NCSoft Corporation and Netmarble Games Corp. exchanged their shares and made strategic alliance for entry to global game markets.
Saying that their alliance has nothing to do with management dispute between NCSoft and Nexon, both of all companies drew a line. But it is analyzed that actually, CEO of NCSoft Kim Taek-jin made Netmarble Games stand as a white knight in management dispute against Nexon`s management attack.
NCSoft and Netmarble Games held their boards of directors meeting on 16th, respectively, and made strategic alliance for investment in mutual shares and global joint projects.
NCSoft invested KRW 380 billion to take over 9.8% new shares of Netmarble Games and became the fourth largest shareholder of Netmarble followed with chairman Bang Joon-hyuck, CJE&M, Tencent.
Netmarble Games put KRW 390 billion into take-over of 8.9% shares from NCSoft and became the third largest shareholder of NCSoft.
Both companies will advance to global markets through the following various models:△ cooperation in mutual publishing business △cross marketing △establishment of joint venture and joint investment △joint entry to global mobile game markets.
It is estimated that through this alliance, Netmarble gained an advantage over the partner. It is worth notice that Netmarble holds the casting vote in management dispute between NCSoft and Nexon.
Though NCSoft and Netmarble have their cooperation policy in global advancement under the title of mutual cooperation, as the precedence in Nexon showed, this relationship may be changed by their own interests at any time.
"Currently, Nexon is certainly the enemy against NCSoft management. Netmarble is an allied army for now," the insider of a security company said. "How smoothly NCSoft will accept this cooperation relation led by Netmarble will be an important factor in the forthcoming relationship among these three companies."
Staff Reporter Kim, Siso siso@etnews.com