NC is working with Microsoft to prepare for the global launch of its new game “AION 2,” with Microsoft Korea setting up a dedicated team for the title. The companies will build global service infrastructure based on Microsoft Azure and pursue joint marketing with Microsoft’s global gaming organization.

NC said on Sept. 15 that it is strengthening its strategic partnership with Microsoft Korea to support the global service of AION 2.

Executives from the two companies met at NC’s R&D Center in Pangyo, Seongnam, on Sept. 14 to discuss cooperation for the global launch and operation of AION 2. Participants included NC Chief Business Officer (CBO) Baek Seung-wook and Microsoft Korea Chief Executive Officer Cho Won-woo.

Ahead of AION 2’s global launch on Oct. 5, NC will use Microsoft Azure’s global infrastructure. The aim is to handle large numbers of simultaneous users and regional traffic fluctuations during the global launch.

Microsoft plans to deploy its global technical organization and a dedicated Korea team to support AION 2, from performance verification before launch to incident response after the service goes live.

The companies will also expand their marketing partnership. They plan to conduct joint marketing with Microsoft’s global gaming organization to broaden AION 2’s reach among global users. Specific marketing methods and channels were not disclosed.

The partnership between NC and Microsoft also extends beyond game services. NC has deployed Microsoft 365 E5 companywide to establish its security and collaboration environment and is considering using Microsoft 365 Copilot to improve employee productivity.

“Microsoft, with its global operational capabilities and technical expertise, is a key partner joining NC in our most important global challenge,” Baek said.

“Microsoft will support NC’s service operations with its cloud capabilities and engineering expertise and work together to provide a stable gaming experience for users worldwide,” Cho said.

Kakao Games will acquire game company Me2on for 98 billion won.

The deal marks the first merger and acquisition (M&A) since co-CEOs Kim Tae-hwan and Lee Si-woo took office. It comes about a month after management said it would initially pursue M&A deals worth hundreds of billions of won.

Kakao Games said on Sept. 15 that its board approved the acquisition of 16,828,508 Me2on shares for a total of 98.01 billion won. Upon completion, Kakao Games will become Me2on's largest shareholder with a 39.56% stake. The transaction is scheduled to close on Nov. 16.

The entire 98 billion won, however, is not being paid to existing shareholders for management control. Kakao Games will acquire 7,011,390 existing shares held by Chief Executive Son Chang-wook, the current largest shareholder, and related parties for 70.11 billion won. Separately, it will participate in a third-party allotment capital increase by Me2on, acquiring 9,817,118 new shares for 27.9 billion won.

The existing shares will be acquired at 10,000 won each, about 3.2 times Me2on's Sept. 14 closing price of 3,110 won. Based on that closing price and 32,723,726 shares outstanding at the time, Me2on's market capitalization was about 101.8 billion won. Me2on shares closed Sept. 14 at 3,110 won, up 13.5% from the previous session.

By contrast, the new shares will be acquired at 2,842 won each, about 8.6% below the Sept. 14 closing price. The capital increase will raise Me2on's outstanding shares to 42,540,844 from 32,723,726. Kakao Games will hold a combined 16,828,508 existing and new shares, giving it a 39.56% stake after the capital increase. The roughly 27.9 billion won paid for the new shares will go directly to Me2on rather than existing shareholders.

The acquisition is the first implementation of the new Kakao Games management team's M&A strategy. Co-CEO Kim said during the company's second-quarter earnings announcement last month that Kakao Games was reviewing more than 10 investment and M&A opportunities in Korea and overseas. He said the company would start with deals worth hundreds of billions of won and gradually increase their scale rather than aggressively pursuing acquisitions worth trillions of won.

Me2on posted consolidated revenue of 120.9 billion won last year. According to regulatory filings, the company had assets of 264.9 billion won, liabilities of 22.7 billion won and equity of 242.2 billion won at the end of last year, with net income of 3.7 billion won. Second-quarter revenue rose 11.2% from a year earlier to 24.9 billion won, while operating profit jumped 61.6% to 4.8 billion won. First-half revenue totaled 47.9 billion won and operating profit 8.7 billion won.

Founded in 2010 and listed on Kosdaq in 2016, Me2on is a game company focused primarily on the social casino genre, with overseas markets accounting for more than 80% of its revenue.

Its major titles include "Full House Casino" and "Full Pot Hold'em." Full House Casino has built a user base primarily in Asian markets including Hong Kong and Japan. Me2on's businesses also include webtoon and web novel production and publishing, as well as drama production and entertainment management. More recently, it launched "ACE Casino," a global casino platform that supports the USDT stablecoin as a payment method.

kt cloud plans to supply more than 1 gigawatt (GW) of artificial intelligence data center (AIDC) infrastructure across more than 20 sites in the Seoul metropolitan area and other regions by 2031. The company will vary the scale and development model of its data centers depending on location.

kt cloud unveiled its AIDC development roadmap and cloud business strategy at the “KT Cloud Summit 2026” held at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas on Sept. 15.

