[Person 人] Namgung Hoon, CEO of Kakao Games, Fuels Leap to Global Gaming Company

Unique Careers as Taxi Driver and Travel Guide
Co-founder of Hangame, 'First Generation of Gaming'
Footprints at NHN, Netmarble, and More

Namgung Hoon, CEO of Kakao Games

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] "One of the biggest visions Kakao Games holds is the 'gamification of everyday life.' In the process of turning everyday life into a game, Kakao Community and Kakao Games will work together to present methodologies that allow many users to approach their daily lives more enjoyably."

Namgung Hoon, CEO of Kakao Games, is regarded as a figure with a diverse background as distinctive as his unique appearance and fashion in the gaming industry. He emphasized that the era of 'gamification,' where games transcend simple entertainment and permeate personal daily life and all industries throughout society, is coming. As a first-generation gamer, he has also played a foundational role in the domestic gaming industry. Starting as a co-founder of Hangame, he has left his mark across the gaming industry through roles such as head of NHN’s U.S. branch, CEO of Netmarble, and CEO of Wemade. Recently, he successfully led Kakao Games’ listing on KOSDAQ and is once again racing toward the gamification of everyday life.

From Taxi Driver to Game Company CEO

CEO Namgung spent his school years in Oceania’s American Samoa, following his father who worked at the Fisheries Agency. Although the language was unfamiliar and the culture different, the experience there became a turning point in his life. He said, "I wondered what was necessary for Koreans to avoid hardship abroad, and ultimately, the only way was for our country to become a wealthy nation." After returning to Korea and finishing high school, he enrolled in the Business Administration department at Sogang University. From the summer vacation of his freshman year, driven by a desire to understand the world faster than others, he jumped into part-time jobs. At that time, he chose taxi driving because of his love for cars and tour guiding because it allowed him to travel for free while working.

As graduation approached, Namgung had not decided on a career path when the emergence of PC communication services marked a turning point in his life. Samsung SDS, which operated the PC communication service 'Unitel,' was a perfect workplace for him. However, his corporate life was brief. Defying his parents’ opposition, he quit the company, and an offer from Kim Beom-su, chairman of Kakao and his senior at Samsung SDS, to start a game company forged his fateful connection with gaming. At that time, Namgung helped Kim, who had left Samsung SDS and opened a PC room, by leveraging his diverse part-time experiences to travel nationwide visiting PC rooms for sales. In 1999, he joined as a co-founder of Hangame and two years later moved to NHN, formed by a merger with Naver, where he thrived. He demonstrated his managerial capabilities through roles such as head of the Indonesian branch, head of Korean game business, COO of the U.S. branch, and CEO of the U.S. branch. In September 2008, at the height of his career, he left NHN after serving as head of the U.S. branch. The following year, he made a spectacular return to the gaming industry as CEO of CJ E&M Netmarble.

Devoted to Nurturing Future Game Talent

In 2013, he abruptly resigned from Wemade and transformed once again by becoming chairman of the foundation 'Game Talent Foundation.' The goal was to nurture future game talents and boost the morale of game professionals. It was also a result of reflecting on his own life, having once dreamed of becoming a teacher in his childhood. At the foundation’s launch party, he explained, "The ultimate goal of the foundation is to create game professionals who are respected by the public," adding, "It was established with the purpose of creating an atmosphere where anyone can proudly say they work in the gaming industry." Namgung has led the Game Talent Foundation as chairman for seven years, running projects such as the 'Game in Korean History Project' to promote Korean history game development, expanding research support projects studying the future of the gaming industry, and scholarship programs to improve game perception and nurture future game talents.

Kakao Games Listing... A Platform for Further Leap

In 2015, CEO Namgung acquired the game company 'Engine,' and the following year, Kakao Games was born through the merger of Daum Games and Engine by Kakao. Last month, Namgung successfully led Kakao Games’ entry into KOSDAQ, laying the foundation for further growth. This listing came two years after Kakao Games withdrew its initial public offering (IPO) plan in 2018. Namgung, who holds 2,412,500 shares (3.3%) of Kakao Games, also became financially prosperous through this listing. Kakao Games plans to use the funds raised from the listing to strengthen game development capabilities, acquire new intellectual property (IP), and expand global operations. Ahead of the listing in August, he expressed his ambition, saying, "We are a comprehensive game company that has completed the game industry value chain with the powerful platform KakaoTalk, game development capabilities covering all genres, and global publishing capabilities. We are securing long-term growth engines through nurturing new businesses and aiming to become a leading global company in Korea through active overseas market expansion." Since its launch in 2016, Kakao Games, led by CEO Namgung, has achieved remarkable growth by servicing major games such as the PC game 'Battlegrounds' and the mobile game 'Moonlight Sculptor' domestically and internationally. Operating profit in the first half of the year was 28.7 billion KRW, a 63.7% increase compared to the same period last year. Net profit for the same period also rose 264% to 27.8 billion KRW, and sales increased 8.2% to 203 billion KRW.