Owen Mahoney is the president and CEO of Nexon, one of the leading video game companies in the world. Nexon is known for its online games, such as MapleStory, Dungeon Fighter Online, KartRider, and V4. Owen Mahoney is also a gamer himself, who enjoys playing and creating games that are fun, innovative, and engaging. In this post, I will tell you more about Owen Mahoney, his background, his achievements, and his vision.
The Background of Owen Mahoney
Owen Mahoney was born in 1965 in New York City. He graduated from St. John’s University with a degree in history and journalism. He also studied music and was a talented singer and pianist. He received various honors and awards for his academic excellence and musical abilities, such as Summa Cum Laude, University Honors, College Honors, Literature Department Honors, Dean’s List, partial-tuition scholarship, and Concerto competition winner.
Owen Mahoney started his career in the video game industry in 1991, when he joined Electronic Arts (EA) as a financial analyst. He worked at EA for 13 years, holding various positions such as vice president of corporate development, vice president of worldwide publishing finance, and chief operating officer of EA Japan. He was involved in many successful projects and acquisitions at EA, such as The Sims, FIFA, Need for Speed, Medal of Honor, BioWare, and PopCap.
In 2004, Owen Mahoney left EA and joined Digital Chocolate, a mobile game developer founded by Trip Hawkins, the former CEO of EA. He served as the chief financial officer and executive vice president of corporate development at Digital Chocolate for four years. He helped the company grow its revenue and user base by launching popular games such as Tower Bloxx, Rollercoaster Rush, and Millionaire City.
In 2009, Owen Mahoney joined Nexon as the chief financial officer. He was promoted to chief executive officer in 2014. He is also a member of the board of directors of Nexon.
The Achievements of Owen Mahoney
Owen Mahoney has achieved many accomplishments and recognitions for his work as a video game executive and leader. Some of them are:
- He led Nexon to become one of the most profitable and influential video game companies in the world. Nexon has over 100 million monthly active users across 190 countries. Nexon has also generated over $15 billion in lifetime revenue since its inception in 1994.
- He pioneered the free-to-play business model in the video game industry. Nexon was one of the first companies to offer free-to-play games that generate revenue from in-game purchases and advertisements. This model has proven to be successful and sustainable for both players and developers.
- He expanded Nexon’s global presence and portfolio by acquiring or investing in various studios and platforms around the world. Some of them are Embark Studios (Sweden), Pixelberry Studios (USA), Big Huge Games (USA), NAT Games (South Korea), PlayFusion (UK), Wonder Holdings (USA), etc.
- He advocated for innovation and creativity in the video game industry by supporting original and diverse games that appeal to different audiences and markets. Some of them are KartRider: Drift (racing), V4 (MMORPG), MapleStory M (mobile MMORPG), FIFA Online 4 (sports), etc.
- He received various awards and honors for his contributions to the video game industry. Some of them are the Game Developers Choice Awards’ Pioneer Award (2018), the Korea Game Awards’ Grand Prize (2018), the Nikkei Business Publications’ Japan Game Awards’ Special Award (2019), etc.
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The Vision of Owen Mahoney
Owen Mahoney has a clear and ambitious vision for the future of Nexon and the video game industry. He believes that video games are more than just entertainment; they are a form of art and culture that can enrich people’s lives and connect them with each other. He also believes that video games have the potential to solve some of the world’s biggest problems, such as education, health care, social justice, etc.
Owen Mahoney wants to achieve this vision by creating video games that are fun, innovative, and engaging. He wants to make games that can appeal to a wide range of players across different ages, genders, cultures, and preferences. He wants to make games that can offer immersive experiences that can stimulate people’s emotions, imagination, and creativity.
Owen Mahoney also wants to achieve this vision by collaborating with various stakeholders and communities that are involved in or affected by video games. He wants to foster dialogue and partnership among developers, publishers, players, media, regulators, educators, etc. He also wants to raise awareness and responsibility about the opportunities and challenges of video games.
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Conclusion
Owen Mahoney is the president and CEO of Nexon, one of the leading video game companies in the world. Owen Mahoney is also a gamer himself, who enjoys playing and creating games that are fun, innovative, and engaging. His vision is to create video games that are more than just entertainment; they are a form of art and culture that can enrich people’s lives and connect them with each other.
