Global online entertainment company, Webzen, Inc. (Nasdaq: Wzen) announced today the formation of nine development studios to create new intellectual property for the online games market worldwide. The studios have secured 450 developers total, 350 of them internally employed by Webzen. The company has created some of the world’s top PC online game and client/server technologies and is also working with Microsoft to develop games for the next generation game consoles.
“To become a global online entertainment leader it was essential for Webzen to grow the company’s information technology and internal development infrastructure, as well as align ourselves with the industry’s most talented game creators,” said Nam Joo Kim, CEO of Webzen, Inc. “Webzen is serious about making high quality online games that players around the world can enjoy. We’re committing more resources than any other games publisher to make this a reality.”
Earlier in the year, Webzen announced part of its product portfolio that will be unveiled at the video game industry’s largest trade show, the E3 Expo in Los Angeles, May 18-20, 2005. The line up includes the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), SUN; massively multiplayer online first person shooter (MMOFPS), Huxley; and All Points Bulletin (APB), the first online game developed by David Jones, the creator of the multi-million unit selling video game franchise, Grand Theft Auto, and his UK-based game development company, Real Time Worlds (RTW).
Developed internally at Webzen, SUN is the first title to incorporate console-style game mechanics into a classic MMORPG. With action-packed intensity, stunning graphics, unique battle systems, and a captivating cast of characters, SUN is an epic medieval tale set in a rich world of emperors, armies, magicians and monsters. Available in fourth quarter, the game will be Webzen’s first title for release in the U.S. market.
Also being developed internally is massively multiplayer online first-person shooting game (MMO/FPS), Huxley, which is scheduled to release in fourth quarter 2006. Huxley takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where human beings have mutated and are divided into two opposing races, Sapiens and Alternative. Forced to struggle for survival due to limited resources, the Sapiens and Alternatives are willing to do what it takes in order to wipe out the conflicting race and gain control of the world and its resources.
Webzen’s All Points Bulletin (APB) is a massively multiplayer online freeform combat and driving-based game. APB brings players into a living, breathing city where cash is king and territory equals respect. In a fight to dominate the expansive world of APB, players must decide which side of the law to abide by, choosing to form Squads, who seek to uphold the law, or Gangs, whose aim is to break it. APB will provide players with the ultimate customization options from their weapons, vehicles and clothes to their attitude, music, and environment. APB will be available in 2007.
Founded in 2000 and based in Seoul, Korea, Webzen has become a leader in the MMOG market, and has developed some of the world’s top online game and client/server technologies. Webzen’s latest title, MU, has over 56 million users and a half million concurrent users from the Asian market alone. In January of this year, Webzen announced its entry into the U.S. games market with a new subsidiary, Webzen America, based in Los Angeles.
