Chinese language tech large Tencent is exploring a possible acquisition of Nexon, the South Korean recreation developer behind the hit title Dungeon & Fighter, Bloomberg studies. Nexon is closely invested in Net 3 gaming, together with the bold MapleStory franchise.
The agency has reportedly approached the household of Nexon’s late founder Kim Jung-ju, who controls a 44.4% stake in Nexon through holding firm NXC Corp, to debate a possible acquisition.
Discussions are nonetheless preliminary, and there’s no assure they are going to end in a deal, the report states, citing sources near the matter.
If profitable, Tencent can be buying an organization with a $16.6 billion market capitalization, a transfer that would reignite its ambitions in international gaming M&A after a slowdown sparked by Chinese language regulatory crackdowns in 2020.
The deal may assist Tencent safe long-term management over fashionable mental property and provides it a firmer foothold in South Korea’s profitable gaming market.
However any deal can be difficult.
The Kim household inherited management after the founder’s loss of life in 2022 and has since handed shares to the Korean authorities to cowl inheritance taxes. The federal government has been unable to dump its stake.
Tencent beforehand tried to purchase Nexon in 2019, however talks collapsed over pricing. This new try follows Tencent’s $1.3 billion funding in a brand new Ubisoft unit and a ten% stake in Okay-pop label SM Leisure.
The Chinese language tech large can be increasing within the blockchain house, saying earlier this 12 months that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop a set of blockchain API providers with Ankr.
Learn extra: S. Korean Gaming Large Nexon to Use Polygon for Common MapleStory Universe
