Mythos Breaks into SEA

MYTHOS BREAKS INTO SEA
HanbitSoft and AsiaSoft signs $7million publishing rights contract

Seoul, Korea (January 4, 2008) – HanbitSoft, today announced that the company has signed a publishing rights contract with AsiaSoft, for introducing Mythos to South East Asia.

The total amount of the contract is 7million US with 21percent of running royalty from gross sales. Through this contract agreement with AsiaSoft, Mythos will be distributed to 10 different South East Asian countries including Thailand, Vietnam, and Philippines.

“Clearly, South East Asian market had changed in the last few years influenced by increasing imports of foreign games,” commented Richard Sung, head of Business Development Division of HanbitSoft, and added “strong contents developed by Flagship Studios and good reputation of HanbitSoft in the territory mad the Mythos deal go quite positively even in the very competitive and tough market status.”

Developed by Flagship Seattle, a subsidiary of Flagship Studios, Mythos is an online, action role-playing game that is set in the land of Uld – a fantasy world arising from the ashes of an epoch-long war of darkness. Players assume the roles of fantasy heroes as they explore, adventure, and quest through entirely randomized dungeons and environments. With an elegant point-and-click interface and an accessible isometric perspective, Mythos is poised to have near-universal appeal. The game allows thousands of players to interact within the same world while using mostly "instanced" dungeons to create unique gaming experiences suited for both solo and group-minded players.

“While Hellgate: London is an action RPG with massive scale, Mythos is more of a light and casual MMORPG,” said Alex Kim, CEO of HanbitSoft, “we hope that gamers in South East Asia will enjoy both of these games.”

“We are very happy to be the one to introduce Mythos to South East Asian gamers,” said Sherman Tan, Chariman of AsiaSoft, “we are very confident of our partnership with HanbitSoft and Flagship Studios, and we are going to make it successful.”

Mythos is currently exercising the online technology and services behind the multiplayer component of the highly-anticipated action role-playing game Hellgate: London. HanbitSoft will be responsible for distributing Mythos in Asia, and digitally distributed in North America and Europe by Ping0.

For more information please visit the official Mythos website: www.mythos.hanbiton.com

GE on PCgamer

GE gets 90points from PCGamer REVIEW

NeoSteam to Taiwan!

HanbitSoft’s NeoSteam Advances into Taiwan

Seoul, Korea – December 12, 2007 – HanbitSoft today announced that the company has made a publishing rights agreement with X-Legend Entertainment on providing NeoSteam in Taiwan.

In present NeoSteam, online steam punk RPG is serviced in three countries, including China and Japan. By advancing into Taiwan, NeoSteam has now made into three major online game markets in Asia. Through this opportunity, HanbitSoft will now be cooperating with X-Legend Entertainment for successful launch of NeoSteam in Taiwan.

“We are truly happy to have the chance to publish NeoSteam in Taiwan,” said Nelson Chang, CEO of X-Legend Entertainment Taiwan, “We are very confident with the title, and our partner HanbitSoft. HanbitSoft has great manpower of technique and ideas, and I am sure our cooperation will bring great success of NeoSteam.”

“This partnership is very special for us since we have made into all major markets in Asia,” said Alex Kim, CEO of HanbitSoft, “With great teamwork with X-Legend Entertainment, we are going to make NeoSteam succeed.”

Currently, NeoSteam is commercialized in all countries. NeoSteam will start Christmas events and New Year celebration in Japan from December 18th.

Get Ready to Meet AIKA

HanbitSoft Announces New MMORPG, AIKA

Seoul, Korea – December 10, 2007 – HanbitSoft today announced future schedule for the premier MMORPG, AIKA.

HanbitSoft announced that AIKA is ready for the Focus Group Test which will start on December 18th and end on December 20th. The Focus Group Test will be operated with the members of Hanbit Game Testers, who have been chosen for tests of HanbitSoft games. They have participated to tests for Mythos and Takedown previously.

HanbitSoft will be collecting the feedbacks from testers who participate on AIKA’s first Focus Group Test, and share them during the Users Conference which will be held on the 20th, the last of the test.
At the Users Conference, HanbitSoft will be showing the new clips of recent movie trailer, and have a discussion time with the developers and the testers.

