NCSoft, the South Korean gaming powerhouse, has teamed up with VNGGames, a major Vietnamese publisher, to create a new joint venture called NCV Games.
Their first mission? Bringing Lineage2M to six Southeast Asian countries by May 20—including Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines.
This is a big first for NCSoft. While they’ve always been a global name, this marks their first-ever joint venture to directly operate in Southeast Asia.
And their partner, VNGGames, is one of Vietnam’s top game publishers, known for working with big Korean studios like Line Games and Devsisters.
Vietnam & South Korea: A Growing Gaming Connection
The gaming connection between Vietnam and South Korea has been getting stronger in recent years. In late 2024, events like Korea Game Week—hosted by the Korea Game Culture Foundation and the South Korean Embassy in Vietnam—have helped foster more collaboration. Sponsors like NCSoft, Nexon Korea, NHN, and Pearl Abyss are all on board, highlighting the growing interest in Vietnam’s gaming scene.
Why the interest? Well, Vietnam’s gaming market is massive. According to Newzoo’s 2022 report, the country has 54.6 million gamers—that’s more than half of its population. Add in lower development costs, and it’s easy to see why South Korean gaming companies are eager to expand there.
For comparison, a new game developer in Vietnam earns between 7M and 12M won per year (around $4,750-$8,150), while in South Korea, the average salary is around 36M won ($24,460)—and can go up to 50M won ($33,972) at bigger companies. That’s a huge difference, making Vietnam an attractive hub for game development.
This growing partnership is a win for both countries. Vietnamese gamers get access to more top-tier games like Lineage2M, while local developers gain experience working with global gaming giants. On the flip side, South Korean studios get to tap into a booming market and take advantage of affordable, high-quality development talent.
Source: Vietnam News
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