Nexon recently announced its plan to create a new esports business that will cover both online and offline activities in South Korea. This is apparently to “respond to the changing e-sports industry environment and contribute to the expansion of domestic e-sports.” With the Nexon Arena hosting plenty of esports tournaments and events thus far, Nexon will “support grassroots e-sports competitions and lowering the barriers to entry so that anyone, including teenagers, college students, and office workers, can easily participate in the competition, providing a wide range of opportunities for users.” Sounds very ambitious.
Popular esports titles under Nexon in South Korea now include KartRider (PC), FIFA Online 4 (PC), and Dungeon & Fighter (PC). It is aiming to push KartRider Rush+ (Mobile) as the next big esports game. Nexon declared that all its in-house IP (such as MapleStory and KartRider) can be used for all sorts of leagues such as those in universities, workplaces, clubs, and even local governments. Nexon plans to take an active role in disseminating the e-sports league management know-how through public relations, marketing, and prize support. To this end, the physical Nexon Arena in Seoul is shutting down on July 31.
