Japan Weighs New Tax Breaks to Boost Corporate Investment Amid Spending Debate 
Russia Stocks End Flat as Energy and Retail Shares Show Mixed Performance 
ANZ Faces Legal Battle as Former CEO Shayne Elliott Sues Over A$13.5 Million Bonus Dispute 
S&P 500 Slides as AI Chip Stocks Tumble, Cooling Tech Rally 
United Airlines Flight to Tokyo Returns to Dulles After Engine Failure During Takeoff 
Ireland Limits Planned Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements to Goods Only 
SoftBank Shares Slide as Oracle’s AI Spending Plans Fuel Market Jitters 
Nvidia Weighs Expanding H200 AI Chip Production as China Demand Surges 
Coca-Cola’s Proposed Sale of Costa Coffee Faces Uncertainty Amid Price Dispute 
Gold Prices Slip Slightly in Asia as Silver Nears Record Highs on Dovish Fed Outlook 
Azul Airlines Wins Court Approval for $2 Billion Debt Restructuring and New Capital Raise 
Asian Currencies Hold Steady as Indian Rupee Slides to Record Low on Fed Outlook 
U.S. Dollar Slides for Third Straight Week as Rate Cut Expectations Boost Euro and Pound 
Apple App Store Injunction Largely Upheld as Appeals Court Rules on Epic Games Case 
Asian Currencies Steady as Fed Delivers Hawkish Rate Cut; Aussie and Rupee Under Pressure 
Fed Near Neutral Signals Caution Ahead, Shifting Focus to Fixed Income in 2026 
ASX Shares Slide After ASIC Imposes A$150 Million Capital Requirement 
NCSoft is a leading game developer and publisher in South Korea, and it has expanded its business that now includes content and entertainment. In an effort to bolster these ventures, the gaming company recently signed a deal with Sony Music Korea.
According to Pulse News, NCSoft revealed on Monday, Aug. 23, that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korean unit of Sony Music Entertainment. The deal was made to allow artists from the music label to take part in Universe, a K-pop fan community platform created by the Pangyo, Seongnam-headquartered video game company.
This platform is a stage where Kpop fans around the world can join and enjoy fun activities, including interactions with their favorite Kpop bands or artists. Universe is also a place where fellow fans can interact with each other and discuss everything about their biases.
NCSoft is bringing 22 artists on its Universe platform, and it will be available in 134 countries such as the United States, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Thailand. Under the terms of the MOU, the artists being managed by Sony Music Korea will provide content to the Universe platform such as live streaming of shows, videos, photos, and voice-based services or artificial intelligence (AI) voices for fans.
Korea Joongang Daily reported that celebrities who are on Universe would also be able to release their music via Sony Music Korea’s distribution agencies. This means that artists can bring their new song titles to the global market through the music company.
Some of the popular Kpop artists and groups that are already on NCSoft’s Universe platform are former Wanna One member Kang Daniel and boy group Monsta X. Currently, in addition to the participation of Kpop artists on Universe, NCSoft, and Sony Music Korea are also said to be engaging in numerous other global collaborations to offer a variety of content.
In any case, NCSoft first launched its Universe platform service on Jan. 28. It was created to host Kpop entertainment and offer the service to fans worldwide. It already gathered a number of sign-ups, and fans are already enjoying listening to their favorite artists’ voices that were generated through AI. This feature is included in the monthly subscription rates that grant access to exclusive content.
