[NEW MILLETIANS] Please note that all new forum users have to be approved before posting. This process can take up to 24 hours, and we appreciate your patience.
If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the
Nexon Forums Code of Conduct. You have to register before you can post, so you can log in or create a forum name above to proceed. Thank you for your visit!
Something is going on at Nexon HQ from news
Comments
In other news, Disney (who has been confirmed as a nonparticipant in this bid) has proved just how desperate they are for money.
With the opening of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, an official storm trooper costume costs you $6000.
The kicker is that a custom half plastic lightsaber will cost you $200. (You can't wear any costumes or robes in the park either)
In the era of 3D printing and conventions packed with DIY cosplayers, it's no surprise that Disney was indeed not prepared to dip their toes back in the video game industry, let alone dare touch the Star Wars fanbase.
Speaking of Star Wars... if in some alternate dimension Disney did participate in this bid, how might they have dealt with Mabinogi's take on the Beam Swords?
Could Disney have missed yet another chance to capitalize on some small aspect in a ten year old game, only to drop it as if it was as noncompetitive as Club Penguin?
The universe may never know, and we praise lady luck for it.
No news on the bid since the final submissions.
I can't help but wonder if the hyperinflation of all in park merchandise helps them fake that they're making it.
Seems like the most logical conclusion, aside from the sacrificial cost of any family's next new air conditioner to validate entry/travel costs.
It's a pricing strategy that works and many companies price this way as well.
Their big projected earnings are expected from the box office though.
These people just don't understand the art of subliminally suggested, yet not visibly represented reality in fantasy scripting.
And also homework. Lots of homework.
Here's some Nexon news we may have missed on May 23rd:
Nexon’s Godzilla Defense Force rampages onto iOS and Android
Article
In advance of the film Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Nexon and developer Neopl Studio 42 are launching Godzilla Defense Force as a free-to-play mobile game on iOS and Android. It’s available today.
Google Play Store Link
Apple Store Link
Disney is getting big boosts from their "Live Action" remakes of Disney classics.
Shares in Nexon companies slide as M&A deal failure looms
Article brought to you by Pulse
"Shares of Nexon GT and NetGames, two listed Korean companies under South Korea’s largest gaming company Nexon, were battered Friday on rumors that preliminary talks between Nexon and Kakao ended with no deal."
"The M&A and gaming market is speculating whether the mega deal estimated at up to $12 billion can go through. Sources say Kim may be reluctant to sell Nexon to rival Netmarble for fear that the combined entity could stifle competition in the domestic market. Another say Tencent, the second largest shareholder of Kakao and third largest shareholder of Netmarble, might have difficulty financing the deal due to regulations by Chinese authorities. PEFs look undesirable to Kim because they could launch job restructuring against Nexon employees."
Turmoil.
Well, either he keeps holding onto the tax debt, or he lets the rich company handle it.
I've seen Netmarble respond extremely well to the Marvel Future Fight community's very vocal disdain towards the addition of more loot boxes.
(They took about a week to remove the new lootbox, because of code and back end whatnot. But they did officially respond very quickly.)
I honestly think the company could have the consumer's best interest in mind, as their Twitter game is super quick to announce upcoming updates to generate that hype. There was an old MFF "Justice for Storm" meme going on, cause everyone wanted new costumes for her, and they actually did make a new costume as requested. (Granted, it did take time to develop, but it got done.)
I haven't played Lineage 2: Revolution or Seven Knights, but they appear more than capable of handling the mobile global market if Nexon remains within NXC.
Kim is still worried, and the press speculates that he's worried of the possibility that Nexon employees could get sacked.
Again, it all depends on the parent company to decide how to restructure, so you kind of have to go into negotiation expecting at least some employees to either be lost or shuffled around. In Netmarble's case, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they're reading our concerns about this deal right now.
Kim has the right to be concerned especially since Netmarble is the rival company, and some rivals have the intent to take your assets and run you to ruin.
The current staff being sacked is as you say a legitimate concern, but unless Kim can manage to convince them to move slowly with that side of the merger, then the company auction is meaningless. If both teams want to build and grow, then they're going to have to learn to compromise more.
Stifling competition in KR with a KR based company is one thing for the press to speculate as a concern, but it in itself is rather dumb.
Oh....