KT announced its “AX Platform Company” strategy in July, saying it would invest 5 trillion won in AIDCs over the next five years to secure an additional 1GW of data center capacity.

The latest announcement sets out kt cloud’s execution plan, targeting completion by 2031. The company plans to provide more than 1GW of AIDC infrastructure across more than 20 locations. A simple calculation would put the average capacity at about 50 megawatts (MW) per site, although actual capacity is expected to vary depending on demand, power availability and site conditions.

The company will pursue different strategies in the Seoul metropolitan area and other regions. In the capital region, kt cloud will provide customized AIDCs based on sites where power and infrastructure have been secured. Outside the capital region, it will seek to attract global customers to areas where securing large-scale power supplies is relatively easier.

The strategy is aimed at attracting not only Korean companies but also global Big Tech companies and neocloud providers that supply large-scale AI computing resources.

kt cloud also plans to upgrade the technical specifications of its AI data centers. To address rising power consumption and heat generated by graphics processing units (GPUs) and other AI accelerators, the company will expand liquid cooling and ultra-high-density power supply technologies. It also plans to use digital twins, robots and open standards based on the Open Compute Project (OCP) to improve operational efficiency.

The company will also seek to integrate KT Group’s telecommunications infrastructure with its AIDCs. The plan is to connect geographically distributed AIDCs through KT’s ultra-low-latency backbone network, allowing multiple data centers to operate as a single infrastructure platform.

The key to kt cloud’s 1GW roadmap will be securing sufficient power, sites and demand. AI data centers consume significantly more electricity than conventional data centers, meaning the company will need to secure grid capacity, sites and regulatory approvals to bring the planned capacity into operation.

Kakao will shut down its standalone artificial intelligence (AI) service Kanana 17 months after its launch. The move marks a shift from its initial strategy of developing KakaoTalk and Kanana as services with separate roles, signaling a greater focus on AI services within KakaoTalk.

Kakao said on Sept. 15 that the Kanana AI mate app and PC service will end on Oct. 15, about 17 months after the beta service began in May last year.

Kanana is a standalone AI service that allows users to interact with AI mates named Kana and Nana. Kakao introduced various features through Kanana, including voice-based conversations, the “AI Studio” image-generation service and “Special Mate,” which supports services such as vehicle maintenance reservations.

Kakao initially planned to develop Kanana as an independent AI service separate from KakaoTalk.

Kakao Chief Executive Officer Chung Shin-a drew a distinction between KakaoTalk and Kanana during the company’s third-quarter earnings call in November 2024, dismissing concerns that the two services could cannibalize each other. Chung said the two had “different starting points,” with KakaoTalk focused on communication between users and Kanana on interactions between users and AI mates. The plan was to use Kanana to create new types of interactions between users and AI mates that would be difficult to implement within KakaoTalk. A subscription model was also discussed at the time as a potential way to monetize Kanana.

Kakao’s AI strategy, however, began shifting rapidly toward KakaoTalk last year. During the company’s second-quarter earnings call last year, Chung said Kakao would “no longer define Kanana as a name referring only to an independent app, but expand it into a brand encompassing Kakao’s entire AI business.” She also outlined a strategy to make AI part of everyday life through KakaoTalk.

Kakao has further strengthened its KakaoTalk-centered AI strategy this year. During its second-quarter earnings call last month, the company set a target of increasing monthly active users (MAUs) of AI services within KakaoTalk to more than 10 million by the end of this year. The plan is to integrate services including Kanana in KakaoTalk and “ChatGPT for Kakao” naturally into the KakaoTalk user experience.

Kakao has recently positioned “agentic AI,” which identifies user intent within KakaoTalk, recommends products and services, and handles orders, reservations and payments, as a new growth driver. The company plans to connect commerce, reservation, travel and payment service providers with AI agents, increasing AI usage within KakaoTalk and linking it to its existing businesses.

Kakao said all user data will be deleted upon termination of the service in accordance with applicable laws and its privacy policy.

Com2uS Holdings has launched “ARES: The Iron Vanguard,” a stylish action role-playing game (RPG) developed by Second Dive, in global markets.

The company is targeting major markets including North America, Europe and Southeast Asia. To improve accessibility, the game supports cross-play across PC and mobile platforms, including Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

The global version moves away from the traditional massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) structure and has been revamped as a single-player-focused action RPG tailored to global players. The early stages center on single-player content, allowing players to experience the story and combat on their own. As they progress, the game expands into cooperative content including raids and seasonal endgame content. Competitive content is offered separately as an optional mode based on player preference.

The game also retains the original title’s science-fiction setting and action-oriented gameplay. Players can use “Suit Change” to configure two suits and switch between them in real time depending on the situation, along with dodging and combo attacks. Combat also includes battles aboard the giant Goliath mech and aerial combat using Valkyries.

Com2uS Holdings conducted a soft launch in six countries — Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, Canada, Australia and New Zealand — starting in August. Feedback collected from global players during the period was incorporated into content improvements and operational optimization for the global service.

NEOWIZ said on Sept. 15 that its relaxing idle mobile game “Cats & Soup” has opened a collaboration pop-up store with Youngpoong Bookstore.

