R E L A T E D C O N T E N T

EA brings online Battlefield to Korea

Launch of online game in rest of Asia planned

Simon Burns in Taipei, vnunet.com 08 Jun 2007

One of the most popular multiplayer games of recent years will be remade in a special online edition for Asia, its publisher has announced.

The new edition of the Battlefield franchise will be co-developed by Electronic Arts and Korea's Neowiz Corporation.

"We have seen the success of the Battlefield community in Europe and North America, and are excited to start working with the talented team at Neowiz to develop the game for Asia," said Patrick Soderlund, general manager of EA Dice, the Swedish EA subsidiary that developed the game.

"This is a great opportunity for the Battlefield franchise to create a new online experience with rich, streamlined game play and mass market appeal."

Neowiz has already worked with EA on the development and launch in Korea of FIFA Online, an online version of EA Sports' FIFA series of soccer games.

Boosted by the World Cup, the game has attracted 4.9 million users in the country, Neowiz claims. EA took a 15 per cent share in Neowiz when the two companies agreed to cooperate on FIFA Online.

"Gamers can expect to see enhancements that build on the rich community element of existing titles in the Battlefield franchise such as social networking and clan support, as well as new features to deliver an always-fresh, online in-game experience," the two companies said in a statement.

While development is taking place in Korea, EA also plans to bring the game to other countries, including China, Taiwan and Japan. In China, EA has partnered with The9 in which it has also taken a stake.

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