NCSOFT lays off 20% of US operation before new game release

NCSOFT Corp., South Korea’s major game developing and publishing company, has recently laid off about 20% of its North American operation, joining a slew of information technology companies at home and abroad actively streamlining their operations to cope with thriftier consumers amid looming recession fears.

NCSOFT West, the Korean game developer’s North American operation founded in 2012, released about 20% of its employees, mostly non-game development positions, “as part of a global realignment” with its corporate headquarters in Korea, numerous foreign media reported on Thursday (local time), citing the company’s statement. The company, however, declined to give the exact number of workers affected by the latest decision.

Its CEO Jeff Anderson also left the company voluntarily less than a year after he joined the Korean game developer’s American operation, according to the company statement reported by Venturebeat.com, the California-based tech news website. Anderson has held leadership positions at various major gaming companies, including Electronic Arts (EA) and Paramount Pictures, before joining NCSOFT West in July 2021.

The latest restructuring comes ahead of the anticipated launch of NCSOFT’s new game Throne and Liberty later this year. Its Guild Wars 2 also enjoyed a remarkable year last year as its End of Dragons expansion had been well received since its launch in March last year.

The company’s new game release schedule, however, remains intact, meaning that the global launch of Throne & Liberty is not impacted by the latest development, according to industry sources.

Write to Sang-Eun Lee at selee@hankyung.com
Sookyung Seo edited this article.