While Nexon saw a domestic revenue boost in Q3 2025 thanks to MapleStory, the persistent slump in the Chinese Dungeon & Fighter Mobile market dragged their overall performance below the previous year's figures. However, the company expects a strong finish, anticipating a rebound for Q4 and the full fiscal year fueled by new releases like ARC Raiders.

Nexon released its Q3 2025 earnings report on the 11th. For the quarter, Nexon posted revenue of 118.7 billion JPY (approx. 1.1147 trillion KRW) and an operating profit of 37.5 billion JPY (approx. 352.4 billion KRW). Revenue decreased by 12% and operating profit by 27% compared to the same period last year. Year-to-date, the company has recorded 351.5 billion JPY in revenue and 116.8 billion JPY in operating profit, representing a 4% and 7.2% decline, respectively.

Breaking down the regional revenue for Q3, domestic sales soared by 46% year-on-year, while Chinese revenue plummeted by 50%. Last year, China saw a 138% spike due to the launch of Dungeon & Fighter Mobile, but the market has failed to recover since a sharp decline in Q1 this year, a trend that continued through Q3. Consequently, the regional revenue share has shifted: while China accounted for 42% and Korea 35% last year, Korea now commands 58% against China's 24%.

Domestically, MapleStory, FC Online, and the PC version of Dungeon & Fighter drove revenue. MapleStory revenue tripled year-on-year, with both MAU and ARPPU increasing following summer updates. FC Online also outperformed its year-ago figures thanks to the 'TOTS (Team of the Season)' update, while Dungeon & Fighter saw a 145% jump driven by the Sword Art Online collaboration. Mabinogi Mobile, which launched in March this year, contributed to the results, though the company noted that revenue was slightly lower than initial expectations.

In China, PC revenue rose by 33.6% year-on-year, supported by summer and National Day packages. However, mobile game revenue, centered on Dungeon & Fighter Mobile, decreased by 73.1%. The company explained that the introduction of content co-developed with Tencent in late September helped maintain key metrics such as user retention.

The outlook for Q4 and the full year of 2025 was also provided. Q4 revenue is projected between 115.8 billion JPY and 129.3 billion JPY (approx. 1.0863 trillion KRW to 1.2133 trillion KRW), representing a 45% to 62% increase year-on-year. Operating profit is expected to be between 21.7 billion JPY and 31.9 billion JPY (approx. 204 billion KRW to 299 billion KRW), signaling a turnaround to profit compared to the same period last year.

The projected annual revenue is 480.8 billion JPY, with an operating profit of 148.7 billion JPY. Compared to last year, revenue is expected to increase by 7.8% and operating profit by 19.7%. Nexon attributed this expected record performance to the growth of key titles like FC Online, Dungeon & Fighter PC, and MapleStory, alongside the performance of ARC Raiders (released October 30) and the launch of The Finals in China in November.

ARC Raiders has surpassed 4 million units sold globally. Based on the domestic standard edition price, it is estimated that package sales alone have generated over 240 billion KRW. The game reached a peak of over 700,000 concurrent players, with 460,000 on Steam alone. Steam user reviews remain 'Very Positive' (89% positive).

Nexon Japan Representative Lee Jung-hun stated, "In Q3, our strategic focus led to notable growth for the MapleStory franchise, and our core titles maintained stable performance. As the new title ARC Raiders shows early success in expanding our global portfolio, we plan to accelerate growth for both our core franchises and new IPs."

Meanwhile, Nexon announced a 100 billion JPY share buyback plan in February and completed 75 billion JPY (approx. 700 billion KRW) of it by the end of October. The remaining 25 billion JPY is planned to be purchased by January 2026, considering investment opportunities, financial status, and market conditions.