The pop-up, titled “Cats & Soup Met Between the Bookshelves,” will run through Oct. 11 in the Gallery Archive Zone at Youngpoong Bookstore’s Yeouido IFC Mall branch. The space combines the relaxing atmosphere of “Cats & Soup” with the bookstore’s focus on culture and leisure.

Visitors can experience a range of activities designed to bring the game’s relaxing atmosphere offline. The space includes a photo zone where visitors can take pictures with Kiki cooking soup, a relaxation zone where they can sit on beanbags, read books and listen to the game’s relaxing background music, and a photo booth featuring exclusive pop-up frames. A merchandise zone also displays and sells a variety of “Cats & Soup” goods making their debut at the pop-up.

The pop-up also offers benefits for visitors. Customers who spend at least 10,000 won on any products at Youngpoong Bookstore, including regular books, will receive a bookmark containing a coupon for an in-game “Cats & Soup” item, while those who spend at least 30,000 won will also receive a ticket for the dedicated photo booth. Special benefits are also available for existing “Cats & Soup” fans. Customers who verify on-site that they own at least 40 cats in the game will receive a “Collection Badge for Veteran Butlers.”

Joycity said Monday it has signed an official licensing partnership with the Major League Soccer Players Association (MLSPA) and OneTeam Partners for its upcoming game Freestyle Football 2.

Under the agreement, Joycity secured the rights to use player intellectual property, including the names, jersey numbers and likenesses of players represented by the MLSPA in Freestyle Football 2. MLS players will be created as playable characters in the game.

The collaboration is distinguished by Joycity's redesign of real players based on their actual data while adapting their appearance to the distinctive graphic style of Freestyle Football 2. Each player will feature a unique appearance tailored to the game's fast-paced play and dedicated skills reflecting the player's individual characteristics.

“We will turn selected MLS players into original characters tailored to the identity of the game, providing a new playing experience for both soccer fans and gamers,” said Park Jun-seung, head of Joycity's Strategic Business Division.

The partnership was facilitated by OneTeam Partners, the MLSPA's group player licensing partner. OneTeam Partners specializes in licensing the intellectual property, including the likenesses, of professional sports athletes and supports collaborations between players and game developers.

Kingnet, a Chinese game company that has been embroiled in a roughly decade-long legal dispute with Wemade over the intellectual property (IP) of "The Legend of Mir 2," will participate as a key investor in a consortium acquiring a controlling stake in Wemade. The company plans to invest about 400 billion won to establish a capital relationship with Wemade, effectively gaining a major shareholder position.

​Wemade and Neopulse said in a joint statement on Sept. 14 that an investor consortium including game investment platform Neopulse and Kingnet signed a stock purchase agreement (SPA) with Wemade Chairman Park Kwan-ho on June 30. Wemade had not previously disclosed specific details about the acquiring company. The parties said they aim to complete the transaction, including payment of the remaining balance and regulatory approvals, on Oct. 30.

​Once the transaction is completed, Neopulse will acquire Park’s 39.33% stake in Wemade for 920 billion won. Including its existing 0.92% stake, the consortium’s ownership will rise to 40.25%, making it Wemade’s largest shareholder.

​The key investor newly identified on Sept. 14 is Kingnet. In a Chinese securities filing on Sept. 12, Kingnet disclosed that its wholly owned Hong Kong subsidiary, Cypress Technology HK Limited, will acquire a 49% stake in Neosphere, the parent company of Neopulse.

​Kingnet estimates its total investment at about 2.03 billion yuan. In addition to Kingnet’s investment, Neosphere’s existing shareholders will contribute capital in a capital increase. The funds will be used for Neopulse’s acquisition of the stake in Wemade.

​After the transaction, Kingnet will hold 49% of Neosphere, while existing shareholder Nexpulse will own 51%. Neosphere will control Neopulse, which will hold a 40.25% stake in Wemade. Kingnet also classified Wemade in its Chinese filing as an overseas listed company targeted for indirect equity investment, rather than a company targeted for management control.

​The investment is driven by Wemade’s “Mir” IP.

​According to Kingnet’s filing, the parties plan to pursue an exclusive licensing agreement for the Mir IP after the transaction involving Wemade’s shares is completed. Neosphere’s existing shareholder Nexpulse agreed to make efforts to have Wemade enter into an exclusive Mir IP licensing agreement with Neosphere once the delivery of Wemade’s 39.33% stake is completed. The proposed licensing fee would not exceed the consideration Wemade or its affiliates receive under existing Mir IP agreements with partners. The exclusive licensing agreement has not yet been signed.

​Kingnet directly cited the Mir IP business as an investment objective. The company said it plans to strengthen cooperation on licensing and revenue sharing for the Mir IP and the development of derivative products, while expanding rights and business opportunities needed to develop, publish and operate Mir-related mobile, web and HTML5 games in China. It also plans to expand cooperation with Wemade on joint development of new titles and operations in the Chinese market.

