PRESS RELEASES
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WEBZEN’S GLOBAL MU ONLINE, SEASON4 BETA TEST
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SEOUL, South Korea – April 20, 2009- WEBZEN Inc. (NASDAQ and KOSDAQ: WZEN), a leading global online entertainment company, today announced the first best test for Global MU Online
WEBZEN will directly publish the global version of MU Online, which boasts more than 56 million registered users, in the first half of 2009 via Webzen’s ‘Global Game Portal’ (www.webzen.com)"
Namhun Kwon, WEBZEN’s representative, said that the top priority for Webzen right now is direct users to a smooth transition where WEBZEN is coordinating with its publishing partner in regards to migration of the current database to transfer characters and items.
WEBZEN with extensive experience and knowledge operating many online MMORPG games has previously hosted the Global MU Online server in 2003 and is expected to provide end-user oriented services and customer supports as well as bringing stability into the game.
"You can expect a better service since the company that has been developing the game for many years is now operating the global server. MU Online has a world-wide user base and we are planning on providing a stable global service for them. Our new global game portal webzen.com is going to be a communication link for our customers throughout the world", said ChangKeun Kim, chief executive officer, WEBZEN Inc.
The publishing territories include North and South America as well as major countries in Europe and more, however, not including those countries which have been serviced through local publishing partners, such as China, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, and Vietnam
To celebrate the opening of Global MU Online – Season 4, WEBZEN will enter the first beta testing from April 28th to April 30th. Registered users can sneak peak at the latest version of Global MU Online.
Upon request, all participants will receive a customized character to better experience part of Season 3 and Season 4 contents of Global MU Online like master level and quest maps such as "Illusion Temple" and "La Cleon” which have not been exposed to Global MU Online users.
The beta test application can be submitted through webzen.com from April 21th to Apr 26th. Users can sign up for ‘webzen.com’ account and have an option to choose character class and starting level.
More details on Mu Online Global Service will be posted regularly on webzen's global game portal webzen.com (www.webzen.com).
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April 20 2009
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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
