PRESS RELEASES
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WEBZEN's presentations to the Duke of York
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WEBZEN ATTENDS GAME DEMONSTRATION EVENT SPONSORED BY THE BRITISH COUNCIL
- Partnership of Korean and UK Game Developers Promoted
- APB Slated for Simultaneous Release in Korea and UK in 2007
November 17, 2005 (SEOUL, Korea) – Webzen, Inc. (www.webzen.com), as Korea’s representative game developer, today attended a game demonstration event sponsored by the British Council. Webzen, Inc. introduced guests to some of its games in development and gave a presentation on the current state of Korea’s game industry.
Today’s event was made possible through the invitation from Prince Andrew, in his role as an ambassador for securing investment in the United Kingdom, and the British Council. Webzen, Inc. was recently awarded the worldwide publishing rights for the online game APB from a British developer. The company also finances and develops its own games. Also invited to the event was NC Soft, a game developer strong in the global market with high-quality games.
“The United Kingdom is the largest market for games in all of Europe,” said Nam Ju Kim, chief executive office of Webzen, Inc. “We’re seriously examining the possibility of establishing a subsidiary in Europe, and I’m expecting that with this visit by Prince Andrew, there will be an even more active exchange between the two countries.”
Along with introducing the company, Webzen, Inc. showcased movie clips from Soul of the Ultimate Nation, soon slated for open beta testing, as well as Wiki, currently in development, and APB (All Points Bulletin). During the event, Prince Andrew showed avid interest in the realistic visual graphics from Soul of the Ultimate Nation. He commented to another guest that he was impressed with the technical expertise of the Korean online games.
The Hybrid MMO Action game APB is targeted for European and North American markets, and is the first online game by David Jones, the creator of GTA (Grand Theft Auto) that took the game world by storm. APB is currently being developed in United Kingdom in PC online and XBox360 versions and is slated for simultaneous launching in Korea and United Kingdom 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. 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.
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November 17 2005
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FULL SPEED AHEAD FOR HUXLEY DEVELOPMENT
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Huxley, the MMOFPS game currently in development by Webzen, Inc. (www.webzen.co.kr), has been featured as an exclusive cover story in the November issue of Computer Gaming World, the premier PC game magazine in the United States.
With the sub headline “Webzen’s brave new genre-bending world,” the 10-page exclusive article showcases Huxley characters, towns, and combat system in detail. As the authority on PC games since its first issue in 1981, GCW has occasionally covered games developed in Korea, but this is the first time the magazine has featured a title as an exclusive cover story.
There has been a steady stream of inquiry not only from North America but also from Germany, Czech Republic and other European countries, testifying to the increasing enthusiasm for games from Korea after E3.
“Huxley Studio has been making great strides toward a new genre, and I believe the North American press and FPS game fans are definitely seeing an evolution of FPS games,” said Prouducer Ki Jong Kang from Webzen’s Huxley Studio. “I’m confident that fans will be pleased with our efforts in creating an innovative, progressive game experience.”
Meanwhile, on October 10th, Cedric Fiorentino, the renowned level designer* of the Unreal series, came on board Webzen, Inc. Having participated in console games such as PlayStation 2, as well as Gears of War, a new title from Epic Games, Fiorentino was enthusiastic about the Huxley project and joined Webzen, Inc.
Webzen says that, with Fiorentino’s professional grasp of the FPS game genre and the North American market, it is strategically positioned in North America, considered the home turf of FPS.
Huxley is being developed for both online PC and XBox360. The PC version is slated for release in 2006, while the XBox360 version is set for release in 2007.
About Webzen, Inc.
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. 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.
* What is a level designer? FPS games have maps or stages that include settings called levels. While settings normally do not really affect gameplay in other genres such as MMORPG, objects including topography and traps directly influence the gameplay and excitement in FPS games. Thus, settings are called levels. Because FPS level design must take visual graphic elements into account, it is considered a highly challenging field.
For more information, please contact:
Webzen Inc. PR : [email protected] / 82-2-3498-6836
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October 17 2005
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Conclusion of Soul of the Ultimate Nation's First CBT
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WEBZEN ANNOUNCES SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION OF SOUL OF THE ULTIMATE NATION’S FIRST CLOSED BETA TEST
400,000 New Members Choose Dragon Knight as Most Popular Character
Graphics, Battle Zone System, and Music Provide Fresh Excitement
Webzen, Inc. today announced the conclusion of the first closed beta test of Soul of the Ultimate Nation, the innovative action MMORPG, that took place from September 27th to October 3rd.
A record-breaking 432,700 new subscribers signed up by October 3rd, when the first closed beta test with 999 users ended. According to Webzen, Inc., the game’s extraordinary background music and state-of-the-art graphics were given the highest marks.
Users were especially impressed with the fluid character movement and combat scenes reminiscent of console games. The battle zone system that enables individual users to set their own hunting ground, level of difficulty, and participation criteria was rated highly for transcending the existing MMORPG game templates.
From the 7,692 possible characters, the participants for the first closed beta test chose Dragon Knight as their favorite character (30.7%). Berserker (25%) came in second, with Elementalist and Valkyrie close behind. Geographically, Seoul had the highest concentration of users at 22.7%, and Gyeonggi province was the second highest at 20.3%, followed by Busan, Incheon, South Gyeongsang province, Daegu, and North Gyeongsang province. By region, Seoul metropolitan area and Gyeongsang provinces showed the highest concentration.
