South Korean game company Nexon has nominated Sega veteran Naoya Tsurumi as a candidate for their board of directors. If elected, Tsurumi is scheduled to become an Outside Director on the board from March 26, 2025 (source: Nexon announcement).
Naoya Tsurumi first joined Sega back in 1992 and has successive experience serving as CEO of Sega Europe, Sega of America, and Sega Japan. He played a vital role in Sega’s post-Dreamcast pivot away from console development to focusing on acquiring and growing IPs, and developing software for other company’s consoles. From 2012 onwards, he has served on advisory boards for parent company Sega Sammy Holdings’ various other initiatives. He is currently president and CEO of U&I Holdings Japan, as well as a board member of Sega Joypolis and an external director for SNK.
In 2024, Nexon saw several of its IPs gain significant traction across various regions and reported record-breaking profits. New looter shooter IP The First Descendant got off to a flying start, especially in the West. Also, the global version of Nexon’s mobile game MapleStory has seen huge growth, as has its Dungeon & Fighter franchise in China.
Nexon has numerous titles in the pipeline for 2025. In March, the company intends to boost the Dungeon & Fighter IP’s reach beyond China with the launch of The First Berserker: Khazan. Apart from this, it confidently predicted in its 2024 financial report that each one of its seven in-development titles have the “potential to add incremental annual revenue of over 10 billion yen” (around $66,500 USD, based on current exchange rates).
Nexon’s long-term vision is to achieve major profit growth by strengthening their existing franchises and expanding their IP portfolio. The company likely hopes that Tsurumi’s extensive experience in growing IPs across different regions will benefit their future goals.
