South Korea mobile gaming giant Netmarble was chosen earlier today as the preferred bidder for a 25% stake in water purifier rental firm Woongjin Coway valued at US$1.3 billion. It is the latest move by Netmarble, which holds more than…
ArenaNet – Iconic co-founder Mike O’Brien departing Guild Wars studio
[Source] It was announced earlier today that Mike O’Brien, the co-founder and former President of Guild Wars developer ArenaNet, is leaving the company. He will move on and form a new studio with his friends next week with the aim…
Korean Gaming – Politician unhappy with China companies operating from abroad
If you did not already know, the South Korean government is very protective of its gaming industry for both imports and exports. So much so, a games exhibition was held last week to get politicians to try out games and…
Funcom – Tencent becomes biggest shareholder of The Secret World developer
Tencent, a leading internet company with a strong online games operation, entered into a share purchase agreement to acquire 29% of the shares in Funcom, the independent developer and publisher of games such as Conan Exiles and The Secret World.…
Pearl Abyss – Construction on massive new headquarters to begin this December
First announced back in January earlier this year, Black Desert Online developer Pearl Abyss subsequently got the necessary permits in June. Yesterday, it was revealed that work on the massive 20-level building will begin this December, with an estimated completion…
Taipei Game Show 2020 – Free booths up for grabs at annual games show
[More details] Calling all budding game developers and games startups! Taipei Game Show is offering a free booth space for its 2020 edition over in the Business to Business (B2B) zone! Known as “Indie House,” you will have the chance…
K-GAMES – Korean politicians gather at National Assembly to play video games
Starting today, a 3-day game exhibition will be held at South Korea’s National Assembly building to showcase and introduce more politicians to the world of gaming. Organized by Korea Association of Game Industry (K-GAMES) and Korea Game Forum, the key…
Smilegate – Employee union held demonstration to call for better work protection
Last week, following the demonstration by Nexon employee union Starting Point, a group of employees from fellow Korean developer Smilegate staged a demonstration as well calling for more “stable work practices.” In case you have forgotten, Smilegate is the developer…
Destiny Child – New publisher announced for action-packed mobile RPG
LINE Games today announced that is is stepping down as the Korean and global publisher of mobile RPG, Destiny Child. Player need not be afraid as developer ShiftUp is taking over the reins with all data to be transferred over.…
Nexon – Gaming giant makes strategic investment in Wonder Holdings
Despite the recent internal turmoil over at Nexon, business still goes on with no solution announced by the gaming giant on the treatment of its employees. Nexon today announced it has made a “strategic investment” in a little-known company called…
Nexon – 2 key executives step down from Korean gaming giant
Following the recent restructuring turmoil at Nexon and the cancellation of Peria Chronicles, the latest news emerged from the South Korean media is that 2 high-level executives at the gaming giant will be stepping down. They are Jiwon Park, Director…
Nexon – Employee union receives permit to hold demonstration in front of headquarters
Nexon’s employee union, Starting Point, today announced it has obtained permission from the local police to hold a demonstration in front of Nexon’s Korean headquarters on 3 September. This is apparently the first demonstration or rally in the local gaming…
Nexon – Over 80 employees “dropped” from canceled Unreal Engine 4 game
It seems that the “crisis” at Nexon is continuing over in the Korean offices. 2 weeks after closing down 2 western subsidiaries, Nexon M and Division Partners Office, and after announcing it will not be taking part in G-Star 2019…
Mad World – Netmarble becomes publisher for promising HTML5 MMORPG
Yesterday, it was announced that gaming giant Netmarble has signed a global publishing contract for Mad World, a HTML5 MMORPG. Developed by Korean indie studio Jandisoft using its own HTML5 engine, the technology allows Mad World to be played cross-platform…