Kim Jung-ju, founder of South Korea-based Gaming giant Nexon, dies at age 54

Kim Jung-ju, the billionaire founder of gaming giant Nexon, has died at the age of 54, the parent company NXC Corp announced Tuesday. Kim founded the Tokyo-listed Nexon in 1994 to become one of the biggest game developers and publishers, with hit online games such as MapleStory and KartRider.

In a statement, NXC Corp said, “Kim Jung-ju, the director of NXC and founder of Nexon, passed away in the United States late last month”

According to the report, Kim “had been receiving treatment for depression and it seemed to have worsened recently” but did not elaborate on the cause of death.

“It is difficult to express the tragedy of losing our friend and mentor Jay Kim, a man who had an immeasurably positive impact on the world,” said Nexon President and CEO Owen Mahoney. “As a founder and visionary leader, Jay encouraged those around him to ignore the skeptics and trust their creative instincts. He will be deeply missed by his Nexon family and many friends.”

Jay Kim founded Nexon in 1994 and under his leadership, the company pioneered the world’s first massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) The Kingdom of the Winds and followed with MapleStory, KartRider, Mabinogi, and Dungeon&Fighter

As of March 2020, Nexon is the largest game company in South Korea and the third-largest game company in Asia outside Japan based on revenue and market valuation.

Jay Kim founded Nexon in South Korea on December 26, 1994. Under his leadership, the company pioneered the world’s first massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) The Kingdom of the Winds, and followed with MapleStory, KartRider, Mabinogi, and Dungeon&Fighter. Nexon has offices in South Korea, the United States, Taiwan, and Thailand.