Electronic Arts is planning to invest over $20 million in a new development studio based in Korea.
According to a report in the Digital Chosunilbo, EA wants to have the studio operational within the year, and will use Korean developers to create “three or four” new online games in an effort to move into the Asian market. The new studio will be led by senior producer Danny Issac, whose previous credits include the FIFA Soccer and Harry Potter franchises.
A source with EA said, “The size of the studio hasn’t been decided yet. First we plan to recruit dozens of workers to develop the NBA Street and Battle Field online games, but if we have more applicants that expected we may increase the size of the studio and develop another game.”
Online gaming is immensely popular in Korea, with games including Lineage, Ragnarok Online and Lineage 2 (which reports over 14 million subscribers) achieving enviable levels of success despite their failure to break into the North American market.
