NC announced on August 15 that it is strengthening its strategic partnership with Microsoft Korea for the successful global service of AION 2.

The two companies plan to cooperate closely across technology, operations, and marketing based on Microsoft Azure to prepare for the global launch and ensure stable service operations of AION 2. Through this, NC plans to provide a seamless gaming experience to users worldwide and further enhance the competitiveness of AION 2 in the global market.

The two companies met on August 14 at the NC R&D Center located in Pangyo, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, to discuss collaboration methods utilizing each other's technological prowess. Key executives from both companies attended, including NC Chief Business Officer (CBO) Baek Seung-wook and Microsoft Korea Managing Director Cho Won-woo.

NC is cooperating closely with Microsoft for the successful service of AION 2, ahead of its official global launch on October 5. In particular, to stably respond to the large-scale Concurrent Players and regional traffic fluctuations expected due to the simultaneous global launch, NC plans to actively utilize Microsoft Azure's global infrastructure built around the world.

Microsoft plans to operate both its global technical organization and dedicated South Korea team together to support the entire process from performance verification before the launch of AION 2 to rapid disaster response after service. In addition, Microsoft plans to gradually expand the scope of collaboration, such as broadening user touchpoints through joint marketing with Microsoft's global gaming organization.

The collaboration between the two companies is not limited to game services but extends to NC's overall digital working environment. NC has introduced Microsoft 365 E5 company-wide to build a work environment encompassing security and collaboration, and is also reviewing the use of Microsoft 365 Copilot to improve employee productivity.

NC Chief Business Officer Baek Seung-wook stated, "Microsoft, equipped with global operational capabilities and technical expertise, is a core partner accompanying NC on our most important global challenge," adding, "It is reassuring to prepare for the global launch of AION 2 together with Microsoft as a single team." The CBO further added, "Starting with this collaboration, we will elevate NC's global game competitiveness to the next level."

Microsoft Korea Managing Director Cho Won-woo stated, "NC is a company that continuously leads innovation in the global gaming market," adding, "Microsoft will support NC's service operations based on our cloud capabilities and engineering expertise, and cooperate to provide a stable gaming experience to players around the world."