Nexon has positioned its hit game Arc Raiders as a 'Trojan Horse' to demonstrate the benefits of AI tools in game development. Company executives highlighted the title's massive success and efficient production during a recent financial presentation. They emphasized how AI frees developers to focus on creativity.
Nexon president and CEO Junghun Lee described Arc Raiders as 'a Trojan Horse' during a financial presentation on March 31. He stated it represents 'a gift that contains a shift in the mindset about how technology frees developers and live service teams to spend more time thinking and less time typing. More time innovating; less time writing code.' Lee tied this to Nexon's Mono Lake AI initiative, noting the company has long used AI and is now applying it more deeply with context from player data. He added that the creative content in games remains the work of developers, with AI enabling faster work and better accomplishments without replacing people. Patric Soderlund, Embark founder, CEO, and recently appointed Nexon executive chairman, explained that Embark started from scratch, questioning traditional processes and incorporating AI where efficient. He credited this approach for producing The Finals and Arc Raiders with smaller teams at a fraction of typical AAA costs. Soderlund called the success deliberate, now extending to the rest of Nexon. Arc Raiders achieved Nexon's most successful launch, selling over 14 million units in 15 weeks, with 85 percent of revenue from North America and Europe. Soderlund noted it proves Nexon's ability to appeal globally, especially in Western markets, and the game continues to grow. Lee revealed multiple new Embark projects following the Arc Raiders model, using smaller teams, new technology, and alternative pricing for consoles and Western markets.