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General: NCSoft Investigating Embezzlment Allegations

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
in News & Features Discussion

NCSoft has terminated three developers on the Project HON team for allegedly embezzling millions of Korean Won. According to reports, the employees outsourced portions of HON's development to a company with which they had "intimate ties", resulting in the ability to steal funds.

NCSoft has fired the three and is investigating the issue and assures investors that development on Project HON continues uninterrupted. Project HON is considered to be one of NCSoft's shining stars as an upcoming title.

Source: MMOCulture






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Comments

  • kitaradkitarad Member LegendaryPosts: 8,164
    Don't they have an overview department that checks these things. How can they only find out after so much money is lost . They are a big company and been about for awhile and this is how they run it. This is why there are so much shenanigans in bigger companies.

  • VrikaVrika Member LegendaryPosts: 7,973
    Originally posted by kitarad
    Don't they have an overview department that checks these things. How can they only find out after so much money is lost 

    They lost something between 100 000$ - 10 000$, I'd say they caught on surprisingly quickly if 3 of their people were on the scheme and weren't able to get more than that.

     
  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,975
    Originally posted by kitarad
    Don't they have an overview department that checks these things. How can they only find out after so much money is lost . They are a big company and been about for awhile and this is how they run it. This is why there are so much shenanigans in bigger companies.

    Fighting fraud is a never ending battle, even in major financial institutions, people are just so darn clever when it comes to doing bad things.

     

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  • flizzerflizzer Member RarePosts: 2,455
    Odd, first time I've been hearing about this Project HON.
  • TiamatRoarTiamatRoar Member RarePosts: 1,688
    Originally posted by flizzer
    Odd, first time I've been hearing about this Project HON.

    Hilariously enough, this news article almost read like a Project HON advertisement to me

  • SovrathSovrath Member LegendaryPosts: 32,780

    I never heard of this "project HON". I wish that the writer of this article didn't assume that everyone knew what they were talking about.

     

     

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  • KumaponKumapon Member EpicPosts: 1,605

    Project HON (with “HON” standing for “Humanoid robot On Neuro-control”) is Ncsofts new mecha third-person-shooter mmo.

  • rodingorodingo Member RarePosts: 2,870
    Originally posted by Kumapon

    Project HON (with “HON” standing for “Humanoid robot On Neuro-control”) is Ncsofts new mecha third-person-shooter mmo.

    You think?

    Yeh this is the first time I have heard of this game too.  I like the motorcycle/mech suit thing.  Reminds of one of the old Robotech seasons.

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  • KumaponKumapon Member EpicPosts: 1,605
    Ah well, the devs probably took the money due to the fact they most likely knew the game had 2 years of life in it before NCsoft would shut it down.
  • Hekate27Hekate27 Member Posts: 47
    So should we say ... HON's Won long gone?

    Do what thou wilt, and harm ye none. - Witches Rede

  • DakeruDakeru Member EpicPosts: 3,802
    Originally posted by Hekate27
    So should we say ... HON's Won long gone?

    good one

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  • MysteryBMysteryB Member UncommonPosts: 355
    NC Soft shut down City of Heroes, I hope they shut down.

    Mystery Bounty

  • eye_meye_m Member UncommonPosts: 3,317
    Originally posted by MysteryB
    NC Soft shut down City of Heroes, I hope they shut down.

    odd, doesn't that sound like "They cancelled the McRib, so McDonalds should close down and hundreds of thousands of people should be out of work because I can't buy something I want anymore"

     

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  • CnameCname Member UncommonPosts: 211
    Originally posted by TiamatRoar
    Originally posted by flizzer
    Odd, first time I've been hearing about this Project HON.

    Hilariously enough, this news article almost read like a Project HON advertisement to me

    Actually many posters on Asian MMO news sites have already complained that because of the relatively insignificant sum of money involved in the fraud - tens of thousands USD compared to the substantial development cost of Project HON - the fact that the news article got translated and circulated to so many game sites suggested that it was a viral marketing plan designed by NcSoft to promote their game image

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  • nebb1234nebb1234 Member Posts: 242
    Originally posted by Cname
    Originally posted by TiamatRoar
    Originally posted by flizzer
    Odd, first time I've been hearing about this Project HON.

    Hilariously enough, this news article almost read like a Project HON advertisement to me

    Actually many posters on Asian MMO news sites have already complained that because of the relatively insignificant sum of money involved in the fraud - tens of thousands USD compared to the substantial development cost of Project HON - the fact that the news article got translated and circulated to so many game sites suggested that it was a viral marketing plan designed by NcSoft to promote their game image

    ^^^^nailed it! 

  • LudwikLudwik Member UncommonPosts: 407
    To be fair, McDonalds does bring back in McRib for a few weeks every summer.

    If NCSoft took the same plan with CoH, the bitterness would probably subside.
  • KatillaKatilla Member UncommonPosts: 829
    titanfall???
  • waynejr2waynejr2 Member EpicPosts: 7,771
    Originally posted by eyelolled
    Originally posted by MysteryB
    NC Soft shut down City of Heroes, I hope they shut down.

    odd, doesn't that sound like "They cancelled the McRib, so McDonalds should close down and hundreds of thousands of people should be out of work because I can't buy something I want anymore"

     

    How is McDonald's doing these days?