6 hours ago
The planned sale of the parent company of South Korea’s biggest online gaming firm Nexon Co. Ltd., was abruptly cancelled after it failed to narrow the valuation gap with financial investors in the lack of strategic bidders, according to sources familiar with the situation on June 26.
Article
The only strategic bidder Netmarble failed to convince the seller of its financing capability.
Another Article
Kim sought as much as 10 trillion won ($8.6 billion), according to prior reports. At Nexon’s current market valuation, his stake is worth about $6.1 billion.
Kim founded Nexon in the mid-1990s and pioneered the use of loot boxes, where players purchase virtual merchandise, to help create South Korea’s largest online game publisher. In 2011, he listed Nexon in Japan, tapping a larger and more liquid stock market. Since then, he has slowly lowered his stake through occasional share sales and began talks this year to sell the remainder after deciding to retire.
Well, I guess this thread is on hiatus until he decides to make an offer on his own time.
As for the prior betting period, there's a very old article on that.
Old Article of Nexon discussing FIFA Online with EA (Never was about the auction.)
http://www.koreaninvestors.com/?p=6479
Sale of Korean game firm cancelled in lack of strategic buyers
2019-06-26
The planned sale of the parent company of South Korea’s biggest online gaming firm Nexon Co. Ltd., was abruptly cancelled after it failed to narrow the valuation gap with financial investors in the lack of strategic bidders, according to sources familiar with the situation on June 26.
The value of a 98.64% stake up for sale in NXC Corp. was estimated at over 10 trillion won ($9 billion), in what could have been the largest M&A transaction in South Korea.
NXC owns 47.98% of Nexon which has a market value of 15 trillion won on the Tokyo stock exchange.
Founder of Nexon, Jungju Kim, had sought to sell the majority stake held by himself, his wife and others in the holding company since early this year.
A source in the game industry had said that Kim, also CEO of NXC, had expressed his willingness to quit the game business because of heavy regulations and after he was embroiled in a headline-grabbing bribery scandal for about two years.
NXC had drawn binding bids from private equity firms including KKR, Bain Capital and Seoul-based MBK Partners and its domestic rivals Kakao Corp and Netmarble Corp. by the twice-extended deadline of May 24.
Entertainment giant The Walt Disney, which CEO Kim had tapped to sell his company, has not participated in the bidding.
Bain Capital and Kakao were dropped out of the race after they offered low bids, the sources added.
“CEO Kim didn’t like the shortlisted bidders composed of Netmarble and PEF companies,” a source with deep knowledge of the matter told the Korean Investors.
Sale managers UBS and Deutsche Bank will soon notify the final bidders of Kim’s decision to call off the sale.
DOUBT ABOUT FINANCING CAPABILITY
The only strategic bidder Netmarble failed to convince the seller of its financing capability.
KKR and MBK had not bid up amid market rumors that Netmarble was considering issuing global shares to fund the possible acquisition of NXC. The speculation added to uncertainty about Netmarble’s ability to close a deal of billions of dollars.
Meanwhile, MBK got the backing of the National Pension Service which decided on June 25 to invest 700 billion won in NXC, in case MBK acquires the South Korean gaming company.
“We can’t rule out the possibility that NXC would be put up for sale again, but it seems unlikely to happen for some time,” said another source, without elaborating further.
The Korean company’s popular games include Sudden Attack, Dungeon Fighter and Maple Story.
By Donghun Lee and Hugh YH Jeong
I would say that the ongoing trade disputes have really turned off buyer's appetites. Whatever remained of the bidders Netmarble and a few financial companies basically presented Kim with, look you don't have another choice. Well, Kim fights back and says, I do have another choice, I'll keep the company for now. I don't have to give it to you.
I think the biggest disappointment has been the failure to draw more interest. No interest from Japanese firms, when Disney said no, that led to other giant US media companies like Comcast to also drop out. I think Tencent saw this and also analyzing China's current disputes with the US and Korea on trade, decided now wasn't the time to make the move.
Ultimately, in the next 5 years, NXC is probably better off on its own in my opinion.
I'd have to agree, this was a very bad time to start a company auction.
Between higher taxes from China turning off potential consumers, and the continued decline of loot box profitability due to gambling controversy brought to courts across the globe, you'd be seeing this as rather dumb to risk the chance of a high valued loss.
You add on the regulations that Japan has on the bid as well, and it's just more paperwork to file at the end.
