 accounts in March 2026, both for unfair play. The current ban applies to the global and Korean versions operated by NEXON Korea. The Japanese version of Blue Archive is run by Yostar and is a separate service. Blue Archive is a school-themed RPG developed by Nexon Games, set in the academy city of Kivotos, where the player acts as Sensei guiding students. The global version is available on iOS, Android, and PC via Steam.

Aug 6

Mabinogi Eternity Project Sets First Public Alpha Test in Korea

NEXON Korea announced on July 23 that the MABINOGI ETERNITY PROJECT, the Unreal Engine version of the MMORPG Mabinogi, will hold an alpha test in Korea from September 3 to 6. It is the first test aimed at a large number of players. Applications run July 23 to August 12 at 23:59. Players experience early stages with newly appearing characters, with movement and hit feel improved from past trial play feedback.

Jul 13

Sudden Attack: Zero Point Early Access Launches July 30 on Steam

Nexon announced on July 13 that the remastered FPS Sudden Attack: Zero Point will begin early access on Steam on July 30, 2026. The game is a free-to-play remaster of the original Sudden Attack, which debuted in South Korea in 2005 and later in Japan. It retains the original's high-speed combat and classic bomb defusal and team deathmatch modes while overhauling visuals with a new engine. At launch, early access will include 13 main weapons, 4 sub-weapons, over 200 main weapon-specific parts, 36 shared parts, character skins, and 10 characters. Two maps for close-quarters battle, four maps for bomb defusal mode, and bot team deathmatch are available. A Black Market allows players to trade items. Nexon also released a 2026 roadmap: content will roll out through a pre-season followed by Seasons 1 to 3, adding clan systems, new weapons, and maps. The Vampire mode, a fan favorite from the original, is planned for Season 2. A final closed beta test ran from July 9 to 13.

Jul 8

Final Closed Beta for SUDDEN ATTACK ZERO POINT Begins July 9

Nexon has started the final closed beta test for SUDDEN ATTACK ZERO POINT, a remaster of the 2005 online FPS Sudden Attack, on Steam. The test runs from July 9 to July 13 and includes 13 primary weapons, over 200 dedicated parts, and 10 unique characters. Players can apply via the Steam store page until July 11.

Jun 19

Wars of Prasia Designer Explains How Infinite Growth Can Break Group Battles

At NDC26, Nexon designer Lee Gwang-ho presented on how infinite growth systems in Wars of Prasia create stat gaps that destroy group battle dynamics. Instead of narrowing the gap, the team introduced three new approaches: becoming stronger when dedicated, when in numbers, and when in crisis, implemented through a seasonal Succession System with low-barrier utility skills.

Jun 18

Nexon Replay Project Sees Fandom, Not Old Code, As The Real IP Asset

At NDC26, Nexon Korea's Oh Se-hyun detailed the Replay open license project, which revives dormant IPs from 20 years ago. The project prioritizes surviving fan communities over old game assets, using AI to lower the cost of code analysis and asset organization. Partners are selected per IP to rebuild a core experience before expanding into a franchise.

Jun 18

MapleStory Universe Dev Details 5 Years of Blockchain Trial and Error at NDC26

At NEXON Developers Conference 26, NEXPACE blockchain lead Ryu Gi-hyeok presented a postmortem of five years building MapleStory Universe, the blockchain ecosystem around MapleStory. He described three walls the project hit after launch: the security risk of asset approvals, the friction of transaction fees, and the cost of vetting external builders on a permissioned chain. The talk centered on whether blockchain's permissionless ideal can coexist with a developer's responsibility to protect users.

Jun 18

Nexon Games Builds an Auto-Play Test Tool That Never Stops

At NDC26, Nexon Games engine programmer Kang Jang-hoon presented M1 APT, an automated test tool for The First Descendant. Designed to run continuously on console hardware without external automation tools, it uses a four-pipeline system for pathfinding, combat, mission detection, and crash recovery, prioritizing uninterrupted data collection over perfect reproducibility.

Jun 18

Shape of Dreams Demo Updated 70 Times Over 2 Years, Hit 1 Million Sales

Sim Eun-seop, CEO and lead programmer of Lizard Smoothie, presented a case study at NEXON's NDC26 on how the indie game Shape of Dreams sold 1 million copies within three months of its September 2024 Steam release. The team, two engineers with no art background, focused on gameplay and used a free demo as a primary marketing tool, updating it roughly 70 times over 2 years and 9 months. Data collection tools were built in to track player behavior, leading to key changes like adding WASD controls after a focus group test showed demand, and nerfing early enemy attacks that caused 45-50% death rates in the first stages.

Jun 18

Nexon Builds Monolake Data Lake for AI-Ready Game Operations

At NDC 26, Nexon detailed its Monolake data platform, which consolidates all game data into a single Snowflake-based lake. The company is now moving to Monolake 2.0, focusing on ontology-driven data that both humans and AI can use, with tools like AI Search and active anomaly detection already in internal testing.

