It looks like the takeover frenzy within the MMO industry in Korea will not stop anytime soon. Following Webzen’s takeover of NHN Games, Nexon’s purchase of Ndoors and impending purchase of GameHi, it was reported in foreign media that NCsoft has gained control of developer Nextplay, having secured 65% of the company’s shares. Nextplay is founded by the creator of Crazy Arcade in 2003, and signed a contract with NCsoft in 2007 for its MMO, Punch Monster. The developer currently has around 80 staff on its payroll.
It is reported that NCsoft hopes to break into the casual MMO market with the purchase, and will continue to invest in this particular sector. Punch Monster will be published in Korea by NCsoft, while the China publisher will be Tencent.
