South Korean developer Smilegate has opened a new studio in Barcelona that will focus on triple-A game development.
Smilegate is studio behind popular online first-person shooter, Crossfire, which it claims is played by 1 billion people across 80 countries.
The Barcelona studio's first project will be an open world console title, with Smilegate explaining it wants to tap into a genre that continues to "dominate" the video game industry.
"As open-world games will continue to dominate the video game industry, we are well-positioned to build upon our team’s experience with talent from around the world, and are ready to create a triple-A experience from our new studio in Barcelona," said Smilegate Barcelona chief exec, Yongil Kim.
Smilegate Barcelona currently comprises 20 employees, but is expected to increase in size over the coming months.