Nexon And NAT Games Enter Strategic Partnership, HIT Launching Globally This Year

Nexon and NAT Games announced today that they have entered a strategic partnership in which Nexon Korea has become NAT Games' "second biggest shareholder, with a 22.4% equity stake." Nexon Korea CEO Jiwon Park had the following to say about the announcement.

We are thrilled to strengthen our relationship with NAT Games renowned for its outstanding game development skills. HIT archieved remarkable regional success, and we look forward to continuing our work with NAT Games for HIT’s further success and a seamless global launch.

For those that don't know, NAT Games is a mobile game studio headed by Yong-Hyun Park who is best known for his work on Lineage II and TERA. The studio developed HIT, an Unreal Engine 4-powered mobile action RPG that became the top-grossing game in Korea on both Google Play and the App Store when it launched on November 18, 2015. HIT will be launching globally later this year.

Nexon also made a "CB (Convertible Bond) investment" in NAT Games' majority shareholder, Barunson E&A. The investment transaction included a publishing deal in which Nexon is allowed to publish Astelia, a PC MMORPG created by Barunson E&A's subsidiary Studio 8.