[Click e-Stock] "Aion 2 Receives Positive Response, Easing Concerns Over NCSoft's Performance"

On October 13, Korea Investment & Securities analyzed that although NCSoft has experienced prolonged sluggish performance, an improvement is expected starting in the fourth quarter of this year with the launch of "Aion 2." The firm maintained its "Buy" rating and target price of 280,000 won.

NCSoft is expected to post weak results in the third quarter of this year due to one-off expenses and a decline in revenue from its main lineup. Sales are projected to reach 356.3 billion won (down 11.4% year-on-year), with an operating loss of 20.6 billion won (remaining in the red), which falls short of market expectations (an operating loss of 1.8 billion won). Mobile game revenue is forecast at 209.1 billion won (down 17.5%), and PC game revenue at 86.2 billion won (up 6.7%), representing a slight decrease compared to the previous quarter.

Experts are noting that despite NCSoft's weak performance, user sentiment toward "Aion 2" remains positive. Jung Hoyoon, a researcher at Korea Investment & Securities, stated, "There has been a lack of AAA-grade massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) launches in the domestic game market for the past three to four years, so we believe there is a significant pent-up demand among users for a major MMORPG release. If the quality of 'Aion 2' meets user expectations, the market environment is well-prepared for it to become a hit."

Jung added, "Furthermore, 2026 is expected to be a strong year for new releases, with six to seven new titles scheduled for launch, providing strong momentum. With this powerful momentum approaching and performance improvement beginning, now is an ideal time to buy."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.