Kwon Hyuk-bin
Kwon Hyuk-bin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1974 (age 50–51) |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Other names | HyukBin Kwon or Kwon Hyuk-bin |
| Alma mater | Sogang University (BEng.) |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, investor, philanthropist |
| Title | Founder and Chairman of Smilegate. |
Kwon Hyuk-bin (Korean: 권혁빈; born 1974)[1] is a South Korean businessman, investor, and philanthropist. A billionaire who founded South Korea's third largest gaming company, Smilegate, which is the maker of the popular Crossfire and Lostark games. Crossfire was released in 2006. It has gone on to become the most popular first-person shooter game in history. Lost Ark was released in 2018. In 2022, it was introduced to the global market through Steam, and shortly after its launch, it gained immense popularity, reaching 1.32 million concurrent players.[2] He owns 100% of Smilegate, which he founded in 2002.[3]
He is among the richest people in South Korea. In December 2024, Forbes estimated his net wealth at US$3.2 billion and ranked him 9th richest in the country.[4]
Education and career
[edit]Kwon holds an electrical engineering degree from Sogang University.[citation needed] After a failed education startup, 4Csof, Kwon turned down a software engineering position at Samsung to pursue his goal of developing video games. He partnered with Tencent to break into the Chinese high-technology market.[3][1][5]
Philanthropy
[edit]Kwon operates three foundations: Hope Studio, a social contribution foundation; Orange Planet Entrepreneurship Foundation, which supports young entrepreneurs; and Future Lab, which contributes to expanding creative education environments for children and youth.[6] He has donated over $5 million to building schools in Vietnam and China.[3] He has also contributed over $2 million to his alma mater at Sogang University.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "THE INVESTOR". www.theinvestor.co.kr.
- ^ "Lost Ark tops 1.32 million concurrent players on Steam over launch weekend". www.gamedeveloper.com. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
- ^ a b c Chung, Grace. "Online Hit Game CrossFire Mints South Korea's Richest Self-Made Billionaire".
- ^ "Kwon Hyuk-bin". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
- ^ "[Super Rich] Seven numbers to explain self-made billionaire owner of Smilegate". 22 December 2016.
- ^ "ORANGE PLANET | Smilegate". www.smilegate.com. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
- ^ "Bio". wealthx.com. Archived from < the original on 2018-02-20.