Sony Signs Partnership With Guild Wars Maker NCSoft, Mentions Mobile Games
Sony has signed a “strategic global business partnership” with NCSoft, the South Korean company behind massively multiplayer online role-playing games such as Guild Wars and Lineage.
Outgoing Sony Interactive Entertainment boss Jim Ryan and NCSoft CEO Taekjin Kim issued a joint statement signaling the deal, which will see both companies “collaborate in various global business fields, including mobile”.
No projects or games were mentioned, but it sounds like the idea here is for Sony to leverage NCSoft’s tech as it plots to make inroads into the huge mobile game market.
“This partnership with SIE is the beginning of our efforts to build various synergies together, utilizing both companies’ core competencies, technological capabilities, and expertise,” said Taekjin Kim. “We will deliver a new and enjoyable experience to our audience across and beyond genres and regions.”
“Partnering with NCSoft advances our strategy to expand beyond console and broaden PlayStation’s reach to a wider audience,” said Ryan. “Like SIE, NCSoft shares a similar vision in creating high-quality, impactful entertainment experiences for players everywhere, and together we’re excited to collaborate to push the boundaries of gaming further.”
Sony announced a significant push into mobile gaming last year with the formation of a PlayStation Studios Mobile Division and the acquisition of the untested Savage Game Studios to develop "a triple-A mobile live service action game". This came after Sony had announced that releasing games on new platforms was now a key part of its business strategy.
However, we’ve heard little since, and last week, it was reported that Savage Game Studios has gone through a complete rebrand after several key team members exited the
Read more on ign.com
