Nexon Achieves Historic Global Launch with Arc Raiders

Nexon has released its Q3 financial results, showcasing robust performances from its main franchises despite experiencing a decline in revenue and operating income. For the quarter ending September 30, 2025, key financial highlights include: revenue of ¥118.7 billion ($767 million), representing a 12% year-on-year decrease; operating income of ¥37.5 billion ($242.3 million), down 27% year-on-year; and net income of ¥38.2 billion ($247 million), which saw a 41% year-on-year increase. The decline in revenue is attributed to the 2024 launches of Dungeon & Fighter Mobile in China and The First Descendant. However, the net income exceeded expectations, driven by a significant gain compared to the same period last year. A notable highlight is Embark Studios' Arc Raiders, which has become Nexon's most successful global launch, with over four million copies sold since its release on October 30. The game achieved over 700,000 concurrent players on Steam and ranked high on Steam's wishlists chart. Nexon's president and CEO, Junghun Lee, expressed optimism about Arc Raiders' potential to become a long-term contributor to the company's portfolio, backed by a pipeline of fresh content extending through 2026. Additionally, Embark's free-to-play shooter The Finals saw growth following its season 8 update, with a 58% year-on-year revenue increase during Q3. A Chinese adaptation of The Finals, developed in partnership with Tencent, is set to begin its open beta on November 18, expected to contribute to performance in the next quarter. Dungeon & Fighter's total franchise revenue declined due to the mobile release in 2024, but the PC version achieved significant year-on-year growth driven by positive player reception to content updates. MapleStory revenue grew by 61% year-on-year, with expectations of further growth in Q4 driven by recovery in Korea and the launch of MapleStory: Idle RPG. Recently, Nexon's CEO emphasized the importance of assuming all game companies are utilizing AI, following discussions on the use of AI in Arc Raiders, and stressed the need for a strategy that increases competitiveness in this context.