[Source] In the midst of all the nonsense metaverse and NFT news, we at MMO Culture are sad to inform gamers about the passing of Mr Kim Jung-ju, the visionary founder of Korea’s largest gaming company, Nexon. It was noted that he passed away aged 54, on February 28, in Hawaii. The cause of death was not given, although it was public knowledge that he was under treatment for depression.
Mr Kim founded Nexon in 1994, and launched the world’s first multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) The Kingdom of the Winds, which was remade for the mobile platform in recent years. The publisher and developer later found immense global success with titles such as MapleStory, KartRider, Mabinogi, Dungeon & Fighter, and many more.
Nexon went public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2011. Following the listing, Nexon became the first Korean gaming company to surpass 1 trillion won ($830 million) in annual sales the year it went public. Nexon currently offers more than 45 games in 190 countries.
