Nexon to exhibit 7 new games at G-Star show

By Cho Mu-hyun

Nexon, Korea’s largest game publisher and developer unveiled seven new games Thursday to be exhibited at next week’s G-Star 2012 trade show.

The firm showed off the new titles that visitors to the game fair will be able to try from Nov 8 to 11 at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center in the southeastern port city.

“We have always greeted you during G-Star in the past but prepared this preview to do it properly this time around,” said Nexon CEO Seo Min, at a press conference at Eltower, southern Seoul. “As you already well know, there are a lot of challenges and changes in the online game market. It is needless to state the challenges that mobile devices, tablets and social media are posing (to game companies).

“The online game industry is making efforts to address the problem. We say there is opportunity in crisis. We have new lineups prepared for mobile devices. We will acquire overseas mobile game companies and continue our efforts to launch mobile games abroad,” he added.

The new games introduced were FIFA Online 3, Counter Strike Online 2, ProBaseball 2K, Warface, Project NT, Mabinogi II: Arena and Cyphers.

EA Sports’ FIFA Online 3’s second closed beta test will start on Nov. 27, in which 50,000 testers will participate. Free tests will also start in Internet cafes, starting December.

Counter Strike Online 2 is the latest release of one of the most popular first-person shooters in the world. The series, launched eight years ago, boasts improved visual quality through the Source game engine (courtesy of partner Valve) and has been optimized to be played on any computer regardless of its specification. Closed beta tests will start on Nov. 16.

ProBaseball 2K is a joint project between 2K Sports and Korea’s NeoPle, and the first baseball game published by Nexon. According to the developers, the title differs from action-oriented counterparts, focusing on being a precise “simulation” of a real life game. Closed beta tests will start on Nov. 15 while open beta tests are to be held in early 2013.

“We are proud of these games we introduce to you because the development teams have given their youth and passion to the respective titles,” said the CEO.

All titles will be playable at Nexon’s booth during the four-day trade show.

Nexon is a powerhouse in multiple player online games in Korea, having been the first to apply the free-to-play business model (playing is free but consumers must pay for various additional in-game features) that is now becoming a global trend.