​Wemade and Kingnet had been engaged in legal disputes for about a decade. The dispute began after Kingnet subsidiary Zhejiang Huanyou failed to pay royalties for "Namwoljeonki," a game based on The Legend of Mir 2 IP that it had operated in China since 2016. International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration and litigation followed, and Wemade received a settlement payment of 43 billion won from Kingnet in April this year, bringing the dispute to an end.

​The two companies, which had faced each other in court for roughly a decade, have effectively been tied together through capital just five months later. With Kingnet joining the consortium as a major investor in Wemade’s largest-shareholder group, the companies’ relationship over the Mir IP is shifting toward long-term business cooperation.

​Wemade said, “Once the transaction is completed, the investor consortium plans, as Wemade’s largest shareholder, to focus on expanding various opportunities in global and Chinese markets, including publishing and core IP licensing businesses.” It added, “The core businesses currently being pursued and organizational operations will continue according to existing plans without disruption.”

​Kingnet has operated Mir-related IP businesses in the Chinese game market for many years. By directly investing in the consortium that will become the largest shareholder of Wemade, the original rights holder of the Mir IP, Kingnet will be able to secure a more stable business base than before for game development, publishing and IP licensing in China.

​The industry, however, takes a negative view of Wemade’s blockchain business, WEMIX. Under regulations jointly announced by 10 Chinese institutions, including the People’s Bank of China, in 2021, activities involving digital assets were classified as “illegal financial activities.” Exchanges between fiat currency and digital assets, transaction brokerage and the provision of price information were all prohibited. Overseas digital-asset exchanges providing services to users in mainland China via the internet were also interpreted as engaging in illegal financial activities.

​An industry source familiar with the matter said, “China does not permit Chinese companies to operate overseas digital-asset businesses either. The prevailing view is that the WEMIX business will be separated from Wemade in some form.”

STRADVISION is expanding its artificial intelligence (AI)-based vision perception technology, proven in mass-produced vehicles, into robotics and autonomous devices.

STRADVISION said Sept. 8 that it will join semiconductor design company Arm’s “Total Design for Physical AI” ecosystem. The announcement was made at the Arm Everywhere event in Shanghai, China.

STRADVISION plans to contribute vision perception technology accumulated over more than a decade in automotive mass-production environments to Arm’s physical AI ecosystem. Physical AI refers to AI technologies that perceive and interpret their surroundings and act in real-world environments, such as robots and autonomous vehicles.

STRADVISION has applied technologies including object detection and classification, depth estimation and semantic segmentation to front-facing cameras, surround-view systems and multi-camera systems. The company plans to extend its experience implementing AI vision technology in production vehicles under constraints on computing performance, power consumption, heat and cost to robots and other autonomous devices.

STRADVISION will also participate in developing Arm’s Robotics Capability Framework. The framework is designed to establish common standards defining what robots should perceive in different environments and the level at which they should independently make decisions and take actions.

Arm sees the cost and time required for system integration as key factors determining the pace of commercialization because robotic systems must combine technologies including semiconductors, AI models, middleware, development tools and applications. The common framework is intended to make it easier for companies using different semiconductors and software to design, compare and integrate robotic systems.

“The next challenge for physical AI is integrating increasingly advanced technologies into complete systems that can be deployed in real-world environments,” said Dermot O’Driscoll, vice president of Physical AI Business Development at Arm. “STRADVISION will bring proven expertise in perception technology.”

“For more than a decade, we have deployed perception technology in production vehicles across major automotive computing platforms,” said Philip Vidal, chief business officer (CBO) at STRADVISION. “We will support Arm’s efforts to create a common language for robotics.”

KT has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and physical artificial intelligence (AI) specialist DAIM Research to develop, demonstrate and commercialize physical AI technologies. The agreement follows discussions among the three organizations on continued business cooperation during the second phase of the Physical AI Alliance led by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

KT, KAIST and DAIM Research will cooperate on commercializing a dark factory platform for unmanned manufacturing, identifying physical AI business opportunities and expanding K-Physical AI into global markets.

Commercialization of the dark factory platform will center on the Ministry of Science and ICT's 2026 project to establish a research and development ecosystem for collaborative-intelligence physical AI-based software platforms. The project aims to develop and demonstrate AI-based unmanned and automated platforms that enable manufacturing sites to operate autonomously. The three organizations will participate in the project for five years.

The three organizations will focus on developing technologies to automate manufacturing processes based on logistics and manufacturing robot control platforms and robotics technologies held by KAIST and DAIM Research. They will also build a testbed similar to actual industrial environments to validate the technologies and expand their application to various manufacturing sectors based on the results.

KT will provide an operating platform that can integrate and manage various robots and AI systems based on its data platform. It also plans to support real-time decision-making and robot control using edge AI, which processes data close to robots to minimize latency, as well as high-speed, ultra-low-latency network infrastructure.

"The true competitiveness of physical AI does not end with developing good technology, but lies in making robots and AI work in actual manufacturing environments and validating their performance," said Choi Sung-yool, Senior Vice President for Research at KAIST.