Disney had to say no, since the public press has been giving them far too much backlash after Marvel and Star Wars acquisitions.
Their own parks even have to hyper inflate stock in order to keep new stock rolling in, so they're more likely to invest in more land or production locations. Added onto Disney's list of mistakes is dropping in house video game studios, leaving their property to a company who they never researched (EA), and never once thinking of further charitable use of Club Penguin.
Not only have they thrown away a profitable copyright (Club Penguin) on a financial whim, they then proved this auction was never on the financial table through the press record of their own spending this year alone.
Tencent being a China based company makes complete sense as to bow out, as America continues to childishly throw tantrums.
The only likely companies who would ever bid on Nexon wouldn't even have the money to buy at full stock market value.
It's why no one ever sees games from Canada, (such as DE's Warframe) as ever any good profit wise.
Kim seems to know how much money is required to keep NXC running in another company's hands, which is likely why he didn't like the bidders. They're likely able to afford auction price, but not capable of handling the additional investments that would come afterwards.
(New hardware, all of NXC service locations, ect.)
Nexon has money, they have multiple branches, but most importantly... they have studio size.
I can agree that NXC is better off solo while they let Nexon continue to build healthier and more market competitive games.
(Such as Rocket Arena and Peria Chronicles.)
Everything will be fine, so long as Kim is able to entrust the company with someone who can be the visionary for a new kind of virtual market.
(And physical market, with the addition of NXMH as one of the NXC subsidiaries.)
Norwegian Premium Baby Products Specialist
Oh..... I'm starting to understand why Kim wanted Disney or someone as rich and diverse like Disney to handle NXC.
It would appear that NXC is more than Nexon games to Korea, it includes some level of life style and physical merchandise.
(Something that not all video game companies are qualified for, per say.)
*Edit
Quill
It is the first virtual currency exchange established in Korea. It can deal with 12 types of digital assets.
Oh, yeah... now this makes total sense.
Bitstamp
It is the oldest exchange in Europe which started trading at the end of August 2011. It is based in Slovenia, England and Luxembourg.
Oh.... help.
The kind of financial power NXC has is the last thing Disney should be plotting to save up for, but also the first thing they'd want to invest in.
Great power, great responsibility... sheesh, no wonder he wanted a big competition.
SOHO Bricks
A company that researches and develops quality bricks for brick play for creativity
I 100% would not mind seeing LEGO comment on their thoughts of the bid, but they don't appear to speak too highly of themselves.
BrickLink
The world's largest online community where you can freely purchase and sell brick sets and brick-related parts, and utilize various brick design tools such as Stud.io and Mosaic for free
Yes, LEGO would likely give anything to have something like this in their pockets.
*Double Edit
Wait.... is this actually LEGO KR?! Woah... just woah.
No way, there are actually Bricklink stores in the USA!
A LEGO forum and trade site, I can't... hold my shock mug please.
*LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize, or endorse this site.
But- wha? Why not? Why haven't they made an offer for this yet?
(inb4 Kim's last hope is LEGO making an offer for one of the NXC subsidiaries- Everything is awesome!)
Which is why many Korean game companies have given Chinese companies to right to publish some of their games on their behalf.
That's good to know.
I still think Brick Link and SOHO Bricks could end up with The LEGO Group.
Given how NXC has a high quality baby product company, it would seen like a valuable asset to LEGO or their child focused affiliates at first glance. Then at the second glance, Nexon and NXC would either be forced to work with separate affiliates, or would legally have to split up in order to for it to actually work.
It's a tough company for Kim to sell, I'll grant you that.
I've said it for, splitting the corporation's branch companies is a logical move, especially if they want to sell certain assets of the corporation and keep other parts.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/08/japan-south-korea-tensions-appear-set-to-drag-down-trade.html
If Nexon were a small company, I'd be worried.
But with the whole publicity of the tax evasion thing, there's bound to be some implications on any outreach to future collaborations.
Well, I mean Nexon's reach on the mobile market looks well set and fine for the moment, but PC gaming is more or less going to change from loot box drama.
There's not much else to do, other than wait out the immaturity of both sides.
(inb4 another problem arises...)
In all reality, a work around could be for everyone to export from the UK at this point.
Though it seems like a costly and rather stupid idea, now that I just said it.
UK needs to focus on fixing their own mess first.