Nexon has officially moved forward with its project to open up its game intellectual property (IP) to external creators, aiming to expand the creative ecosystem within the gaming industry. This move is seen as a strategy to go beyond the existing exclusive partnership system, promote content diversification, and activate the fan community.
On December 18th, Nexon announced the launch of the beta version of its "REPLAY" open-licensing project, aimed at stimulating derivative works based on its iconic game IPs, and began recruiting participants. The project aims to support creators in developing new games or content using Nexon's characters, backgrounds, and settings.
The IPs included in this release are five once-popular titles: *Dark Legends*, *Elantras*, *Asgard*, *Tactical Commander*, and *Eternal Planet*. Nexon stated that it will simultaneously provide the core resources such as graphics and sound effects from these games with strong fan bases, creating a free environment for creators to experiment without genre restrictions. In particular, it significantly simplifies the previously complex contract or review processes, substantially lowering the barrier to entry for individual developers or small teams.
This project is attracting attention as one of the first examples of breaking away from the traditional gaming industry practices centered on closed partnership agreements and attempting to build an open collaborative system that everyone can participate in. In addition to obtaining the right to use Nexon IP, selected creators will also receive collaborative support from dedicated staff and supporting resources such as creative guidelines.
Nexon hopes to enhance the value of its IP through this initiative, while also seeking a win-win situation with potential content developers. Yan Zhengxian, Vice President of Nexon Live Business Unit, stated, "We will build a flexible cooperation framework to enable more developers to leverage Nexon IP for new challenges."
This trend is expected to provide an opportunity to rediscover the added value of existing IPs while expanding the diversity of the game industry through a robust ecosystem of creators. It is particularly likely to serve as a window to revitalize the sluggish market for small and medium-sized content development.
