Chuseok Gifts Received by Game Company Employees Are 'This' [Buaeri's Game Dictionary]

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] As the Korean traditional holiday Chuseok approaches, office workers quietly look forward to the 'Chuseok gifts' they receive from their companies. We looked into what gifts employees at game companies receive.

NC's Annual 'Generous Gifts' Quiet This Year

NCSoft, which has been known for its generous gifts during holiday seasons every year, was quiet this year. NCSoft gave employees department store gift certificates worth about 200,000 KRW as gifts.

This atmosphere is quite different from last year's Chuseok. Around last year's Chuseok, NCSoft gave all employees 1 million KRW to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of 'Lineage M.' In addition to this encouragement money, they also gave 200,000 KRW gift certificates as Chuseok gifts. NCSoft CEO Kim Taek-jin is famous for giving 'generous' gifts to employees. At the end of 2019, CEO Kim made headlines by giving a bonus of 3 million KRW per person to all employees, including interns, regardless of rank, as a reward for the success of 'Lineage 2M.'

However, this year NCSoft has a different atmosphere as it lost the number one spot among the Lineage series to Kakao Games' new release 'Odin: Valhalla Rising.' Moreover, the performance of the new title 'Blade & Soul 2' fell short of market expectations, causing NCSoft to face a decline in stock prices.

CEO Kim sent a message this Chuseok pledging change at NCSoft. On the 16th, he emailed employees stating that he would "coldly re-examine" controversies surrounding NCSoft, such as probability-based items and the poor performance of new titles. He said, "It is also my responsibility to use this incident as a whip to create a more grown NCSoft," and added, "During that time, I will question the methods and processes that have been taken for granted." CEO Kim emphasized, "NCSoft is at a time when change is necessary," and "We will accurately identify problems and devise alternatives."

Nexon Gives 220,000 KRW Points, Netmarble Gives Cash

Nexon provides all employees with 220,000 KRW worth of points that can be used like cash at its exclusive online shopping mall every holiday season. A Nexon official explained, "This year, the points are also the Chuseok gift." Netmarble gave all employees 200,000 KRW in cash as Chuseok gifts.

Kakao Games, which maintained a good atmosphere with the success of the new title 'Odin' this year, gave employees 300,000 KRW via Kakao Pay Money.

Wemade, with Global Hit 'Mir4,' Gives Encouragement Bonuses

In addition to the 200,000 KRW gift certificates as Chuseok gifts, Wemade gave special encouragement bonuses to related departments and affiliated company employees due to the success of 'Mir4.' Released globally in 170 countries on the 26th of last month, Mir4 continues to show positive momentum. At launch, Mir4 started service with a total of 11 servers: 8 in Asia, 2 in Europe, and 1 in North America. Currently, it operates on 83 servers: 40 in Asia, 8 in Europe, 26 in North America, and 9 in South America. It ranks 2nd in the Steam MMORPG category. The concurrent user count is about 40,000.

Wemade CEO Jang Hyun-guk said in an internal email to employees, "Mir4 is changing the paradigm of the game industry," and added, "The company plans to boldly and courageously reward great achievements and continue to do so."

Editor's Note The goal of 'Game Dictionary' is to understand and clearly convey game-related issues every weekend. We always listen to incidents and various voices arising from games. Any tips are always welcome.