NHN and Neowiz relied on web board games in the first quarter as the impact from major new releases was limited. Payment indicators improved after a change in the regulatory environment, including a higher monthly spending cap for web board games that took effect on Feb. 3. NHN reported rising average revenue per paying user across all web board titles and sharp growth for its Royal Hold\'em game tied to offline tournaments. Neowiz also cited a rebound in ARPPU for its web board games, supporting mobile revenue growth.

NHN said its first-quarter operating profit fell 5 percent from a year earlier as it reflected costs for upfront investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure, including building AI GPU infrastructure. The company posted a 11.9 percent rise in quarterly sales to 671.4 billion won and operating profit of 26.3 billion won. Revenue rose across payments, games and technology, while NHN also announced a 16.7 billion won share buyback to be fully cancelled.