Tencent Studies Deal for $15 Billion Game Developer Nexon

Tencent Holdings, China’s tech powerhouse, is reportedly exploring a $15 billion acquisition of Korean game developer Nexon, according to a recent Bloomberg report. Sources close to the matter revealed that Tencent has approached the family of the late Nexon founder Kim Jung-ju to discuss a possible deal.

While it remains unclear if NXC, Nexon’s investment firm, is open to selling its stake, no final agreement or structure has been confirmed. Kim’s family currently controls around 67.6% of NXC shares, adding significant weight to any potential negotiation.

Founded in 1994, Nexon is known globally for its blockbuster RPG titles like MapleStory and Dungeon & Fighter, the latter co-developed with Tencent. The company went public in Japan in 2011 through one of the biggest tech IPOs of its time and currently holds a market valuation of approximately $15 billion, with shares up over 10% this year in Tokyo.

Notably, this isn’t Tencent’s first interest in Nexon. In 2019, acquisition talks collapsed due to valuation disputes. The renewed interest reflects Tencent’s strategy to expand its gaming empire amid increasing global competition.

Separately, Tencent recently made headlines by acquiring HYBE’s entire 9.4% stake in SM Entertainment for about $146 million, reinforcing its position in the entertainment and content space.

At this time, Tencent, Nexon, and NXC have declined to comment on the ongoing discussions.

Source: finance.yahoo

Voice of Osiz

We view Tencent’s potential $15B move for Nexon as a strategic step in fortifying its dominance within the global gaming ecosystem. This signals how major tech players are aggressively consolidating IP-rich, community-driven studios to future-proof their content pipelines.