Nexon sells NCSoft shares, giving up hostile takeover dream

The Nexon-NCSoft alliance is finally over after a three-year reign, as Nexon has sold off their NCSoft shares. This is less than a year after NCSoft purchased 9.8% of South Korean developer Netmarble's shares to avoid a hostile takeover from Nexon.

Whose reputation is worse: Nexon or NCSoft? NCSoft may not have the best reputation, but most F2P MMO players can agree Nexon's practices over the years have been far more anti-consider than those of NCsoft -- and that's really saying something.

Regardless of how you feel about either publisher, both are monsters in the MMORPG industry and are still exceptionally strong in South Korea. Nexon purchased a 14.7% stake in NCSoft in 2012 and increased its shares to 15% in 2014. The Netmarble share purchase on NCSoft's part earlier this year was specifically to prevent a hostile takeover from Nexon. Clearly they succeeded.

It's difficult to see this turn of events in a negative light. NCSoft is finally free from Nexon's grip, and anyone who plays an NCSoft-published game can be thankful for that.