NCsoft looks for $50–100 million mobile studios after spending $300 million on acquisitions

Korean publisher NCsoft is actively looking for additional established mobile studios after spending roughly $300 million across four recent investments and acquisitions. Mobilegamer.biz reports that the company is targeting businesses capable of generating approximately $50 million to $100 million in annual revenue across a range of genres and business models. The strategy illustrates how major publishers are increasingly using acquisitions to diversify beyond individual flagship franchises.

NCsoft built much of its reputation around MMORPGs, but mobile audiences now span puzzle, strategy, casual, RPG and hybrid genres. Buying proven studios can accelerate diversification far faster than attempting to build every capability internally. The difficult part is integration. Mobile studios often derive their value from small autonomous teams and highly specialized live-operation cultures, which can be damaged by excessive corporate control.

NCsoft's ongoing search therefore matters beyond simple deal volume. Successful acquisitions could reshape the company's global mobile portfolio, while poorly integrated teams could become expensive examples of why buying revenue is easier than preserving creative momentum.