Jun 18

Blue Archive TTS Model Gets Natural Voice Upgrade With Style-Bert-VITS2

At NEXON Korea's NDC26 conference, NEXON Games engineer Kim Myeong-ji detailed the development of a new TTS model for Blue Archive. The team adopted Style-Bert-VITS2, an open-source Japanese-focused model, to improve emotional expression and naturalness in character voices. The upgrade targets better reproduction of nuances like distress and joy, addressing specific feedback on long vowels and pitch in Japanese lines.

Jun 17

Nexon Developer Details AI-Driven User Research Platform Insight Finder at NDC26

At Nexon Developers Conference 26, Lee Se-hwan of Nexon Korea's Game UX Analysis Team presented a session on the user research analysis platform Insight Finder, which he planned and developed. He discussed how AI can be applied to user research not as mere automation but as a rethinking of standardization, assetization, and access rights. Lee outlined three recurring difficulties in analyzing research results: time constraints, judgment verification, and loss of organizational knowledge.

Jun 16

Nexon Developers Conference 26 Opens With AI Focus

Nexon's NDC 26, Korea's largest game developer conference, opened June 16 for a three-day run. The 19th edition features 51 sessions centered on AI utilization in game development, with live-streamed panels on planning, production, and live operations at Nexon Korea's headquarters.

Jun 16

Nexon CEO Says AI Era Shifts Competition to User Understanding at NDC26

NEXON Korea's annual developer conference NDC26 opened on June 16 in Pangyo, South Korea, with a welcome speech by CEO Lee Jung-hoon and a keynote by Co-CEO Kang Dae-hyun. Lee described AI as a "revolution in creation and computation" that gives everyone the same implementation tools, making the key differentiator a developer's insight into what users truly value. Kang's keynote, titled "In an era where implementation becomes easy, what do we compete on?," argued that the competitive edge now lies in what he called "contextual compound interest"-the accumulated understanding and relationships built over time between creators and players. He contrasted this with "simple interest" approaches that fail to carry lessons forward. Kang cited data showing Steam releases grew from about 2,800 in 2015 to roughly 20,000 in 2025, yet only 3% received over 1,000 reviews, and 57% of playtime in 2024 went to games over six years old. He warned that while AI can produce outputs, it cannot create the promises and trust that sustain live games. The conference runs through June 18 with 51 sessions across nine tracks, including a talk from Embark Studios.

Jun 16

Nexon Releases 'Embers of the Uncrowned' Demo at Steam Next Fest

Nexon released a demo for its dark fantasy MMORPG 'Embers of the Uncrowned' at the Steam Next Fest on June 15, 2026, alongside a new trailer. The demo is available until June 22. The game focuses on rebuilding a noble family and reclaiming human territories in a dark fantasy world with strategic combat.

Jun 12

The First Descendant and Evangelion Collaboration Starts June 18

NEXON announced on June 12 that a collaboration between its free-to-play looter shooter The First Descendant and the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion will begin on June 18. A trailer released alongside the announcement shows Descendants wearing plug suit-style costumes modeled after Rei Ayanami, Asuka Langley Shikinami, and Mari Illustrious Makinami. The collaboration is cosmetic, with full-body skins, weapon skins, and social motions expected. NEXON has not yet detailed the sales format or full item list. An upcoming developer livestream on the game's official YouTube channel will introduce collaboration items and events ahead of the June 18 launch, along with June update content. The First Descendant is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam. The game previously collaborated with NieR: Automata and Bayonetta.

Jun 6

Nexon Sets Final Closed Beta for Sudden Attack Zero Point on Steam

Nexon announced the final closed beta test for Sudden Attack Zero Point, a free-to-play remaster of the classic FPS Sudden Attack. The test runs on Steam from July 9 to July 13, 2026, featuring 13 primary weapons, over 200 exclusive parts, 10 characters, and several maps and modes.

Jun 3

Kingzero Wins The Finals APAC League Cycle 1

The Chinese team Kingzero won the APAC League Cycle 1 finals of The Grand Major Online Series, the global esports tournament for the team shooter The Finals. The tournament, organized by Nexon and Embark Studios, awards points toward the TGM Grand Final 2026 in Stockholm, with a total prize pool of $200,000.

May 28

MapleStory Universe Announces $10M Token Buyback, Eyes Creator Ecosystem

NEXPACE, Nexon's blockchain subsidiary, announced a $10 million (1.6 billion yen) buyback of NXPC tokens for its MapleStory Universe project. The three-month program is framed as ecosystem support, not market intervention. The company cited 850,000 active wallets, first-time user spending exceeding rewards in Q1 2026, and 8.32 million NXPC burned. A content roadmap includes new classes, maps, and a boss, while the long-term vision shifts toward a builder-centric platform with AI-assisted game creation tools.