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  • DakeruDakeru Member EpicPosts: 3,802
    Hmm my British friends told me they can't order a McRib - think I would go crazy if that one was missing here.
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  • dreamscaperdreamscaper Member UncommonPosts: 1,592
    Originally posted by Sukiyaki

    CoH was simply just a generally unprofitable product. That's enough reason to pull out the lights. An irrelevant product, with an horrible ROI and almost zero presence on their balance sheets if it wasnt for the expenses and obviously a disastrous loss of opportunity. The remaining IP had more value than the actual game. After NCSoft invested into Paragon, the game still made in all it's lifetime only as much as the over 10 year old title Lineage makes in roughly 2 months. These mental people still running this internet piss campaign spouting nonsense like it didn't deserve a shutdown, reptilian tier conspiracy theories and lies about its popularity and profitably, derailing every single news report about an NCSoft game years after the fact, are simply just willfully ignorant and ungrateful pricks beating a dead horse.

     

    Blatantly and utterly untrue. Several sources have confirmed that Paragon Studios was profitable up until its closing (which caught even the devs there off guard, since they were only told a few weeks before closure), and even NCSoft confirmed that CoH was profitable, just not profitable enough.  They literally said outright that they canned it just because they couldn't find a buyer for it, despite the fact that the studio itself was still turning a decent profit.

     

    Am I a bit bitter about all the above? Definitely. City of Heroes was my favorite MMORPG of all time (which is considerably weird since I'm not a comic book  or movie fan), and to this day I avoid NCSoft just on general principle.

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  • WizardryWizardry Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332

    Something smells fishy here,reminds me of how they try to scam Lord British out of his money.

    So they outsourced,and that is somehow tied into embezzling money?You think Blizzard doesn't outsource all the time and to favorable studios they are friendly with?How does this prove anything at all?

    What i think has happened is they found out the cost of producing the game is getting beyond their budget so are now using legal venues/Lawyers to try and recoup some money.

    NCSOFT is not exactly up for any outstanding citizen awards.Matter of fact ,they are one of my lowest rated developers going back to my dealings playing Lineage 2.I wouldn't trust NCSOFT anymore than i would trust my tbone steak in front of my dog :P.

    If i was running a business and i trusted a fellow friend's business for outsourcing ,i most certainly would use that business over some business i know little about.

    What may have also happened is that often contracts are signed that allow a developer to back out ,sometimes even without paying a single dime.In this case perhaps no such contract was signed leaving NCSOFT at the mercy of the outsourced businesses.

    Personally i feel they should be a lot more organized than that,if these were low ranked employees,why would they be given access to appropriate funds?As i said it all sounds a bit too fishy,NCSOFT imo is trying to recoup funds because they NEED them.

    Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.

  • WizardryWizardry Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332
    Game does look pretty cool though :)

    Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.

  • tawesstawess Member EpicPosts: 4,227

    Sounds like a dumb way to do viral marketing to me.

     

    CoH might be profitable... After all a game that cost 100 a day to run and pull in 101 is making a profit... but it would be hard to justify the 100 put in to begin with. It was not making enough green to be worth the hassle.

     

     

    McRib is such a American thing... Where i live we never have had nor will have the McRib... We do have EL Maco otoh (and yes the advertisements for that is about as cringeworthy stereotypical as you think)

    This have been a good conversation

  • psiicpsiic Member RarePosts: 1,642

    Personally I find the battle for majority control between Nexon and NCSoft to be a more interesting story.

    This matter could be a weak attempt to muddy the waters in the battle for majority control of NCSoft.

  • WizardryWizardry Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332
    Originally posted by Sukiyaki
    Originally posted by Wizardry

     

    snip snap goes the conspiracy theories.

    ?As i said it all sounds a bit too fishy,NCSOFT imo is trying to recoup funds because they NEED them.

    Yes the Billion dollar company who just posted record profits and near record earning is making the entire thing up because they really NEEDED to recoup those somewhat 10.000 Dollars pocketchange at the cost of losing devs and disturbing development of a game title meant to bring them in some 50 - 200 Million Dollars over the next few years.

    That makes sense.

    Or it could have just .. well happened, after all it's a company with thousands of employees and humans no matter where employed tend to do some fishy stuff in privacy. Like celebs evading taxes or government officials handing contracts or positions to some spouses pretty much ever day.

    I give it that you simply didn't know they are doing financially as good as almost never before.

    Yes because Tabula Rasa never happened,they never  even tried to run the game,they cut their losses because they were worried about money.Then they lied about giving Lord British Brother a steady job and canned him and tried to  back out on promised money to the British as well.Of course he had enough on paper to win the law suite.

    NCSOFT is also not a billion dollar company,maybe Billion Yen.

    Umm shocking news release,,earnings go up when release new game Wildstar and GW2 !!Of course they went up,they  were at a loss before that,and guess how much WS is bringing in now?

    Their numbers have dropped a bit from 3q>4q last year and i am sure  everyone would assume they have dropped yet again since last year.

     

    I also love the part that says ,the numbers are unaudited and may be subject to change upon independent audit.Also NCSOFT is not to be responsible for investment decisions based on those numbers.So in otherwords,the numbers have been skewed to give the appearance they are doing better than they really are.

    We have just seen on this site two recent articles on former employees from other firms announce the same thing,the devs LIE and try heir best to make things look a lot better than they really are.

    Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.

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