Samsung SDS will deploy about 200 artificial intelligence (AI) specialists to corporate workplaces as part of efforts to strengthen its artificial intelligence transformation (AX) business. The company plans to expand its scope from analyzing and redesigning business processes to building and operating AI agents. It will also pursue an AI security business in cooperation with OpenAI.

Samsung SDS unveiled its "Multi-Dimensional AI Full Stack" strategy at REAL Summit 2026 in Seoul on Sept. 8.

"AI changes the way people work, but AX changes the business," Samsung SDS President and CEO Lee Junehee said. "AX is not simply about introducing AI to save time and costs, but about redesigning the business itself and the way work is done from the ground up."

One of the company's initiatives is the Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), an on-site AI specialist. FDEs work directly at corporate workplaces to analyze real-world problems and design and implement AI-based solutions. The FDE model was created by Palantir for its enterprise software business 22 years ago.

Samsung SDS plans to expand its team of AX-focused FDEs to about 200 by the end of this year through cooperation with OpenAI and Anthropic. They will work on-site, handling everything from analyzing customer workflows to developing AI agents and deploying and operating systems. Unlike the conventional approach of installing pre-built systems, the model continuously modifies and applies AI based on a company's operational data. Samsung SDS introduced FDEs in July as a new model for enterprise AI adoption.

Samsung SDS also announced a "Client Zero" policy to transform its own operations with AI first. The company will apply AX to seven major internal functions — development, procurement, quality, corporate support, project execution, marketing and sales — and offer externally the methods it validates internally. In effect, Samsung SDS intends to go through the trial-and-error process before its customers do.

The company also announced plans to enter the AI security business. Samsung SDS will participate as a pilot partner in OpenAI's Daybreak Partner Program to develop cybersecurity services using AI models. AI will automatically identify and validate corporate security vulnerabilities and provide patching solutions. As with FDEs, security specialists will be deployed to customer sites to implement the services.

Samsung SDS also plans to launch a "robot orchestration platform" in 2027 to integrate and manage multiple types of robots. The initial target will be about 430 existing manufacturing automation customers. The platform is intended to expand the company's physical AI business combining robotics and AI and target the autonomous manufacturing market.

Taken together, Samsung SDS's AX strategy significantly broadens its business scope, from supplying AI infrastructure and applying AI to enterprise operations to AI security and robot operations at manufacturing sites.

Securities analysts are also watching whether Samsung SDS's AX expansion will translate into higher managed service provider (MSP) and AI revenue. Hyundai Motor Securities analyst Choi Seung-ho said in a Sept. 2 report that one of the key factors to watch is whether accelerating AX adoption leads to faster MSP revenue growth, setting a target price of 300,000 won. Choi forecast Samsung SDS's 2026 revenue at 14.3457 trillion won and operating profit at 810.3 billion won.

LS Securities analyst Sun Yujin on Aug. 19 described Samsung SDS as a pioneer in South Korea's IT services industry at the forefront of AX. Sun cited growth in AI revenue from Samsung Group's AI transformation and the expansion of intelligent work management platforms for the government as key growth drivers for the second half and beyond, raising the target price to 307,000 won.

Samsung SDS's second-quarter IT services revenue rose 5% from a year earlier to 1.7625 trillion won. Cloud revenue increased 17% to 779.4 billion won. Revenue from the MSP business, which includes AX projects, was 346.7 billion won, up 17% from a year earlier, driven by AX projects in the financial sector and increased enterprise resource planning (ERP) projects in the shipbuilding industry, the company said.

Inswave is stepping up its push into the Japanese market with artificial intelligence (AI)-based development technologies.

Inswave said Sept. 8 that 32 representatives from major Japanese information technology (IT) companies visited its headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on Sept. 4 to review the company’s AI and digital transformation (DX) strategy and key products and discuss potential business cooperation. The delegation included executives and engineers from Japanese IT companies in the energy, public and manufacturing sectors.

Inswave demonstrated its flagship solution, WebSquare AI. The platform uses generative AI to support the entire web application development process, from publishing and coding to testing and operations management. It is an AI agent-based user interface and user experience (UI/UX) development platform.

The company highlighted spec-driven development (SDD), which generates and validates outputs based on development specifications, as a core part of its AI development strategy. The approach is aimed at building an enterprise development environment that goes beyond code generation to manage development quality and reliability.

Inswave has supplied web standards technologies to about 900 customers across more than 4,000 projects in South Korea. The company said this experience allows it to apply AI-based development technologies in areas such as finance and the public sector, where stability and security are critical.

Inswave plans to hold follow-up discussions with local IT companies and potential customers through its Japanese subsidiary, Inswave Japan.

“We will use Inswave Japan as a foothold to expand engagement with local partners and create tangible business cooperation opportunities in the Japanese market,” said Eo Se-ryong, chief executive officer of Inswave.

Kakao Games will launch “Dokkaebi’s World,” a new massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Supercat, on Oct. 8.

Kakao Games said Sept. 9 that it held an online showcase on Sept. 8, unveiling the game’s key content, service policies and launch schedule.

