PRESS RELEASES
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WEBZEN AND NHN USA EXECUTES HUXLEY™ LICENSING AGREEMENT FOR NORTH AMERICA AND EUROPE
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SEOUL – May 19, 2008 – Global online entertainment company WEBZEN Inc. (www.webzen.com) announced today that it has executed a licensing agreement for North America and Europe with NHN USA (www.nhnusainc.com) for Huxley™, the next-generation MMOFPS game.
In a landmark deal worth a total of $3 million with an advance and a minimum guarantee, NHN USA will be bringing Webzen’s highly-anticipated Huxley to North American and western European markets in 16 countries, including U.S., Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom and France.
The companies plan on leveraging Webzen’s outstanding development capabilities and NHN USA’s significant game publishing experience to create synergy in providing the optimal Huxley experience in the overseas markets.
“We are extremely excited about working with NHN USA, a company that has had phenomenal successes with publishing numerous games, as we enter the North American and European markets,” said Nam-Ju Kim, chief executive officer of Webzen, Inc. “And we’ll continue to refine Huxley even further to exceed the high expectation of gamers in North America and Europe.”
“By ensuring great playability and a systematic localization process, we’re expecting a highly successful launch of Huxley in the Americas and western Europe, both of which are considered the ‘home’ of FPS games,” said Koongwhon Nam, chief executive officer of NHN USA. “Huxley is an integral part of our unwavering commitment to bring Korea’s very best online games to the world through ijji.com.”
Their enthusiasm for Huxley echoes the nonstop North American game industry buzz of anticipation for the game – an honorable mention in Game Informer’s list of Top 10 Games for 2008, the most searched FPS game in April on North America’s premier online game magazine IGN, and sharing the top 2 spots on the same site with Starcraft 2 for all game genres.
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May 19 2008
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WEBZEN’S SOUL OF THE ULTIMATE NATION ENTERS COMMERCIAL SERVICE IN JAPAN
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SEOUL, South Korea and TOKYO – April 21, 2008 – WEBZEN Inc. (NASDAQ: WZEN), a leading global online entertainment company, today announced that Soul of the Ultimate Nation, the epic fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), has entered commercial service in Japan through a partnership with publisher GameOn.
Soul of the Ultimate Nation’s commercial launch in Japan marks the fourth such release for the MMORPG, following similar launches in Korea, Taiwan and China. Open beta testing for Soul of the Ultimate Nation in Japan began on March 24 and recorded more than 10 thousand concurrent players after just two weeks in beta service. Leading into the live launch, WEBZEN and GameOn collaborated on server stabilization and final stages of localizing and updating content for the local market.
Soul of the Ultimate Nation incorporates a micropayment model popular to many Asian online games. GameOn will also be releasing Soul of the Ultimate Nation DVDs in retail, with special bonus features such as the game client and DVD-only special in-game items and micropayment points.
WEBZEN’s Soul of the Ultimate Nation revenues in Taiwan and China have eclipsed earnings from Korea, the first market to see the game’s commercial release. The MMORPG’s momentum and success in Japan has prompted WEBZEN to look into that market for future product releases and explore the opportunities for Soul of the Ultimate Nation’s entry into additional territories.
“Soul of the Ultimate Nation has seen a number of great upgrades and content updates since its release in Korea, and we are really proud that it is so widely enjoyed by players in China, Taiwan and Japan,” said Nam-Ju Kim, chief executive officer, WEBZEN Inc. “We look forward to Soul of the Ultimate Nation’s continued success in the global market contributing to WEBZEN’s increased fiscal performance to reinforce our reputation as a leading global online entertainment company. Based on our success in Japan with games like Soul of the Ultimate Nation, we are confident that our pipeline of new services for that market will be well received.”
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April 18 2008
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WEBZEN ANNOUNCES SECOND KOREAN CLOSED BETA TESTING FOR HUXLEY
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SEOUL, South Korea – Nov. 05, 2007 – WEBZEN Inc. (NASDAQ: WZEN), a leading global online entertainment company, today announced the Korean schedule for the second stage of Huxley closed beta testing (CBT).
The second stage of testing for the highly-anticipated twitch-action massively multiplayer online first-person shooting (MMOFPS) game will take place from Dec. 13-17, 2007, in Korea. Registration for new local testers will begin in November, though gamers who took part in the first CBT will be able to participate as well.
Huxley received favorable marks as a dynamically original hyper-FPS game from gamers and media representatives who took part in the first CBT in September. The second CBT will primarily evaluate Huxley’s FPS elements through updated core battle play, as well as the complementary system stability elements.
