[Featured Stock] NCSoft Rises 3% Ahead of New Release 'Blade & Soul 2'

[Asia Economy Reporter Ji Yeon-jin] On the 16th, NCSoft is showing strong performance ahead of the release of its new game.

As of 10:12 AM on the same day, NCSoft was trading at 833,000 KRW, up 3.61% (28,000 KRW) compared to the previous day. This stock has been on a rising trend for four consecutive days since the 13th.

Earlier, NH Investment & Securities forecasted that NCSoft would reflect upward momentum due to the imminent release of 'Blade & Soul 2' (hereafter referred to as B&S2). Jaemin Ahn, a researcher at NH Investment & Securities, stated, "Despite negative factors such as competitors' game successes and delays in game releases, we expect the possibility of success with the release of B&S2, and anticipate a stock price increase around the release period." He added, "B&S2 conducted TV advertisements during the second quarter and was originally scheduled for release in the first half of the year, so it is unlikely to be delayed by more than one additional quarter."

NH Investment & Securities assumed a release date at the end of September. They expect the stock price to be positive once the release schedule is announced.

Researcher Ahn said, "Due to the success of Kakao Games' 'Odin,' the sales rankings of 'Lineage M' and 'Lineage 2M' have declined, and user attrition has appeared, raising concerns about a drop in sales." He added, "Although updates have been made, the sales growth trend of Odin has not been stopped, which is concerning; however, sales before and after the updates are showing an upward curve again, so the performance is expected to decline only slightly."

However, the second-quarter performance is projected with sales revenue decreasing by 0.2% year-on-year to 539.8 billion KRW, and operating profit dropping by 36.8% to 132 billion KRW, leading to a downward revision of the target stock price from 1.25 million KRW to 1.05 million KRW.