Dokkaebi’s World is a 2.5D MMORPG based on the intellectual property (IP) of Naver web novel and webtoon “Myeolgwi Sudojeon.” It combines 2D pixel-art characters with 3D backgrounds and features a world inspired by traditional Korean themes. Webtoon production company Redice Studio also participated in developing the IP.

The game’s main combat system, “Dosul,” consists of 12 styles. Each Dosul is linked to a unique mechanic called “Sinsik Gaebang,” allowing players to use different approaches depending on the combat situation.

The progression system emphasizes cooperation rather than competition among players, while incorporating optional player-versus-player (PvP) combat. Kakao Games also unveiled operational features including data management using an AI system called “Myorong” and “Dokkaebi General Assembly,” a program designed for regular communication with players.

Ahead of the official launch, Kakao Games will hold a live demonstration on Sept. 18. The developers will showcase actual gameplay and explain key content and systems in real time.

LG CNS is applying artificial intelligence (AI) agents to the Chaum health screening center. The company will build a system that analyzes customers' past screening records, recommends tests, drafts screening reports and supports follow-up care.

LG CNS said Sept. 9 that it recently held a kickoff meeting with Chaum and CHA Healthcare at the Chaum health screening center in Seoul's Gangnam district and began a proof of concept (PoC) for AI agents.

LG CNS will develop AI agents specialized for health screening operations, while Chaum will evaluate their efficiency and potential use in actual screening workflows.

Chaum currently creates personalized screening programs based on customers' past screening records, consultation history and physicians' recommendations. Nurses manually retrieve relevant information from multiple systems, including customer relationship management (CRM) and electronic medical records (EMR), while also preparing consultation records, managing follow-up care and scheduling.

LG CNS plans to have AI agents integrate and analyze screening records, test results, consultation records and follow-up schedules distributed across CRM and EMR systems. Based on previous screening results and medical staff recommendations, the AI will suggest necessary tests and explain the reasons for them. It will also help prepare materials explaining to customers why the tests are needed.

After screening, the AI will combine test results and medical assessments to draft screening reports. LG CNS also plans to use AI to prepare pre-screening precaution checklists, manage retesting and follow-up schedules at three-, six- and nine-month intervals, connect customers with abnormal findings to outpatient care and provide information on follow-up programs.

The companies are also considering introducing AI-powered interpretation and translation for foreign customers. Foreigners account for about 30% of customers at the Chaum health screening center, and AI could be used to provide screening results and assist during consultations.

LG CNS plans to use the PoC to establish an AI agent model specialized for health screening consultations and then expand its deployment to major CHA Medical Center health screening centers. LG CNS made a strategic investment in CHA Bio Group in January.

Naver has proposed expanding cooperation with French companies and institutions across artificial intelligence (AI) and other businesses.

Naver said Sept. 9 that CEO Choi Soo-yeon and Naver Cloud CEO Kim Yu-won met with French companies during South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's visit to France to discuss cooperation in AI infrastructure and content.

At a South Korea-France business roundtable held Sept. 8, Choi highlighted potential cooperation in three areas: global AI infrastructure, industry-specific AI with data sovereignty and security, and cultural content.

Choi noted that Naver recently announced plans with Nvidia and Brookfield to build more than 1 gigawatt of global AI factories. "We want to combine France's stable energy base with Naver's experience in the AI ecosystem to jointly build AI factories that can be used by European companies and startups," she said.

Choi also proposed supporting French companies in building industry-specific AI, citing Naver's financial AI "BOKI," developed with the Bank of Korea, and "Hy-NuRI," an AI system specialized for nuclear power plants and isolated from external networks, developed with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power.

She also highlighted Naver Webtoon's business in France, where it has secured 2 million readers. "Based on our global webtoon platform and technological capabilities such as Toon Radar, our AI-powered copyright protection technology, we want to cooperate so that works created jointly by creators from both countries can reach readers around the world," Choi said.

Naver also signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MOU) with France's National Audiovisual Institute (INA) to combine AI technology with audiovisual cultural heritage archives. The two sides plan to explore ways to apply Naver's AI technology to INA's extensive audiovisual archives to efficiently analyze and organize content and make it easier for users to find and use the materials they need.

A South Korean court granted a divorce petition filed by the spouse of Smilegate founder and Chief Visionary Officer (CVO) Kwon Hyuk-bin. The court recognized the spouse’s contribution to the couple’s assets at 35%, resulting in a property division worth 2.55 trillion won, the largest in a South Korean divorce case.

The Seoul Family Court’s Family Division 3 on Sept. 9 granted the divorce of Kwon and his wife, identified by her surname Lee, and divided their assets 65% to Kwon and 35% to Lee.

Considering that most of Kwon’s assets are unlisted shares, the court ordered 35% of the shares to be transferred in kind and an additional 65 billion won to be paid in cash to cover the shortfall. The court assessed Kwon’s assets at about 7.34 trillion won, including about 7.10 trillion won worth of Smilegate shares. Lee was also designated as the legal custodian and caregiver of their child. Kwon must pay 20 million won in monthly child support at the end of each month until the minor child reaches adulthood.

