NCsoft Q2 net income dives 42%

NCsoft has reported second quarter 2008 operating profit of $7.7 million, down 25 percent compared to the second quarter last year.

While sales were up seven percent to $78.6 million, net income dived 42 percent to $5.9 million.

NCsoft said that the increase in sales was primarily due to the closure of private Lineage servers and the successful update of Lineage II Gracia Part 1, while the drop in operating profit was attributed to continued investment, including in personnel, across the company’s development studios.

"In order to maintain our ongoing development cycles and a diverse game portfolio, multiple games are in development currently across all NCsoft studios,” said NCsoft CFO Jaeho Lee.

NCsoft will launch MMORPG Aion in Korea by the end of the year after open testing, and begin open testing services on MMOs including Love Beat, Punch Monster and Dragonica.

Last month the firm also unveiled three new titles in development - martial arts MMORPG Blade and Soul, shooter/action RPG MetalBlack and vehicle combat title Steel Dog.

“We anticipate publishing these new titles within the next two to three years, during which we believe we'll maintain NCsoft's status as a leader in the global online game market," Lee added.