While oftentimes we label South Korean MMOs as shoddy World of Warcraft clones (and unfortunately, a vast majority of them are) there happens to be a nice plethora of South Korean titles that aren't clones, and the ones that stand on their own two feet as both original and fun are making publishers billions, $2.16 billion USD to be exact.
Nexon Games
Nexon announced that they wanted to replace the NX cards at retailers with Karma Koins for a more safe and secure method of allowing consumers to purchase prepaid amounts of digital cash to spend in Nexon’s cash shops. 
The MMO publishing giant has announced that their third-quarter results for 2011 has once again proven to be very profitable, showing a 29 percent growth rate over the same quarter results from 2010. The report isn't all numbers and stats, though, the company announced a number of upcoming projects slated for release very soon. 
It may be the most popular free-to-play shooter on the net but Nexon constantly finds ways to move the franchise forward. The next step in the evolution of Combat Arms is moving from PC to the iOS and to do so, Nexon acquired an Unreal Engine 3 license in order to power the mobile version of the popular shooter. 
Nexon America's free-to-play, hack-and-slash MMORPG, Dragon Nest has officially launched in North America, exiting the beta and becoming commercially available to anyone with a PC who meets the bare minimum requirements. 
While many companies are posting profit loss in the first quarter due to a decline in revenue, Nexon America is doing just the opposite and bragging about it from here to the moon and back. Also, a new MapleStory game is on the way for Facebook users. 
Nexon and DevCat are continually pumping out content for Vindictus, including revamped weapons, a brand new titan raid boss and an exciting new map called the Labyrinth. All the new features and updates for the game will become available once April 20th arrives. 
If you plan on attending the Penny Arcade Expo you might want to check out Nexon's booth while you’re there, the free-to-play publisher will be demoing a few dungeons from the upcoming Dragon Nest, as well as the first ever PvP dungeons, towns and content in the next big patch for Vindictus. 
The biggest update since the launch of Vindictus has arrived, offering gamers a smorgasbord of new content ranging from a level cap increase from 44 to 60, opening up the door for brand new customizable armor, items, weapons and more. 
In a recent press release Nexon indicated that the initial surge in revenues finishing up 2010 came from the long running casual MMO, Maple Story. 
The vampire lord requires a royal butt kicking and stylish gamers can do so all geared out in football attire, that's right...football attire. 
Even though the game recently released it’s already up to Episode 4, and a new trailer was released featuring the combat, items and map scenarios that have been added to the game. 
Looks like free-to-play games have really kicked it up a notch. The new trailer for Nexon and devCat's Vindictus shows that there's only one way out of a hell-hole and that's getting through it. 
The new playable character class in Vindictus, which is currently available and free-to-play, is Evie, a magic user who can create physics-based golems and pull out other nifty tricks. 
One of the most popular new MMOs is the side-scrolling RPG from Nexon called Dungeon Fighter Online. The company announced that the latest expansion for the game has gone live and it's time for players to experience The Reckoning. 
Nexon's medieval fantasy, hack-and-slash RPG has officially headed into open beta and did I happen to mention that it's also entirely free-to-play? 
Strap up your hands and crack your knuckles because the most hardcore MMO to come out, ever, is heading into open beta and you'll need some serious finger work if you plan to dive head first into Vindictus. 
The next phase of the beta process for Vindictus is about to get underway and any progress that's made this time around will carry over into the final game. Now is that good news or what? 
Despite rising development costs and overcrowding of MMOs, a few standout titles are leading the way in the Korean market, thanks to North American gamers. 
The latest update for the MMOFPS includes a brand new map called Operation: Sector 25, along with several new weapons and armor items. |
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