Ragnarok Online creators expand into U.S.

Industry veteran Jun Iwasaki, best known for co-founding publisher XSEED Games and for leading the U.S. push for highly-lauded Final Fantasy VII, today revealed that he has founded a new North American branch of Japanese publishing company GungHo Online. GungHo Online Entertainment America, headquartered in Marina Del Ray, plans to publish video games across all available platforms, including consoles, handhelds, mobiles, tablets and PC, in both North America and Europe. Iwasaki, who has also previously held the president and CEO position at Square Enix USA, is looking to secure titles from external Japanese developers to bring over to Western territories, as well as publishing key titles from GungHo's own in-house studios -- Game Arts, Gravity and Acquire. As part of the studio launch announcement, Ragnarok Online studio GungHo revealed six titles that are due for release over the course of the next 12 months. Dokuro, Ragnarok Odyssey and Picotto Knights are all heading to the PS Vita, the former two before the end of this year, while Puzzle & Dragons, Freak Tower and Princess Punt 2 are all destined for smartphones in the coming months. GungHo America president Iwasaki noted that he is looking to provide a good portfolio of "network-oriented games" that captures the attentions of online gamers.