Category Archives: Asia

Need for Speed World Online, one of a trio of newly announced games from the EA fanchise, is to enter technical testing in Taiwan and Hong Kong in March.

The free-roaming, free-to-play effort has no solid release date as yet other than 2009.

Press release after the break.

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Siliconera reports that SCEA (Asia) is releasing “Radiant Red” and “Vibrant Blue” PSPs.

The new models will cost $1,380 Hong Kong Dollars (approx. €130) and will almost definitely never ever leave Eastern shores so you can look,. but you can’t touch.

Bit more through the link.

Thanks, Kotaku.

By Mike Bowden

If, as planned, Lord of the Rings Online can successfully launch in China next year, the game is likely to become only the second truly successful western MMO released in Asia, the game’s dev lead Jeff Steefel has told VG247.

“I would argue that if we could successfully launch LotRO in China, we will probably be the second western game to be viably successful in Asia,” he said.

“It’s taken a while for them to get used to our games and for us to learn a little bit more about what they like to do.”

Steefel said that LotRO won’t launch until 2009 in China as it’s taken time to work with local partners to prepare the game for release in the country.

“I think it’s like anything else: everybody’s going to be rushing to do it,” he said. “The people that have been working on it and planning it for a long time are much more likely to succeed.

“I don’t think Asia’s a place where you can just suddenly decide that you want to be there.”

The first western title to crack the MMO market in the East is, obviously, World of Warcraft. Steefel made no bones about how significant WoW’s Chinese launch was to the Blizzard game hitting its current 11 million subs level.

“I think WoW’s success in Asia has validated it for western markets in theory… If you look at World of Warcraft and the way their subscription numbers have grown, a significant, if not a majority portion of that has come from the East,” he said.

“That’s where a big part of the global gaming market is and it’s been that way for a long time, but we’re only just now figuring how western games can begin to tap into that market.”

Lord of the Rings Online’s Mines of Moria expansion releases in the US and Europe today.

Bit slow on this, sorry. HanbitSoft – the South Korean company that now owns the rights to Hellgate: London – has confirmed that there’s new content in the pipe for the troubled action-RPG-MMO.

“Since acquiring the intellectual property rights, HanbitSoft Inc., the publisher and distributor of Hellgate: London in Asia, has concentrated on the development of Hellgate: London, and has received many inquiries regarding new updates,” the game’s product manager wrote on his blog.

“Our US development studio is currently working on an update that is to surpass The Abyss Chronicles. This game will be available through our web site. We thank you once again for showing your interest and ask for your continuous support for Hellgate: London, as we hope to bring good news shortly. In the meantime, we will continue developing the world’s best game!”

The game caught on nicely in Asia, despite original creator Flagship biting the bullet earlier this year.

EA Asia boss Jon Niermann has admitted that revenue for the publisher in the region is lower than target, but has pointed to a heavy release schedule of online game to boost funds.

“It’s nowhere where it needs to be. We need to get that growth significantly higher,” Niermann told the AP.

Asian revenues account for 6 percent of EA’s overall tally, the exec said.

Niermann said EA hopes to increase its market share in Asia by launching more online games, with 12 editions of different games expected to roll out this year.

EA has already launched online versions of FIFA, NBA Street and WAR in the region, with Battlefield Heroes to follow. The online version of Need for Speed, which was developed in Singapore, will launch next year.

More through the link.

Star Online is reporting that PlayStation 3 will launch in Malaysia this Saturday, September 20

Should you be Malaysian and want to get involved, the machines will be available from 11.30am at the 1Utama shopping centre in Petaling Jaya (just keep going after you pass the church on the right).

So there you go.

Thanks Kotaku.

Namco’s bought 34 percent of Atari’s European and Asian sales network for €30 million.

Between June 31, 2012 to June 20, 2013, Namco will also have the option to buy the remaining 66 percent from Infogrames.

“I am delighted that this transaction strengthens our outstanding partnership with Namco Bandai, one of the industry’s greatest creators and publishers of video games, and is a significant development in Infogrames’ reinvention,” said Infogrames boss David Gardner.

“The agreement will give Infogrames a guaranteed and strengthened product portfolio and provide us additional means to invest in new product development for packaged and online markets.”

Sony’s put out a press release saying Home will release in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan in “fall 2008″. There’s going to be a closed beta in “mid-September,” apparently.

Full thing after the drop. Thanks, Kotaku.

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According to this GI story, Crytek boss Cevat Yerli’s been confirmed as a keynote speaker at Games Convention Asia Conference this year.

“The technology available today is light years ahead of what was generally available just five years ago,” he said. “Add those advancements to increasing technical expertise as we learn more about graphically creating immersive worlds, and the conditions are right to have graphics play a major role in telling the story of a game.”

The event takes place in Singapore on September 18-20. More through the link.

