Neople, a subsidiary of Nexon, is continuing an all-out strike, the first of its kind in South Korea's gaming industry, leading to prolonged conflicts with management. Amid this, the domestic revenue rankings of Neople's key intellectual property (IP), Dungeon & Fighter (DF), have seen a sharp decline. Along with this, the 'DF Mobile Arcade 2025' event scheduled for next month has been abruptly canceled, which is expected to further increase user attrition.
According to the app statistics analysis platform Mobile Index, as of the 27th, Dungeon & Fighter mobile's weekly revenue ranking is 131st in the Google Play Store and 98th in the Apple App Store. This marks the lowest ranking this year. One month prior, before the Neople union began its all-out strike, the game was ranked 29th in the Google Play Store and 50th in the Apple App Store. In a month, its revenue rank has dropped by 102 places and 48 places, respectively. The drop in the revenue rankings is attributed to short-term factors such as declining update effects, the end of events, and the strong performance of competing games, but there are also underlying causes related to the game's operational stability and a decrease in user loyalty.
In particular, it appears that the Neople union's strike is adversely affecting Dungeon & Fighter mobile. The Neople union has been conducting an all-out strike three days a week and organized strikes two days a week since the 7th. According to the union, about two-thirds of the total 1,500 employees are participating in the strike. The union is demanding the introduction of a profit-sharing (PS) system that allocates 4% of last year's operating profit of approximately 982.4 billion won to all employees. However, the company has stated that the implementation of the PS system is difficult as it already operates various compensation systems. Neople employees received an average of approximately 220 million won per person last year, thanks to performance bonuses.
As the strike drags on, disruptions to work processes within the company are becoming a reality. Entire teams are going on strike, with team leaders handling tasks alone, while employees who came to work are taking on responsibilities from other teams. Furthermore, internal employees report feeling pressured to comply with the union's dominant stance. While the union has announced that it will continue the all-out strike until the 8th of next month, there is a high possibility that it will extend as negotiations with management have not taken place.
Consequently, users are also turning their backs on the game. In the gaming industry, public opinion surrounding labor-management conflicts has traditionally favored the union. However, in this Neople strike, it is reported that the majority of users actually support management. The main reason stems from a distrust of the Dungeon & Fighter management. Since last year, there have been repeated imbalances between job roles and inconsistent patches, with some job roles seeing no improvements for years, leading to growing discontent among users. Additionally, controversy over male discrimination in illustrations has further tarnished the image of the art team.
The average salary and turnover rate of Neople employees have also fueled negative public sentiment. As of last year, the average salary of Neople employees (220 million won) is among the highest in the gaming industry. Compared to the same period, SHIFT UP (130 million won), KRAFTON (109 million won), and NCSOFT (107 million won) are almost half of that amount. Moreover, according to the company, the voluntary turnover rate for Neople's regular employees up to June 30 this year was 0.97%, not reaching 1%. This indicates a high level of overall employee satisfaction with the company. Therefore, employees enjoying industry-leading salaries and satisfaction continuing to engage in an all-out strike has led to criticism of being a 'noble union.'
In this situation, the cancellation of the offline event 'DNF Universe 2025,' prepared to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Dungeon & Fighter, has become a decisive factor in users turning away. Initially, this event was slated to be held on the 9th and 10th of next month at Kintex in Goyang, but was abruptly canceled. This event also included the largest offline event for Dungeon & Fighter mobile, 'DF Mobile Arcade 2025,' but it was canceled as well. Users express that with the sudden cancellation of the event at a symbolic time, they have lost motivation to play, as they can no longer know the updates for the second half of the year. Additionally, they strongly criticize the union for using the event as leverage in the strike.
A source in the gaming industry noted, 'There are questions about whether such a long strike was indeed the best approach in a situation where user dissatisfaction has reached its peak. Now, it is essential to resume labor-management negotiations centered on substantial structures and rational principles, rather than emotional confrontations.'