Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online coming to Xbox Live Arcade later this year
One in six people in China have played Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online -- the free-to-play 2D action PC MMORPG claimed over 200 million registered users even before its launch in North America, at one point seeing 2.2 million concurrent users. And now Nexon is reaching out for another audience entirely: It's announced that DFO is coming to Xbox Live later in 2011, published by none other than Microsoft Games Studios.
The console version will be jointly developed by Nexon and Korean developer Softmax, and the game's original developer, Neople, will direct the project. There's no word on whether it will be free-to-play or microtransaction-based on Xbox Live Arcade or not -- the original game, like all of Nexon's titles, is supported by sales of in-game items, from gear and potions to XP boosts.
Joystiq has contacted Nexon to find out more, and we'll let you know what we hear. This announcement could be huge -- a free-to-play MMO hit on consoles, especially in the west, would have big ramifications for the gaming industry at large.
Update: "Nothing has been determined yet" about the model for this one, we're told. Nexon says it's too early in the process to talk about exactly how this version of the game will work.
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Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online Coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade
Los Angeles, CA – (March 24, 2011) - Nexon and Microsoft Game Studios have entered a publishing agreement to bring the popular multiplayer online role-playing game (MORPG) Dungeon Fighter Online to Xbox LIVE Arcade later this year.
Dungeon Fighter Online (known as Dungeon & Fighter in Asia) is one of the most popular MORPGs in the world with more than 200 million registered users worldwide. The game set a new record for concurrent players in Asia after it registered more than 2.2 million concurrent users in the combined China, Japan and Korean territories after its release.
The Xbox LIVE Arcade version of the game will be jointly developed by Nexon and Softmax. Softmax is the developer of several console games such as The War of Genesis and Magna Carta. Neople, the developer of Dungeon Fighter Online (PC) and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nexon, will be in charge of directing the project. The game will be published by Microsoft Game Studios in all territories.
Nexon will localize the game into English and Chinese, while Microsoft Game Studios will localize the game into Japanese, Spanish, German, Italian and French. Leveraging the strengths of each company in development, marketing, and translation will help ensure the highest quality game experience for players worldwide.
This move marks the first time that Nexon is releasing a game on a console system, and is part of Nexon's long-term plan to expand onto new platforms in order to introduce new audiences to its game franchises.
"This agreement is a significant step forward for Nexon," said Min Suh, Nexon's chief executive officer. "For some time we have been seeking opportunities to expand beyond online PC gaming and move into new platforms like Xbox LIVE Arcade. With the help of Microsoft Game Studios' deep development and localization experience, we anticipate that Dungeon Fighter Online will bring enjoyment to entirely new audiences on Xbox LIVE Arcade."
The Xbox LIVE Arcade version of Dungeon Fighter Online will maintain its MORPG form and will launch later this year.
Developed by Neople, Dungeon Fighter Online is a 2D MORPG with a mixture of action and RPG elements. It launched in Korea in August of 2005 and launched in North America in the summer of 2010.