During the first closed beta test period, over 2,000 posts were made on the tester’s bulletin. It was clear that the anticipated element is the mission map, which is slated to debut in the upcoming open tests.
“I believe the testers’ positive comments reflect the efforts that went into the game,” said Nam-Ju Kim, chief executive officer of Webzen, Inc. “We’re taking all their valuable comments into consideration, and we’ll have an even better version for the second closed beta test starting on the 25th.”
Meanwhile, the starting date of the second closed beta test is now rescheduled for October 25th. According to Webzen, Inc., “the date was moved in order to provide additional content that were not originally planned for the second test, to incorporate various responses and valuable suggestions made during the first phase.”
About Webzen, Inc.
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. 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.
For more information, please contact:
Webzen Inc. PR : [email protected] / 82-2-3498-6836
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October 17 2005
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SOUL OF THE ULTIMATE NATION’S FIRST CLOSED BETA TEST
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WEBZEN ANNOUNCES THE START OF SOUL OF THE ULTIMATE NATION’S FIRST CLOSED BETA TEST
A Record-Breaking 303,000 Users Sign Up for 999 Lucky Slots
September 26, 2005 (SEOUL, Korea) – Webzen, Inc. today announced the start of the first closed beta test of Soul of the Ultimate Nation, the innovative action MMORPG. The test will take place for one week from September 27th to October 3rd.
During the registration of the first closed beta test, open from September 6th through 22nd, a record-breaking 303,000 users signed up. On September 23rd, the final 999 lucky users beat out the 303 to 1 odds to be chosen as beta testers. When the registration closed, Soul of the Ultimate Nation became the first title in online game history to sign up over 300,000 volunteers for a closed beta test.
“I’d like to thank the over 300,000 gamers who’ve shown so much interest and enthusiasm for Soul of the Ultimate Nation, despite this being still a closed beta test,” said Nam-Ju Kim, chief executive officer of Webzen, Inc. “With all the efforts that went in to perfecting the game, we’re expecting great reviews. Users taking part in this test are definitely in for an incredibly upgraded game experience with Soul of the Ultimate Nation.”
The selected 999 testers will be the first to try out the much-anticipated Soul of the Ultimate Nation. They will be able to experience for themselves the state-of-the-art graphics and differentiated action, starting with the town Tringel during initial log on to four maps (Forest of Beasts, Frozen Place, Valley of Dragons, and Underground waterway of Etherain), using four characters (Berserker, Dragon Knight, Valkyrie, and Elementalist) and approximately 100 skills.
In addition, the testers will get a chance to test out the battle zone system that maximizes gamer options and degree of freedom as well as other basic systems proprietary to Soul of the Ultimate Nation. By participating in bug reports and boards, they will also be exchanging a variety of ideas and opinions on further enhancing Soul of the Ultimate Nation’s gameplay.
Starting on September 27th, the testers can download the game program from Soul of the Ultimate Nation’s official website (www.sunonline.co.kr) to begin the official beta test. Applications will be accepted until October 3rd for Soul of the Ultimate Nation’s second closed beta test. The second test is scheduled for one week beginning October 11th.
About Webzen, Inc.
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. 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.
For more information, please contact:
Webzen Inc. PR : [email protected] / 82-2-3498-6836
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September 26 2005
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WEBZEN ANNOUNCES CLOSED BETA TEST OF THE SUN
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Be the First to Experience the SUN
September 6, 2005 (SEOUL, Korea) – Webzen Inc.(www.webzen.com) today announced the opening of the SUN (Soul of the Ultimate Nation) closed beta tests for 10,999 lucky users.
The sign-up period will last for about a month, from today through October 3rd, on SUN’s close beta official website (www.sunonline.co.kr). Successful beta testers for phases 1 and 2 will be announced on the website on September 23rd and October 7th, respectively.
The first closed beta test takes place from September 27th through October 3rd with 999 selected testers, and the second test starts on October 11th with the remaining 10,000 testers.
With its KRW 10 billion production budget, SUN is an innovative next generation MMORPG game that renders visually stunning graphics in exquisite detail through the first-ever use of Normal mapping1 in online games. SUN boasts numerous differentiated elements, including the “map generation system” that allows gamers to set and play their own games. All signs are pointing to SUN as the blockbuster of 2005.
“SUN is Webzen’s next major title,” said Nam-Ju Kim, chief executive officer of Webzen, Inc., “and through the closed beta tests, it’s finally making its highly-anticipated debut.” He added, “Users will now get a chance to experience firsthand SUN’s visually-compelling graphics, powerful storyline, state-of-art technology, and extraordinary original soundtrack.”
To mark the start of the closed beta tests, Webzen is introducing the “Coming SUN: SUN Closed Beta Event.” Until October 3rd, “the SUN advanced party” members will be chosen from new subscribers, as well as users who apply for the beta tests. The selected SUN advanced party members will receive gifts through a variety of events.
In addition, from users who recommend friends through e-mail or messenger, 1,000 users – including 100 individual users and 10 guilds – who signs up the most new subscribers will get the opportunity to participate in the second closed beta test.
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September 06 2005