“We’re highlighting the FPS elements in the first and second closed beta tests, and will roll out the much-anticipated MMO elements in later stages of testing,” said Nam-Ju Kim, chief executive officer, WEBZEN Inc. “I’m confident that this unique blend of MMO and twitch-action FPS game design in Huxley will have a dynamic and positive affect the entire online gaming market.”
More information about Huxley’s Korean closed beta testing will be available shortly at www.huxley.co.kr.
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November 05 2007
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WEBZEN SECURES $5.8 MILLION FOR SUN LICENSE
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SEOUL, South Korea – Oct. 24, 2007 – WEBZEN Inc. (NASDAQ: WZEN), a leading global online entertainment company, today announced that they secured a $5.8 million licensing deal for the epic fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Soul of the Ultimate Nation with Japanese publisher GameOn.
Soul of the Ultimate Nation is slated for commercial distribution throughout Japan next year, and is expected to increase WEBZEN’s 2008 fiscal results. The license agreement covers all development and installation expenses.
The Soul of the Ultimate Nation licensing deal marks the second collaboration between WEBZEN and GameOn, and increases WEBZEN’s growing position in the Japanese gaming market. The two companies first partnered in 2003 (confirm) on WEBZEN’s first MMORPG, MU Online.
“This deal for Soul of the Ultimate Nation builds on the trust established by the successful introduction of MU Online in Japan,” said Nam-Ju Kim, chief executive officer, WEBZEN Inc. “We are happy to see another great WEBZEN title enter the Japanese online gaming market.”
“We were very impressed with the successful launch of Soul of the Ultimate Nation in China and Taiwan,” said Sang Youb Lee, president and chief executive officer, GameON. “The game has the highest level of graphic design and action of any MMORPG we’ve seen. I’m sure that Soul of the Ultimate Nation will satisfy the discerning tastes of Japanese gamers.”
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October 24 2007
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ACCLAIMED COMPOSER KEVIN RIEPL SCORES WEBZEN’S MMOFPS HUXLEY
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SEOUL, South Korea and LOS ANGELES – Oct. 2, 2007 – Huxley, the highly anticipated twitch-action massively multiplayer online first-person shooting (MMOFPS) game, now has a dramatic orchestral soundtrack to compliment the game’s creative and immersive post-apocalyptic storyline and intense game play. Global online entertainment company Webzen, Inc. (NASDAQ: WZEN) announced today that acclaimed composer Kevin Riepl has scored the soundtrack for the upcoming sci-fi adventure.
A renowned musical composer for multiple entertainment genres, Riepl’s previous videogame credits include the commercial blockbuster Gears of War, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game City of Villains and the first-person shooters Unreal Championship 2 and Unreal Tournament 2004, among many others.
“I am really proud to have the opportunity to work on Huxley, an awesome game with a lot of different themes and influences that required a gripping soundtrack,” said Riepl. “The music will bring players closer to the game in every aspect of Huxley – from the large and relatively peaceful cities to the immersive player-versus environment quests and the intense player-versus-player massive battles.”
The Huxley score, composed by Riepl, was recorded by the 80-piece Hollywood Studio Symphony at Warner Bros. Studios over a two-day period. The game’s soundtrack features 25 tracks, each unique to the style and feel of various maps, battles and even the game’s two distinct cities where players will congregate, socialize, trade items and prepare before entering Huxley’s epic battles.
“We can now add immersive and dramatic music to the creative multi-cultural art style, compelling Unreal Engine 3.0 graphics and unique game design as some of the many ways that Huxley is sure to resonate with players,” said Kijong “KJ” Kang, producer, Webzen. “Kevin captured the exact musical feel we wanted Huxley players to experience while unfolding the epic story and engaging in the game’s fierce battles.”
Produced by Webzen’s H-Studio, Huxley is the first massively multiplayer online (MMO) game to combine the twitch-based fast-action gameplay of a first person shooter (FPS) with the cerebral character development of an MMO to deliver an intense and exciting online entertainment experience of a complete MMOFPS. Players will be drawn into the genre-bending game play, riveting cinematic graphics and intricate setting of Huxley, where they will choose between two races, Sapiens or Alternatives and struggle to obtain a powerful energy source while fighting endless battles against the Hybrids, a mysterious third group born of the two races.
Currently in development for gamers across multiple global markets, Huxley is in closed beta testing in Korea. The game is slated for release in North America in 2008. For more information, please check out http://www.webzengames.com/huxley.
For more information on Kevin Riepl Music: http://kevinriepl.com.
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October 04 2007