Webzen Inc. To Enter U.S. Game Market

Webzen, Inc., a developer of online games based in Korea, has announced plans to enter the U.S. games industry as well. As part of its expansion into the west, it will open offices in Los Angeles to develop, publish, and distribute its own online games. Like many Korean games companies, Webzen began by focusing on online games -- its MMORPG Mu boasted 500,000 concurrent users at one point -- and its future output will be in a similar online gaming direction. Sun, its next MMO, will be the first offering from Webzen's U.S. arm, and titles released thereafter will include online games developed for consoles with a specifically Western audience in mind. Official announcements of the rest of its product line will come in February. Webzen's lineup will also be on display at E3 2005, where the company will have a 9,000-square foot presence in the South Hall, rather than a kiosk in the out-of-the-way Kentia Hall -- traditionally the home of developers from Korea. "Webzen, Inc. is very serious about its future success in the U.S.," explained Nam Joo Kim, "and we are hiring and working with top talent from the U.S. and around the world."