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COMING TO AMERICA
Korean Giant WEBZEN Sets its Sights on the USA
While the name might not ring any bells just yet, believe us - by this time next year, there won't be an MMO enthusiast alive who's unfamiliar with WEBZEN's works.
Already a textbook success story in Asia, the Korean publisher (known primarily for its initial effort, fantasy outing MU Online, which boasts 56 million-plus registered users) has grand designs on invading domestic shores. Through newly christened subsidiary WEBZEN America, Inc., the company plans to launch no fewer than three massively multiplayer titles in the USA and Canada by 2007.
These aren't your average, everyday Internet-ready games either; highlights include console-style sword-n-sorcery RPG SUN, groundbreaking futuristic first-person shooter Huxley, and APB, a boundary-busting action/adventure from David Jones, creator of Grand Theft Auto. What's more, plans to publish on multiple platforms including the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are well underway.
We put a call in to Jason Wonacott, the outfit's director of corporate communications, to find out just who these guys think they are, and why they're confident they can conquer the gaming industry:
LQGaming Services:: As a relative newcomer to the North American MMO market, what makes you convinced WEBZEN's going to be able to go toe-to-toe with heavyweights like NCSoft and Sony Online Entertainment?
Jason Wonacott: Simple - we have a sexy portfolio. The games we're bringing to North America have serious appeal.
SUN is a relatively safe bet, in that it's an MMO fantasy RPG. it kind of falls into that category of games that have already been successful. But it also has a very unique twist to it, in that it's extremely fast. It doesn't feature the type of combat where you just click on a monster, then go make a sandwich and come back and see what's happened.
The other products we're looking at launching are the extreme opposite. Take Huxley. It's a twitch-based, hyperactive shooter built on the Unreal 3 engine that takes full advantage of the underlying software engine's power. It's an online-ready FPS; Planetside did similar things with decent success, but we're taking it a step further. Our game's set in a persistent world.
Then you have our third product, APB, an urban action MMOG. This type of product is radically different from what anyone else is putting out there. There are no dragons, no elves. It's couched in a modern-day setting. The theme at its core (if you want to generalize it that much) is cops vs. robbers. It's all about creating a personal identity: The game features extreme character customization and growth. It tracks everything involved in the world of criminals and law enforcement from turf wars to showing off flashy cars you've spent thousands on.
What our parent company, WEBZEN Inc., has done really well was to evaluate the North American market and decide exactly what we needed to do to be successful.
"The biggest thing the MMO market is missing is diversity - it's our job as a publisher to bring titles out in new [and pioneering] genres."
LQGaming Services:: Looking at the situation from a broad standpoint, what would you say your company's publishing strategy is in terms of the type of titles it's looking to create and types of people it's targeting?
Jason Wonacott: So, our portfolio from WEBZEN Inc. is rather cool and diverse in the sense that we currently have nine studios either in-house or on-contract (for example, Real Time Worlds, the folks behind APB). Many are based at WEBZEN headquarters, and we also have a research and development studio in China that's working on a game specifically for that market, Kingdom of Warriors.
Basically, being a global company and having launched a North American office, we have the chance to pick and choose from products and services that should be successful in any given individual market or multiple markets. Will we take Kingdom of Warriors for the U.S.? We might test it and decide that it's a smart move for us. But in the short term, we have three products that we think are going to be very successful here. As a global company though, we have access to even greater resources if we need.
There's a game, for example, called Parfait Station that first and foremost should be successful in Korea, China and Japan. Another game to consider is Endless Saga, which is being developed for PC and PlayStation 3. The core market for that is Japan. But with both of these titles, and any others the parent company produces, we have the option to bring them here.
LQGaming Services:: How do you feel about the MMO market as a whole? Given the fact that WEBZEN's embarking upon an American invasion, surely you must have the impression there's something missing from the sector or wrong with it?
Jason Wonacott: I wouldn't say there's anything wrong with the market. I'd just say it's still growing.
When you look at the MMO space, it's still a relatively new genre and people still don't really know how to classify it. Many publications out there still lump them into one section of the magazine or website. Well, how do you compare, say, Planetside to Asheron's Call? How do you compare D&D Online to Huxley? They're totally different types of titles going after totally different audiences.
That said, the biggest thing the MMO market is missing right now is diversity. Seeing games like City of Heroes get released is great. It builds upon the success of fantasy MMOs, but it's not one itself. It takes a title like Guild Wars or World of Warcraft to bring attention to the market and get people into the hobby, but these people will and do want to play other types of games with thousands of other people online. It's our job as a publisher to help speak to these interests by bringing MMOs out in new genres.
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