NC is moving to fully target China and North America, led by its popular intellectual property (IP) "AION."
On the 30th, NC held a ceremony in Shanghai with Chinese game company Shengqu Games to sign a deal for local service of AION2. On that day, NC co-CEO Kim Taek-jin attended the event in person and said, "We will do our best to ensure AION2 creates new value in the Chinese game market and becomes a work remembered for a long time." Shengqu Games CEO Peng Cheng also expressed expectations for AION2's service in China.
NC and Shengqu Games have collaborated for 17 years, starting with AION's service in China in 2009. Under the companies' agreement, Shengqu Games will handle publishing (distribution) of AION2 in China. On the 30th, Shengqu Games opened AION2's official website and unveiled the Chinese service name, "Eternal Tower 2." The two companies set up booths at China's largest international game exhibition, ChinaJoy 2026, to demo AION2 and AION Classic.
AION2 is the sequel to the AION IP that NC introduced in 2008. It surpassed 100 billion won in revenue in 46 days after its launch in Nov., establishing itself as a new revenue source for NC. It also posted 136.8 billion won in revenue in the first quarter of this year.
With the recent increase in China's issuance of "banhao" (new game licenses), the mobile game based on the AION IP, "AION Classic (Eternal Tower: Scripture)," is also entering the Chinese market. In July, the National Press and Publication Administration of China added "AION Classic" to its list of approved foreign licenses.
AION Classic is being co-developed by NC and Shengqu Games and was previously teased for release within the year. Rather than servicing a game already launched in Korea directly in China, the companies are redesigning and developing it together to fit local conditions.
NC will also expand its push into Western markets through AION2. The global version of AION2 is set to roll out on PC as early access on the 30th of next month.
A company official said, "In North America and Europe, users of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) tend to prefer PC platforms over mobile, so we plan to enter the market in a form that fits Western users' play styles." Global users in North America, South America, Europe, and Japan will be able to access AION2 via Steam and Purple.