NEXUS (CEO Jang Hyun-guk) is acquiring the domestic app market ONE store. ONE store is a homegrown app market established in 2016 through a joint venture between Korea's three major mobile carriers (SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus) and the portal operator Naver.

On the 18th, the NEXUS board of directors approved the acquisition of 20247990 shares of ONE store (an 89.03% stake) for approximately ₩62.6 billion. The stake sale involved SK Square (45.78%), Naver (24.06%), Steel Number One First (17.02%), and KRAFTON (2.17%).

SK Square, Naver, and KRAFTON will join the acquisition as strategic investors in NEXUS. Consequently, ONE store’s existing business foundation, partnerships, and ecosystem are expected to be maintained and further solidified.

NEXUS plans to expand ONE store’s existing business based on a new vision and strategy.

First, the company aims to evolve ONE store—which is installed on over 38 million devices in Korea—from a simple app market into a 'Game Hub.' NEXUS, having built full-stack game platform capabilities in the global market including web shops, payments, communities, Quests, streamer platforms, and reward systems, plans to transplant these into ONE store to redefine it as the 'ultimate space for games.'

Through this, users will experience a super-app where they can discover, enjoy, and socialize within games. For game developers, it will provide a one-stop LiveOps solution that supports the entire process from user acquisition and community management to game economy operation and growth.

For the global market, the company will deploy a game hub strategy centered on blockchain technology. The goal for the global version of ONE store is to become the world’s first Web3 game store. Differentiating itself from existing app markets with strict regulations, it will fully support Web3-native experiences both inside and outside of games, while integrating core Web3 features such as virtual asset wallets, stablecoins, decentralized exchanges (DEX), staking, and bridges.

Furthermore, it intends to encompass all games, chains, and markets into a single, integrated global platform. The ambition is to establish itself as a single global build platform dedicated to Web3 games, driving industry growth and leading the next generation of the gaming market.

Additionally, ONE store will be upgraded into an 'AI-native game platform' tailored to the next-generation creative environment. This decision stems from the judgment that as AI technology lowers the barriers to game production and leads to an explosion in content, existing human-centric review structures will be unable to keep pace. NEXUS plans to build an AI-based platform system that analyzes and curates large-scale human and AI-generated games in real-time to match them with users.

Brand integration will also take place following the acquisition. The proprietary on-chain game platform mainnet, 'CROSS,' will be renamed 'OneChain,' and the native token '$CROSS' will be renamed '$ONE.' By establishing an integrated brand identity (BI) linking ONE store and '$ONE,' the company will unify the identity of its domestic and global businesses.

ONE store’s core business structure and cooperative systems will remain unchanged after the acquisition. While stably maintaining its existing content distribution lineup—including games, apps, webtoons, and web novels—the company plans to focus on boosting ONE store’s market competitiveness by continuing partnerships with mobile carriers and major shareholders.

Jang Hyun-guk, CEO of NEXUS, stated, "We will provide a more enjoyable experience for Players and more powerful solutions for game developers. As we face a paradigm shift driven by AI and blockchain technology, we will strive relentlessly until we achieve our vision of becoming the world's No. 1 game platform."