[Exclusive] Netmarble Confirms Name of New Guro Headquarters as 'G Tower'... Moving In Next Month

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] Netmarble is ushering in a new era with its new headquarters in Guro this year. The dream of a "Strong Netmarble," envisioned by Chairman Bang Jun-hyuk of Netmarble and Coway, who achieved a rags-to-riches success story, is expected to come to fruition at the new Guro headquarters.

According to the gaming industry on the 26th, the name of Netmarble's new headquarters located in G Valley, Guro-gu, Seoul, has been confirmed as "G Tower." G Tower is named after the common English initial "G" found in words related to Netmarble, such as Guro Digital Complex (Guro), Game, and Global. Netmarble will begin moving into the new building starting the third week of next month, with its development subsidiaries, affiliate Coway, and Netmarble itself moving in that order. The relocation process will be completed before Netmarble's founding anniversary on March 1. Netmarble and its developers will occupy the upper floors of the new building, while Coway employees will use the lower floors.

G Tower is a 39-story building above ground and 7 stories underground, with a total area of 180,000 square meters. It is equipped with various state-of-the-art facilities. The building features advanced air conditioning systems, 52 elevators including ultra-high-speed twin elevators, and 8 escalators. In addition to workspaces, there will be cultural facilities such as a character park and a game museum. Netmarble plans to convert 70% of the office grounds into a park to provide a resting place for employees and local residents.

Among the 3N companies (NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble), Netmarble is the only one based in Guro. NCSoft and Nexon's headquarters are located in Pangyo Techno Valley, Seongnam City. This is due to Chairman Bang's special affection for Guro. His connection with Guro dates back to his childhood. Calling himself a "genuine dirt spoon," Chairman Bang grew up in Garibong-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul, and dreamed of becoming a businessman to escape poverty. At the new headquarters business agreement ceremony, Chairman Bang said, "I feel deeply moved to be able to foster good coexistence in the neighborhood where I grew up."

Bang Jun-hyuk, Chairman of Netmarble and Coway

Since Netmarble settled in Guro, the business has prospered, making Guro even more special to him. Netmarble briefly settled in Sangam in 2009, but after Chairman Bang stepped down due to health reasons and then returned, the company moved to Guro in 2012. From that time, Netmarble has been thriving and expanding its business. Mobile hits such as "Everyone's Marble," "Together ChaChaCha," and "Monster Taming" followed, and in 2014, it received a $500 million investment from China's Tencent. In 2017, it was listed on the KOSPI market.

Chairman Bang set the goal of a "Strong Netmarble" for employees this year. He emphasized, "With the move to the new headquarters, Netmarble will make a leap forward. The essence of a 'Strong Netmarble' is to launch fun games that achieve global success. I hope the relocation will serve as a solid foundation for Netmarble to strengthen its competitiveness and make a fresh leap forward."

This year, Netmarble plans to release major new titles such as "Seven Knights Revolution," "The Second Country," and "Marvel Future Revolution." Netmarble is also preparing subscription economy services that incorporate technology in collaboration with Coway. A Netmarble official explained, "We will integrate Netmarble's IT technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and cloud computing to develop a smart home subscription economy business." The securities industry expects Netmarble to join the "3 trillion won club" this year.