NCSoft lays off staff following ‘broader internal reorganisation’

NCSoft has laid off an unknown number of staff after the company conducted a “broader internal reorganisation.”

According to Yonhap (via Game Developer) co-CEOs Taek-Jin Kim and Byung-Moo Park said that the company has been “deteriorating” financially.

The pair claimed that NCSoft was “at risk of falling into a chronic deficit company”, which would be “seriously damaging the creativity and challenging spirit that NC originally had”.

The company signed a strategic global business partnership with Sony Interactive Entertainment last year, following news that Sony and NCSoft had struck a deal to create a Horizon MMORPG.

“Partnering with NCSoft advances our strategy to expand beyond console and broaden PlayStation’s reach to a wider audience,”  then-SIE boss Jim Ryan said at the time.

“Like SIE, NCSoft shares a similar vision in creating high-quality, impactful entertainment experiences for players everywhere, and together we’re excited to collaborate to push the boundaries of gaming further.”

Game developer Farhan Noor, who has been tracking job cuts on videogameslayoffs.com, estimates that around 13,000 games industry employees have been laid off so far this year – up from a total of 10,500 in 2023.

League of Legends developer Riot Games reduced its workforce by 32 employees last week.

Before that, it was reported that Bandai Namco has reduced its workforce and has cancelled multiple projects.