Behind NCSOFT’s Mobile Casual Strategy: The Impact of Responsible for 30% of 5 Trillion Won

NCSOFT’s Mobile Casual Division is set to start publishing games from third-party developers this year. Previously focused on acquiring and nurturing studios, the division will now also take on flagship titles from non-subsidiary developers and bring them onto its own platform. Anel Ceman, Senior Vice President and Head of the Mobile Casual Division, hinted that more details on this development could be revealed within the next month or two.

At Gamescom 2026 in Cologne, Germany, on August 26, Ceman discussed the current business status and future plans for the Mobile Casual Division through 2030. With a background in the European mobile casual industry, he took on the role of leading NCSOFT’s Mobile Casual Division in August of the previous year.

Ceman acknowledged the overall market’s stagnation but pointed out diverging trends by genre. While downloads are declining, in-app purchases are on the rise, with the puzzle genre seeing growth of over 20%. He did not disclose the specific timeline or data source for this growth rate. More companies are also shifting towards hybrid casual games, which combine ad revenue with in-app purchases.

He identified these two genres as NCSOFT’s primary focus, citing Dream Games’ impact on the match-3 genre in 2021 as an example of markets evolving despite appearing stagnant.

Not a Holding Company, but a Platform: OptiFlow Connecting Four Studios

In under two years, NCSOFT acquired four mobile casual studios in four different countries: JustPlay in Germany, Lihuhu in Vietnam, SpringComes in South Korea, and Moving Eye in Slovenia, with a total investment exceeding $300 million. Ceman positioned NCSOFT as the third-largest strategic acquirer in the global gaming industry based on these acquisitions.

The connecting thread among these studios is “OptiFlow,” a proprietary platform currently under development. Ceman described this structure as a platform rather than a holding company, envisioning it as a link between the four studios and the new publishing business. OptiFlow will handle marketing, user acquisition, data and AI, and live operations.

Ceman outlined the ecosystem in three layers. The content layer at the top houses games created by the studios and published titles. In-house developments, publishing titles, and acquired games all fall under this category. The second layer is the data intelligence layer, which deals with predictive LTV (lifetime value), return on ad spend (ROAS), experimentation, and churn prediction. These results feed into OptiFlow, which runs user acquisition, distribution, and live operations for the entire portfolio as a unified system.

Development on this structure began about a year ago. Ceman highlighted its ability to enhance system efficiency as more games and data are integrated, allowing successful strategies from one studio to be applied across the entire portfolio.

The organization also underwent restructuring, with the mobile casual division being elevated from a center to a division that reports directly to the CEO. Ceman emphasized that this change was not just a name alteration but a substantial restructuring that increased both authority and responsibility within the division.

“JustPlay’s Growth Factors Are LiveOps and iOS”

When addressing the 70% year-over-year increase in JustPlay’s monthly active users (MAU), Ceman attributed it to two key factors. Firstly, he pointed to lifetime value, with features like LiveOps, gamification, and challenges boosting user engagement. Secondly, he discussed distribution, noting that after changes in Apple App Store policies, iOS saw significant growth following a period of lagging behind Android. He suggested that since iOS is still catching up in terms of features, there is ample room for further expansion.

In response to queries about the sustainability of the rewarded model, Ceman highlighted the industry’s growth. While just two years ago, the portion of user acquisition budgets allocated to reward networks was minimal, some companies now allocate up to 30%. The presence of major players continuing to invest in this area indicates potential for further growth. Efforts are underway to extend JustPlay’s model to other studios within the group, with plans to open it up to external studios around next year.

AI applications are split between distribution and monetization. In distribution, the focus is on ad creative production. Scaling up necessitates the continuous generation of thousands of new video and playable ads, with AI integration speeding up production. Ceman explained that predicting performance and allocating budgets for numerous simultaneous campaigns across the portfolio is a task that cannot be efficiently managed manually. In monetization, LiveOps plays a central role, utilizing machine learning models to determine which offers and features to present to users and when.

Regarding game creation, Ceman noted a different approach. While AI can create simple games, it will take time before it can develop globally successful games, which is why they are taking a phased approach. The initial phase involves playable ad production, with AI also being used to generate assets such as UI elements, characters, and puzzle components.

Ceman also mentioned that decision-making processes have accelerated since the introduction of OptiFlow.

Several years ago, establishing a hypothesis involved requesting data analysts and waiting one to two weeks for results. However, team members can now ask questions in Korean or English and receive analysis results instantly.

“Aiming for 30% of 5 Trillion Won Revenue by 2030”

NCSOFT has set a revenue target of 5 trillion won for 2030. Ceman has established a goal for the Mobile Casual Division to contribute around 30% of that target, which amounts to 1.5 trillion won. This is a goal that requires an increase from its 22% share in the second quarter.

To achieve this, NCSOFT plans to strategically acquire studios that can create synergies across the portfolio. The company currently has studios in Europe, South Korea, and Vietnam, and is exploring potential markets with a strong focus on mobile casual game development, such as China, India, and Türkiye.

Additionally, the publishing strategy will focus on providing global distribution to developers who are not looking to sell their companies, with an emphasis on two titles that generate significant in-app purchases. The final aspect of the plan is expansion, where successful titles in one market will be launched on a shared platform and operated globally.

Ceman emphasized, “We have shifted our focus to discovering hidden gems and connecting them with a global audience.”