A key issue in the lawsuit was how much of Kwon’s Smilegate holdings should be subject to property division. Kwon owns 100% of Smilegate. Because shares in the privately held company account for most of his assets, the size of the settlement depended heavily on how the court valued the stake.

Lee had initially sought half of Kwon’s Smilegate stake. She married Kwon in 2001, a year before Smilegate was founded. Lee argued that she held shares and participated in management during the company’s early years and later contributed to the accumulation of assets through household responsibilities and raising their children. Kwon maintained that Lee was not a co-founder and that her contribution to the company’s growth was relatively limited.

By the size of the property division, the ruling is the largest in a divorce involving a South Korean business executive. In an earlier retrial following a Supreme Court remand in the divorce case between SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Art Center Nabi Director Roh Soh-yeong, the assets were divided one-third to Roh and two-thirds to Chey, with Chey ordered to pay 944 billion won.

Kwon’s lawyer said the legal team would review the ruling and decide on further proceedings in consultation with Kwon.

Intelligent power management company Eaton unveiled its next-generation data center power infrastructure strategy and key technologies at Eaton Data Center Tech Day 2026, held at the Atlas Hall of The Westin Seoul Parnas on Sept. 10.

Eaton's vice president of engineering for its Electrical Sector in Asia Pacific introduced a "power-to-chip" ecosystem and infrastructure design strategy for next-generation data centers. The company presented solutions including its 9395XR uninterruptible power supply (UPS), distributed power quality (DPQ) portfolio, AI data center cooling systems, prefabricated white space, grid interconnection and power distribution solutions, and electrical power monitoring systems (EPMS) to support the design, construction and operation of AI data centers.

A key Eaton solution is its medium-voltage solid-state transformer (MVSST). Based on advanced power electronics technology, the MVSST simplifies the conversion of high-voltage alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC), supporting 800VDC AI data center architectures. It is designed to reduce energy conversion losses and system complexity while improving reliability.

The MVSST provides system efficiency of up to 98.5% and power density of up to 277.7 kilowatts per square meter. Integrating medium- and low-voltage cabinets with converters can reduce installation space by as much as 50%, while simplified system configurations and prefabrication can cut overall project lead times by as much as 50%.

The MVSST also uses bidirectional power conversion to serve as an intelligent energy router, flexibly connecting the power grid with renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, energy storage systems (ESS) and DC microgrids. This enables energy flows between power sources and loads to be managed efficiently according to demand while supporting stable operation in high-power, high-density environments.

LG Uplus is entering the prefabricated artificial intelligence (AI) data center business and has begun developing standard models. The strategy is aimed at shortening AI data center construction times to capture rapidly growing demand for AI infrastructure.

LG Uplus signed a memorandum of understanding with GS E&C, Xi C&A, Gansam Architects & Partners and D&O CM on Sept. 4 at its Pyeongchon Mega Center in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, to establish a prefabricated modular data center (PMDC) alliance.

PMDC involves designing data center structures, power systems and cooling equipment to standardized specifications, manufacturing them in factories and transporting them to construction sites for assembly. Conventionally, power and cooling equipment and servers are installed sequentially after the building is constructed. PMDC allows site construction and production of major equipment to proceed simultaneously.

The biggest benefit is shorter construction time. Building a data center involves more than constructing the facility itself. Power equipment including substations and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), cooling systems and piping must be installed and tested to ensure they operate properly together. PMDC moves much of this work to factories, where systems can be assembled and tested in advance, reducing on-site work largely to connecting modules.

Schneider Electric has said modular data centers can reduce deployment times by as much as 60%. Vertiv has said that carrying out factory fabrication and on-site construction simultaneously can save more than 40% of the time required for conventional data centers. LG Uplus, however, has not disclosed how much construction time its 100 MW model is expected to save.

Shorter construction periods can also allow data center operators to recover their investments sooner. If it takes three to four years to complete a data center after securing a customer contract, no revenue is generated during that period. Bringing operations forward by several months means rental and operating revenue can also begin that much sooner.

Another advantage is greater flexibility in adjusting investment to demand. Rather than building the entire capacity at once, operators can install only the modules initially required and add more as demand grows. With rapid generational changes in AI graphics processing units (GPUs) and related equipment, the approach can reduce the risk of excessive upfront investment. Factory integration and testing of power and cooling equipment can also reduce on-site rework and interoperability problems.

LG Uplus said in June that it would adopt the PMDC construction method at its Paju AI data center project. The latest agreement advances that plan to the development of actual standard models. The five companies have been reviewing since April both a new-build PMDC model for 100 MW hyperscale data centers and a retrofit model for converting existing buildings into AI data centers.

Under the agreement, the five companies will have clearly defined roles. LG Uplus will establish data center operating standards, technical requirements and business direction, and validate the models. GS E&C will handle construction and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) for new-build models. Xi C&A will be responsible for converting existing buildings and optimizing power and cooling systems, Gansam Architects & Partners will handle standardized design, and D&O CM will oversee project management.

