Nexon takes over Overwatch PC publishing in South Korea

Blizzard is transferring publishing duties for the PC version of Overwatch in South Korea to Nexon, GamesIndustry.biz reported, handing day-to-day operation of one of the game's largest regional communities to a local publisher.

Player migration is scheduled for August 12, timed to coincide with the start of the game's fourth season. Registration and account linking for Korean players opened on July 7, ahead of the switchover.

The arrangement follows an agreement struck earlier in the year, under which Blizzard and Nexon said they would build a hyper-localised Overwatch service aimed specifically at players in Korea. The publishing handover is the operational half of that deal.

Who does what

The two companies have split responsibilities along a familiar line for regional publishing deals. Blizzard supplies the Overwatch intellectual property and continues to lead development on the game itself. Nexon takes on live service and business operations for the Korean PC release. Both companies said they will hire additional local staff to support the new service.

Blizzard senior vice president of live games Walter Kong said the two companies were building a tailored experience for players in Korea, and described the handover as a new chapter for the country's Overwatch community.

Announced alongside Nexon's quarter

The publishing agreement was made public after Nexon posted its first-quarter results, in which net income rose 118% year on year to 57.2 billion yen, or about $360.7 million. Nexon attributed part of that growth to continued sales of Embark Studios' Arc Raiders, which shifted a further 4.6 million units over the quarter.

For Korean players, the practical change arrives on August 12. Blizzard has not indicated any change to how Overwatch is published outside South Korea, and development of the game remains with Blizzard.