Full-Time
Lead Publishing Producer
NC America
1,001-5,000 employees
Publishes and operates MMOs worldwide
Compensation Overview
$130k - $170k/yr
Irvine, CA, USA
In Person
 Business & Strategy (1) |
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- 7+ years of experience in game production, publishing, Live Ops, or technical program/production management, preferably for online or live service titles.
- Proven ability to operate in fast-paced live service environments and respond quickly to production, service, player-facing, or technical issues.
- Strong understanding of the North American game market, player expectations, platform requirements, and live service operating conditions.
- Experience working directly with development, engineering, platform, QA, and operations teams to diagnose issues, define priorities, and drive practical solutions.
- Ability to translate technical issues into clear production plans, escalation steps, business impact summaries, and stakeholder communications.
- Expertise in Live Ops operations, KPI analysis, incident follow-up, and data-driven decision-making.
- Demonstrated ability to manage complex cross-functional projects with multiple stakeholders across development, publishing, marketing, data, QA, and community.
- Experience building or improving production, publishing, and Live Ops processes across one or more titles.
- Strong analytical, organizational, ownership, and communication skills, with the ability to present complex information to leadership in a clear and actionable way.
- Lead publishing execution across pre-launch, launch, and live service phases, ensuring alignment with product goals, player needs, and North American market expectations.
- Act as a technically fluent publishing producer who can identify, prioritize, and drive resolution of production, service, and Live Ops issues in close partnership with development, platform, QA, and operations teams.
- Oversee Live Ops at both strategic and operational levels, with a focus on service stability, rapid incident response, issue escalation, content readiness, and continuous optimization of retention, monetization, and engagement.
- Translate business, player, and operational needs into clear production requirements, helping technical and cross-functional teams make timely decisions during live service situations.
- Own production schedules, milestone tracking, issue follow-up, and cross-functional coordination to ensure timely and scope-accurate delivery across publishing initiatives.
- Identify risks early across development, publishing, and live operations, and implement practical mitigation plans to reduce player impact and business disruption.
- Drive major updates, events, hotfixes, and lifecycle initiatives, ensuring seamless execution and alignment with global content roadmaps.
- Improve publishing and Live Ops workflows by establishing scalable processes, reporting structures, escalation paths, and communication frameworks for fast-moving service environments.
- Partner closely with data, marketing, platform, QA, community, and development teams to ensure cohesive execution and high-quality player experiences.
- Present KPI trends, incident learnings, production risks, and actionable recommendations to leadership in a clear and practical manner.
- Manage external partners or development studios as needed, ensuring alignment with product goals, service standards, and delivery expectations.
- Represent NC America’s publishing, Live Ops, and technical service needs within global planning and decision-making discussions.
- Foster a culture of accountability, ownership, urgency, and continuous improvement across publishing and Live Ops functions.
- Hands-on experience or strong working knowledge in technical development, backend/service operations, build/release processes, platform certification, tools, or game systems development.
NC America serves as the North American arm of NCSOFT, a global game publisher known for large-scale massively multiplayer online games (MMOs). The company develops, publishes, and operates online games that let many players interact in shared virtual worlds. Its revenue comes from game sales, in-game purchases, and subscriptions, with additional income from partnerships. NC America coordinates the company's activities across the Americas, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, supporting a broad base of gamers from casual to hardcore. Unlike many peers, NCSOFT has a long history (founded in 1997) and maintains a globally distributed portfolio of MMOs, offering ongoing live services and monetized content. The goal is to provide and grow engaging online experiences at scale for a worldwide audience while expanding revenue through multiple streams and regional publishing efforts.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Seoul, South Korea
Founded
1997
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- NC reported Q1 2026 revenue of KRW 557.4 billion and 55% year-over-year growth.
- AION 2 launches globally in September 2026 across North America, Europe, and Asia.
- NC approved an ₩120.7 billion ArenaNet loan for Guild Wars 3 development.
What critics are saying
- ArenaNet posted ₩56.4 billion net loss in 2025 and negative equity.
- Guild Wars 3 targets 2027 beta and 2028 funding, extending execution risk.
- If AION 2 and Guild Wars 3 disappoint, NC America becomes a capital sink.
What makes NC America unique
- NC America controls ArenaNet, the Western studio behind Guild Wars and Guild Wars 3.
- It ships globally across PC, Steam, PS5, and Purple across regions.
- NC combines Korean capital with Western development and publishing for MMO franchises.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
401(k) Retirement Plan
Remote Work Options
Company News
NC is providing a loan facility of up to ₩120.7 billion ($85 million) to its North American subsidiary Arenanet for development and marketing of Guild Wars 3. The loan runs from 31 January to 31 May 2028, with funds distributed in instalments based on development progress. Arenanet's finances are under pressure. The company recorded ₩87.7 billion in revenue and a ₩56.4 billion net loss last year. Revenue has fallen 34.2% over two years, whilst net losses grew from ₩4.6 billion in 2023 to ₩56.4 billion in 2025. Total equity stands at -₩77.3 billion. Guild Wars 3, unveiled at Summer Game Fest 2026, launches on PC, Steam, and PlayStation 5. A beta test is scheduled for the second half of 2027.
Westwood Global Investments has acquired a 5.09% stake in South Korean game developer NCSoft, according to a regulatory filing. The US-based asset manager holds 1,096,876 shares as of 2 June. Westwood had previously accumulated a 4.99% stake by 1 June before purchasing an additional 20,354 shares through on-market transactions the following day, pushing its ownership above the 5% disclosure threshold. The firm stated the investment was made for pure investment purposes.
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] U.S.-based asset manager Westwood Global Investments has acquired a
NCSoft Corp. announced investments in Korea's Mistil Games and Poland's Virtual Alchemy to diversify its IP portfolio beyond the Lineage franchise. The company acquired global publishing rights for Mistil's "Time Takers" and Virtual Alchemy's "Band of Crusaders," aiming to expand its presence in Eastern Europe. This move is part of NCSoft's strategy to secure new growth engines, with ongoing merger and acquisition efforts highlighted in its third-quarter conference call.
Independent game studio emptyvessel has closed a Series A funding round led by NCSOFT, raising a total of $11 million, including a previous seed round. The funds will support the development of their game DEFECT, enabling single-player support and console expansion. The investment will also enhance the studio's remote work infrastructure. DEFECT is a cyberpunk, squad-based shooter set in a dystopian world, currently available for wishlisting on Steam and Epic Games Store.