Nexon says it's "delivering on promises" as it posts Q1 2025 results Three biggest franchises deliver "aggregate 21% year-over-year growth" Image credit: Nexon News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on May 14, 2025 Maple Story publisher Nexon has released its Q1 2025-26 fiscal year earnings report, posting modest boosts in revenue and operating income. Nexon's three biggest franchises - Dungeon&Fighter, Maple Story, and FC - delivered an "aggregate 21% year-over-year growth", up from 8% in Q4 2024. The Numbers: For the first quarter 2025 Revenue: ¥113.9 billion ($775.9 million, up 5% year-over-year) Operating income: ¥41.6 billion ($283 million, up 43% year-over-year) Net income: ¥26.3 billion ($179 million, down 31% year-over-year) The Highlights: Nexon's Dungeon&Fighter franchise delivered 60% year-over-year growth in Q1, driven by "contributions from Dungeon&Fighter Mobile in China and the global release of The First Berserker: Khazan." In Q2, Nexon expects franchise revenue to decline by approximately 40% "due to a difficult comparison with the explosive launch of Dungeon&Fighter Mobile one year ago, which increased franchise revenue by 162%." While FC Online's Q1 revenue exceeded expectations, FC Mobile fell short, pushing the franchise into a year-over-year decline, if coming in within the expected range. However, Nexon expects player "excitement" to increase as we edge closer to the 2026 World Cup. Maple Story, however, grew revenues of 8% YoY, "primarily driven by the strong performance of MapleStory in Korea and the West," with December's large winter update driving "strong improvements to player engagement, resulting in a 43% year-over-year increase in Q1 revenue, which exceeded outlook." Shooter The First Descendant Q1 revenue "fell below" expectations due to "lower-than-anticipated sales from a new episode of Season 2, but player metrics improved," whilst The Finals Q1 came in at the higher end of predicted performance "supported by the Season 6 update in March, which generated improvements to key player metrics." Additional momentum is expected from new content planned for May. A large, global tech test for ARC Raiders conducted earlier this month "significantly exceeded expectations for key metrics", including wishlisting on Steam. Looking ahead Nexon expects revenue across Q2 2025 to be in the range of ¥99.6 billion to ¥110.3 billion, down 10 to 19% year-over-year. Operating income and expected net income are also expected to fall by 50%-31% and 58%-42%, respectively, to in the range of ¥22.5 billion to ¥31.1 billion and ¥16.8 billion to ¥23.3 billion. However, Nexon expects Maple Story to grow approximately 20% year over year next quarter. “Nexon is delivering on its promises to our players and our investors,” said Junghun Lee, president and CEO of Nexon. “In the past three months we saw a recovery in our key titles, Dungeon&Fighter and Maple Story, and launched two new games: The First Berserker: Khazan and Mabinogi Mobile. And we are making solid progress in our partnership initiatives with Tencent, including the release of new co-developed content for Dungeon&Fighter Mobile later this year and pre-registrations on The Finals and The First Berserker: Khazan in China. "And in another breakthrough in our global expansion strategy, Embark Studios recently completed a large test on a new game, ARC Raiders, which exceeded our expectations for YouTube and Twitch views, and beat our wishlist goal on Steam by 50%. The Embark team is now working to integrate player feedback and polish the game ahead of the launch. “Despite global economic turmoil, Nexon is deeply resilient and positioned for sustained growth," he added. "Our company is anchored by recurring revenue from multiple established franchises, a clearly defined growth plan, a robust pipeline of new games, strategic partnership for capturing growth opportunities in large markets, world-class live operations, and a balance sheet with approximately ¥600 billion in cash which can be used to capture new opportunities and enhance shareholder returns.”

en pointe Ana de Armas is caught in Wick’s crosshairs in final Ballerina trailer "When you think of me, you should think of fire. Risen from ashes, again and again." Jennifer Ouellette – May 13, 2025 10:08 am | 0 Credit: Lionsgate Entertainment Credit: Lionsgate Entertainment Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more One last trailer for From the World of John Wick: Ballerina. We're about three weeks out from the theatrical release of From the World of John Wick: Ballerina,  starring Ana de Armas. So naturally Lionsgate has released one final trailer to whet audience appetites for what promises to be a fiery, action-packed addition to the hugely successful franchise. (Some spoilers for 2019's John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum.) Chronologically, Ballerina takes place during the events of John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum. As previously reported, Parabellum found Wick declared excommunicado from the High Table for killing crime lord Santino D'Antonio on the grounds of the Continental. On the run with a bounty on his head, he makes his way to the headquarters of the Ruska Roma crime syndicate, led by the Director (Anjelica Huston). The Director also trains young girls to be ballerina-assassins, and one young ballerina (played by Unity Phelan) is shown rehearsing in the scene. That dancer, Eve Macarro, is the main character in Ballerina, now played by de Armas. Huston returns as the Director, Ian McShane is back as Winston, and Lance Reddick makes one final (posthumous) appearance as the Continental concierge, Charon. New cast members include Gabriel Byrne as the main villain, the Chancellor, who turns an entire town against Eve; Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Nogi, Eve's mentor; Norman Reedus as Daniel Pine; and Catalina Sandino Moreno and David Castaneda in as-yet-undisclosed roles. The first trailer was released last September and focused heavily on Eve's backstory: Having been orphaned, she chose to train with the Ruska Roma in hopes of avenging her father's brutal death. Wick only made a brief appearance, but he had more screen time in the second trailer, released in March, in which the pair face off in an atmospheric wintry landscape. This final trailer opens with Eve looking up while directly in Wick's crosshairs. Much of the ensuing footage isn't new, but it does show de Armas to her best deadly advantage as she takes on combatant after combatant in true John Wick style. Her vow: "This isn't done until they're dead." From the World of John Wick: Ballerina hits theaters on June 6, 2025. Jennifer Ouellette Senior Writer Jennifer Ouellette Senior Writer Jennifer is a senior writer at Ars Technica with a particular focus on where science meets culture, covering everything from physics and related interdisciplinary topics to her favorite films and TV series. Jennifer lives in Baltimore with her spouse, physicist Sean M. Carroll, and their two cats, Ariel and Caliban. 0 Comments