NCSOFT Corp. is pushing into the first-person shooter market through an equity investment in Texas-based emptyvessel, as the Korean gaming giant seeks to reduce its dependence on Asian MMORPGs.
The deal, made through NCSOFT’s North American subsidiary, aims to secure publishing rights for “DEFECT” – a cyberpunk squad-based tactical shooter in development at the Austin studio that pits police and gang factions against each other in PvP and co-op matches.
Financial terms weren’t disclosed, though the investment appears strategic rather than merely financial. The company’s Lineage franchise has dominated NCSOFT’s revenue stream for years, primarily in Asian markets.
emptyvessel, founded in 2023, brings significant pedigree to the partnership with developers previously working on major franchises including Doom, Call of Duty, and The Last of Us. Their DEFECT trailer garnered 1.9 million views since its August 2024 release .
The investment follows NCSOFT’s recent stakes in Swedish, Polish and Korean game studios, including a $3.5 million seed investment in Moon Rover Games. These moves signal a determined pivot toward Western markets where first-person shooters dominate rather than the MMORPGs that built NCSOFT’s business.
NCSOFT executives describe this as part of a “genre-specific cluster pipeline” strategy, but the company faces steep competition from established Western publishers with decades of shooter market experience.
