NC America's publishing portfolio is growing with the addition of Defect from Emptyvessel. This partnership enables the US studio to allocate resources to both multiplayer and single-player gameplay.
NC America has partnered with emptyvessel to publish the cyberpunk shooter Defect on multiple platforms. Back in May 2025, NCsoft (South Korea) made a strategic equity investment in the US studio.
"This new partnership with Ncsoft really locks in our goal of bringing Defect to the world alongside a strong ally," said Emanuel Palalic, CEO, emptyvessel. "NC's support and guidance are helping us build a strong foundation for Defect's single-player experience. In an era where many publishers have been moving away from supporting single-player in games, it's refreshing to have Ncsoft's support and trust in what we're building."
In addition, NCSoft has bought Berlin casual platform studio JustPlay for around $202m, with a 70 per cent majority stakehold.
Emptyvessel is an independent game development studio founded in 2023 by industry veterans, including CEO Emanuel Palalic and COO Garrett Young. The team comprises developers who have held 'critical roles' at companies such as Activision, Crystal Dynamics, Disney, id Software, Microsoft, Naughty Dog and Tripwire Interactive. By partnering with NC America, emptyvessel can now expand its foundational support for multiplayer gameplay and develop new single-player content.
"We've worked closely with the core team at emptyvessel from the very start to make the jump from early cash-injections to signing on as publisher," said Jeonghee 'JJ' Jin, CEO NC America, COO, NC West/Arenanet. "We're thrilled with the partnership agreement. We strongly believe Defect's intense gameplay shows great promise against today's tough FPS landscape."
Defect is set in a dystopian city ruled by an AI known as 'The System'. With gangs and rogue law enforcement agencies competing for power, players can either train in single-player mode for a "deep" offline experience or join forces in 4v4v4v4 PvP squads for close-quarters combat featuring multi-objective battles with advanced weaponry and technology.