According to Singapore’s official Warhammer Online website, Mythic’s long-delayed, highly anticipated fantasy MMO will be releasing in the country on September 23.

There’s no word on whether or not this will have any bearing on other regions, but we’ll check tomorrow. Good news to those watching the game, anyway.

Here. The Asia-heavy football MMO is working up to launch in the third-quarter of this year, and is slated for release in ten countries in the region.

Said a spokesperson: “The site will be further developed in the near future to incorporate a forum and more information about the game but in the meantime, players can register for an exclusive spot in the upcoming CBT over there!”

Go see.

According to this Thompson Financial story, quoting the Nikkei, both Nintendo and Sony are showing serious signs or moving their businesses into other areas of Asia outside Japan.

Apparently, 20 DS titles are to be release in South Korea this year, and Nintendo “has started providing technologies to a South Korean game developer, which has been working on titles including a simulation game that makes use of the touch screen on the Nintendo DS.”

Sony, on the other hand, “plans to work with Taiwanese authorities to train game creators starting in September,” and is also looking to expand PS3 operations in South Korea.

More through the link.

Super Smash Bros. World is reporting that custom stages in SSBB can now be shared between regions.

“It all comes down to where you place the stages on your SD card,” says the site. “There are specific directory structures for each region. So, if you’re from America, all your stages (downloaded or created) will go in the same directory. The same would apply to EU and Japanese users.”

Full details through the link.

By Mike Bowden

From the Major. Namco’s posted a demo of Tales of Vesperia, but only for the Asian and Indian Marketplaces.

The game is region free so grab it now, if you can.

By Mike Bowden

According to this Reuters story, EA expects revenue from online gaming in Asia to account for three-fifths of its business in the region within five years.

The figure compared to the 10-15 percent expected this year.

“This year, the online business for Asia is going to represent somewhere between 10-15 percent of our business,” said EA Asia head, Chris Thompson.

“I would see, five years from now, that the online portion of our business could be representing somewhere plus or minus around 60 pct of our business.”

More through the link.

EA’s just confirmed that Warhammer Online will hit Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia at the same time as America and Europe.

The region will also have its own dedicated server, based in Australia.

“Warhammer is a world-wide franchise with a strong following in Australia and New Zealand. By placing our own server down under and running customer service out of EA Mythic, we can ensure that when we launch WAR, Oceanic players will experience the same quality of game play and customer service as North American players,” said EA Mythic boss Mark Jacobs.

Press release after the link.

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According to this Bloomberg report, Microsoft has dropped the price of Xbox 360 in Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan.

The price of a basic version will drop by 17 percent to NT$10,360 ($340) in Taiwan and by about 11 percent in Hong Kong effective today, Hsieh said. Prices will fall 5.1 percent to 369,000 won ($369) in Korea and by 20 percent to S$499 ($366) in Singapore, according to separate e-mailed statements.

Last month, Microsoft cut the price of the Xbox 360 in Europe for the at least the second time in a year to win customers from Sony and Nintendo. The basic Arcade console fell to 199.99 euros ($311.38) from 279.99 euros, and the model with a 20-gigabyte hard drive dropped 80 euros to 269.99 euros.

More through the link.

Take-Two announced a push into “high growth Asia Pacific markets” this afternoon, say that its hired Hubert Larenaudie – previously of EA and Vivendi – to spearhead the expansion.

Base in Singapore, Larenaudie will be henceforth known but his new and completely awesome job title, “President for Asia”.

“Many of Take-Two’s franchises, such as Grand Theft Auto, Midnight Club, Sid Meier’s Civilization, and BioShock are international hits, and already have attracted large and enthusiastic fan bases in markets such as Japan, South Korea and China,” said Larenaudie, presumably from some kind of nuke-proof 747.

“With the Company’s portfolio of leading brands, growing sports business, extraordinary creative talent and global appeal, I see exciting potential to build a significant Asia Pacific business for Take-Two, with a particular emphasis on the online game segment of the market.”

Press release after the link.

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We didn’t even know there was a FIFA Online 1. The game’s success in Korea has prompted a sequel – FIFA Online 2 – to be rolled out in 10 Asia Pacific countries in the third quarter this year, according to this. IAHGames is to handle the title locally for EA.

Go Peter. We knew Wales would conquer the world eventually.

Leipziger Messe’s confirmed that Games Convention Asia 2008 has been dated for September 18-20 in Singapore. The event will take place at the Suntec International Convention & Exhibition Centre.

More than 70,000 people turned up to last year’s event, which is billed as the only serious show in the region, which is expected to see market growth from $ 11.7 billion in 2006 to $18.8 billion in 2011.

The Messe also announced that it’s employed PR firm Red Dawn Communications to look after its press release interests in the Pacific region from now on.