Quarterly revenue edged up 2 percent to 121.1 billion yen ($759 million), while operating income slipped to 31.3 billion yen from 37.7 billion yen a year earlier. Net income jumped 77 percent to 29.6 billion yen.
The half-year picture was stronger.
First-half revenue climbed 17 percent to 273.3 billion yen and net income more than doubled, rising 102 percent to ¥86.9 billion — both records for the company, which reports on a consolidated basis through its Japanese parent.
The firm attributed its flagship RPG MapleStory for much of the heavy lifting.
Revenue across the franchise surged 63 percent year on year to a quarterly high, lifted by summer updates to the 22-year-old PC original in Korea and the West and by the overseas rollout of mobile spin-off MapleStory: Idle RPG. The sandbox platform MapleStory Worlds saw sales jump 123 percent, buoyed by strong reception in Korea and Taiwan.
ARC Raiders, the extraction shooter from Nexon's Swedish studio Embark, marked cumulative sales passing 16.3 million units nine months after its October debut. Overseas and PC-console revenue rose 44 percent and 27 percent respectively in the first half, both half-year records.
"We posted solid results in the second quarter on the strong momentum of the MapleStory franchise and the steady contribution from ARC Raiders," said Chief Executive Lee Jung-hun, adding that Nexon would broaden its lineup in the second half with new titles including a mobile version of Dave the Diver and the Japan launch of Mabinogi Mobile.
AJP Takeaways
• Nexon's second-quarter operating profit fell 17 percent year-on-year to 31.3 billion yen (294.3 billion won), as the 2 percent revenue gain to 121.1 billion yen was outpaced by tougher comparisons, even though all three headline figures beat the company's guidance.
• On a first-half basis, revenue rose 17 percent to 273.3 billion yen and net profit more than doubled, up 102 percent to 86.9 billion yen — both company records — with the MapleStory franchise surging 63 percent in the quarter and ARC Raiders passing 16.3 million cumulative units.
• Nexon is banking on a second-half pipeline to sustain momentum, including the global rollout of Dave the Diver's mobile version in September and the Japan launch of Mabinogi Mobile in the fourth quarter, as growth stays concentrated in its two flagship IPs.
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