KRAFTON has emerged as the largest shareholder of Neptune, a subsidiary of Kakao Games.
According to the Financial Supervisory Service's electronic disclosure system on the 29th, KRAFTON announced that it acquired 1,837,039 shares of Neptune owned by Kakao Games for 164.95851 billion won. This equates to 2.42% of KRAFTON's equity. After the acquisition, KRAFTON's stake in Neptune will be 42.53%, including its previously held shares.
KRAFTON noted, "This transaction involves acquiring all of Kakao Games' equity in Neptune (39.37%). After the completion of this transaction, our company will become the largest shareholder of Neptune," explaining that the purpose is to secure long-term growth drivers through business diversification.
Neptune is a gaming company founded in January 2012 by Jeong Wook, former CEO of NHN HanGame. It provides services for Kakao Games such as 'Friends Four Connect' and 'Eternal Return.' Kakao Games initially invested 19 billion won in Neptune in 2018 and later became the largest shareholder by adding another investment of 193.5 billion won through a third-party allocation capital increase in 2020. After successfully turning a profit in 2023, Neptune achieved sales of 121.6 billion won and an operating profit of 9.6 billion won last year.