Ali Elmalky July 17th, 2020 - 12:50 AM
Sad news today as Japan-based game company Nexon shut down their game studio in Orange County, California. Nexon is known for being behind many classic PC MMORPGs, such as MapleStory, Dungeon Fighter Online, and Elsword. The Irvine-based branch employed 60 people, and was supposedly working on a PC-based Unreal Engine 4 MMO.
“We deeply appreciate the commitment and output of the OC team, however projects in development there no longer fit with our focus on core creative competencies,” said a Nexon spokesperson in a statement to VentureBeat. “All permanent employees impacted by this decision will receive severance and outplacement assistance.”
Nexon CEO Owen Mahoney recently spoke to VentureBeat on how the games world is changing, due to the pandemic. Nexon as a whole still employs more than 5,000 people, but even with the recently increased demand for digital entertainment the company has evidently suffered. The closure wasn’t a total loss though, and created a rather wholesome situation: game studios took to Twitter to invite recently laid off employees.
We were sorry to hear about Nexon OC’s closure today. For those of you affected, we’re hiring, and even if you don’t see something posted we want to hear from you: https://t.co/ovFm9hVXtZ #gamedevjobs #Nexon pic.twitter.com/IXwWRANoqW
— inXile entertainment (@inXile_ent) July 16, 2020
Anyone who is affected – I’ll open my DM’s – we are a local game studio in OC. We have some jobs posted at https://t.co/Q6K9Fsj1G2, but have more opening over the next few months.
— Ben Brode (@bbrode) July 16, 2020
Sad news here in Irvine. To everyone affected over at Nexon OC, please review our openings and apply or connect with our recruiters. Hang in there.💙#gamedevjobs #Nexon #gamedev #NexonOChttps://t.co/fltkGn4YsX
— Life at Blizzard (@LifeatBlizzard) July 16, 2020
While the studio’s shuttering is a sad occasion, the positive response from these many different companies in support of those who lost their jobs is a beacon of hope. If we can all support each other during these trying times, we can pull through.