SK Telecom and KT are also pursuing modular AI data centers. SK Telecom signed a three-way memorandum of understanding with Supermicro and Schneider Electric at MWC26 in Barcelona in March to develop an integrated solution that prefabricates power, cooling and IT infrastructure in modules for assembly on site.

KT Cloud said in its AI strategy unveiled in July that modular data centers, which use standardized modules for power, cooling and server environments that are assembled on site, can shorten construction times and simplify capacity expansion. KT Group plans to invest 6 trillion won in AI infrastructure over the next five years and build 1 gigawatt (GW) of AI data center capacity.

Kakao Games posted its seventh consecutive quarterly operating loss as revenue from existing titles declined and the company faced a gap in new game launches. The company is seeking a turnaround under its new co-CEO leadership structure and plans to launch its new title World of Dokkaebi in October.

Kakao Games said on Aug. 5 that it recorded consolidated revenue of 75 billion won and an operating loss of 23 billion won in the second quarter of 2026.

Revenue declined about 35% from a year earlier and approximately 10% from the previous quarter. The operating loss widened from the same period last year but narrowed by about 10% compared with the previous quarter.

By business segment, revenue from PC online games totaled about 22.3 billion won, up 51% from a year earlier. Compared with the previous quarter, however, it declined about 20%.

Mobile game revenue came to about 52.7 billion won, down 48% year over year and 4% from the previous quarter. The company said declining revenue from live-service games and the absence of major new game launches weighed on overall performance.

Kakao Games said it is reorganizing its game business under co-CEOs Kim Tae-hwan and Lee Si-woo. The company plans to review ongoing development projects and focus resources on launching key intellectual property (IP) titles that can drive earnings recovery.

Its first major release will be the mobile massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Dokkaebi. Kakao Games plans to begin pre-registration in August and is in the final stages of development ahead of an official launch in October.

Additional titles are scheduled to follow. Strategy-adventure role-playing game Dungeon Arise is slated for release later this year, while open-world zombie survival simulator God Save Birmingham and MMORPG Odin Q: Valkyrie's Call are expected to launch in early 2027.

The company is also expanding its game portfolio. Kakao Games has secured global publishing rights for PC MMORPG ArcheAge S: Strait of Freedom and pixel-art collectible action RPG Guardian Maiden. It also plans to collaborate with The Grimm Entertainment to develop and publish games based on popular comic and webtoon intellectual property.

Kakao Games said it will continue shareholder-return initiatives alongside its business restructuring efforts. Measures include the cancellation of 500,000 treasury shares, the introduction of a restricted stock unit (RSU) program for employees, the transfer of capital reserves to retained earnings, and purchases of company shares by senior management.

SK Telecom reported a sharp increase in second-quarter operating profit, driven by the absence of costs related to last year's USIM replacement program and continued cost-efficiency efforts. Revenue from its artificial intelligence (AI) data center business nearly doubled from a year earlier.

The company said on Aug. 5 that it posted consolidated revenue of 4.3591 trillion won and operating profit of 566 billion won for the second quarter of 2026. Revenue rose 0.5% from a year earlier, while operating profit increased 67.3%.

Net profit totaled 466 billion won, and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 17% to 1.4423 trillion won. Capital expenditures (CAPEX) for the quarter were 487 billion won, down 23.3% from a year earlier.

On a standalone basis, SK Telecom recorded revenue of 3.117 trillion won, down 0.6% year over year. Operating profit climbed 70.5% to 427.7 billion won. Revenue at SK Broadband increased 3.6% to 1.1603 trillion won, supported by growth in its data center business, while operating profit rose 44.3% to 132.5 billion won.

Growth in the AI data center business stood out. Revenue from AI data centers reached 136.2 billion won in the second quarter, up 92.5% from 70.7 billion won a year earlier. Compared with 131.4 billion won in the previous quarter, revenue increased 3.6%.

The company said expanded data center operations and submarine cable business revenue drove the growth. AI business-to-business and business-to-consumer (B2B and B2C) revenue rose 24.5% year over year to 61.3 billion won and increased 36.2% from the previous quarter, aided by a growing backlog of AI cloud contracts.

SK Telecom established SK Hyper, a wholly owned subsidiary dedicated to AI data center business development, in July. The unit is responsible for securing data center sites and power resources, building and operating substations, constructing transmission and distribution infrastructure, and attracting customers.

The company's data center roadmap was also reaffirmed. SK Telecom plans to expand its current 137-megawatt data center footprint and begin opening AI data centers with a combined capacity of 5 gigawatts in phases starting in 2029. The company intends to expand capacity further to 15 gigawatts over time based on customer demand.

The company is also expanding its submarine cable business. SK Telecom launched the 10,500-kilometer SJC2 submarine cable system connecting Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore in July 2025. The 12,500-kilometer E2A submarine cable system linking the United States, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan is targeted to enter service in 2029.

SK Telecom also declared a second-quarter dividend of 830 won per share, unchanged from the first quarter. The company will therefore pay a cash dividend of 830 won per share for a second consecutive quarter.