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NCSOFT cut workforce 35% and R&D spending 23% over one year via voluntary retirements and spinoffs
Dec 31, 2025Between 2024 and the end of 2025, NCSOFT reduced headcount from about 4,886 to 3,170 employees, a 35.1% drop, through large-scale voluntary-retirement programs and by spinning off development organizations (including QA and IT infrastructure units) into separate entities. Over the same period the company's R&D budget fell 22.9%, from 421.8 billion won to 325.1 billion won. The restructuring, led by co-CEO Park Byung-moo (a self-described 'restructuring specialist' who took the role in March 2024), occurred as the company simultaneously improved profitability metrics, and NCSOFT's union held its first-ever rally over the spinoffs, demanding job-security guarantees for employees moved to the new entities.