AIKA is developed by JoyImpact, the veteran team who developed WYDFC2 and Tantra. AIKA had been revealed to public last year, during the early development at Gstar2006. This will be the second time to be revealed officially to the public, only it is now ready for the real service.

HanbitSoft announced that AIKA is ready to be out, and will be announcing more updates very soon.

GE China, Goes Commercial!

GRANADO ESPADA GOES COMMERCIAL IN CHINA

Seoul, Korea – November 23, 2007 – HanbitSoft today announced that the premier MMORPG Granado Espada has gone commercial in China.

Granado Espada is basically free to download and free to play. For those players who want to experience more, HanbitSoft is offering an optional item sale which will give players access to tremendous amounts of contents.

Even after only been less than a month since the game had gone open beta, more than 3million gamers joined to play Granado Espada, showing huge popularity among the Chinese gamers. It is now in fourth place for having the largest client download number in China.

The9 announced that nineteen worlds that are currently open are nearly full which proves the popularity. The9 will add six more worlds very soon to manage the increasing numbers of players.

“Granado Espada is a unique game that qualifies both fantastic graphic and strong contents” said Alex Kim, CEO of HanbitSoft. “We will strengthen contents that would please the Chinese gamers and concentrate more on localization to provide best quality.”

Granado Espada is a MMORPG developed by imcGAMES, a team of veteran developers led by Hak-kyu Kim, one of world famous developers. It is serviced in China by The9, one of largest online game publishers in China.

Hellgate: London gets 89.2 points from Korean Gamers

Korean Gamers Give 89.2Points for Hellgate: London

Seoul, Korea (November 22, 2007) – HanbitSoft today announced that Hellgate: London (www.hellgate.co.kr) received 89.2 points from average users rating in Korea.

The survey was took place at Hellgate: London’s Korean official website from November 9th until November 15th. Out of more than 250 thousand gamers who joined for Hellgate: London’s second closed beta test, 25,404 gamers participated. Average age of participants was 29.5, and 90.7 percent was male.

Gamers had total of five categories; graphic, addiction, fun, action and sound, and for each category they gave stars up to seven. The result shows that Korean gamers’ average rating is 89.2 points, 63.6 percent of the participants gave full points for graphic, which got the most points. Hellgate: London is the first online game to support Direct X-10 which features lively backgrounds such as raindrops popping on the ground, shaded characters at a beam of light and spreading smoke.

Even though it is not included in one of the rating categories, gamers also gave good reviews for stable service during the beta test. Hellgate: London finished its three-day-long test without going through any technical or network problems.

HanbitSoft announced that the final beta test for Hellgate: London will start shortly, and the company will schedule for the open beta according to the test results.

SPIKE GIRLS!!

HANBITSOFT ANNOUNCES SPIKE GIRLS FOR NEW LINE UP

Seoul, Korea – November 22, 2007 – HanbitSoft today announced that the company concluded on a publishing rights contract with Movon Corporation for a new online game Spike Girls.

Spike Girls is an online casual sports game with a theme about pretty teenage girls playing kickball. The game presents lively motions of actual kickball game, and strong single-play contents with diverse mini games. Using various skills and strategic team play, Spike Girls has every feature that a casual sports game should have. Collecting characters through special events, and dressing them up with various decorative items is one of features that gamers cannot miss.

Spike Girls is developed by a veteran team, led by Main Producer Kang Baek Ju who was the main director for main titles at NCsoft. Lee Seok Woo, who was lead art director for the popular Princess Maker3 is now the Art Director for Spike Girls.

“I think the most interesting part about Spike Girls is that it’s all about fun ideas. We are very happy to be publishing such great game” said Alex Kim, CEO of HanbitSoft. “Through great teamwork with Movon, we will show our Pangya legend once again.”

HanbitSoft opened community website for Spike Girls at HanbitOn, the company’s game portal site. For more details about Spike Girls, please visit www.hanbiton.com/parti/main.aspx?pid=41842