Source: ESTsoft

AI services company ESTsoft (CEO Jung Sang-won) announced in a regulatory filing that it recorded ₩30.98 billion in revenue and an operating loss of ₩1.67 billion for the first quarter of 2026, based on K-IFRS consolidated financial statements.

Q1 revenue increased by approximately 22.9% year-on-year, marking the highest first-quarter performance in the company's history. Growth was broad-based across all business areas, with particularly notable gains in the core AI/SW and gaming divisions.

Specifically, the AI/SW division led growth with ₩15.08 billion in revenue, a 29% increase from the previous year. This result was driven by the steady performance of AI businesses, including the real-time AI avatar service 'Perso Interactive,' and education programs for AI talent development. With a significant number of new clients for Perso Interactive secured at domestic and international exhibitions such as CES, MWC, and AI EXPO, the growth trend for AI/SW revenue is expected to continue throughout the year.

The gaming division also contributed significantly to performance, with revenue surging 39.3% year-on-year to ₩8.85 billion, bolstered by the launch of the new title 'Cabal RED.' Additionally, the asset management division saw a 17% growth rate due to an increase in assets under management and higher fund trading activity.

The company also achieved remarkable improvements in profitability. The operating loss narrowed by approximately ₩2.7 billion, from ₩4.37 billion in the same period last year to ₩1.67 billion, while the net loss improved by 85.4% year-on-year to ₩690 million.

This improvement in profitability was largely driven by the results of infrastructure investments in the AI business beginning to reflect in earnings, combined with base effects from reduced internal transactions and labor costs. Furthermore, non-operating income, including gains from stock disposals and financial asset valuations, positively impacted net profit.

An ESTsoft official stated, "The proactive AI investments made through last year have begun to contribute to tangible results in the form of revenue growth and improved profitability in the AI/SW division. We expect this performance improvement to continue, driven by the domestic and international expansion of our real-time AI avatar service 'Perso Interactive,' the growth of our AI education business, and sustained revenue from our new game titles."

Detailed information regarding the Q1 2026 financial results can be found on the Financial Supervisory Service's Data Analysis, Retrieval and Transfer System (DART).