Yuke's Opens North American Publishing Office

Osaka Japan-based game development company Yuke's Company, Ltd has announced that it has opened its first office in North America, Yuke's Company of America. The new firm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yuke's Co., Ltd., and intends to publish games on a number of platforms including the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PSP. Yuke's is primarily known as a developer of wrestling and racing titles, including THQ's WWE Smackdown series, the Rumble Roses series for Konami, and the D1GP Professional Drift series of racing games. Yuke's is a also major sponsor of Team Orange, a drift racing team, and has a controlling interest in New Japan Pro-Wrestling Co., Ltd. The news of Yuke's new North American office follows the April announcement of a long-term, strategic agreement with THQ to develop games based on the WWE wrestling brand, including the upcoming WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007. THQ holds a minority interest in Yuke's, which has developed wrestling games for the company since 1999.