The news broke today about CCP and Nexon teaming up to bring EVE Online to Japan's marketplace. It is something that has been a long time in the making and these two powerhouse MMO studios working together could usher in a change of global partnerships for the industry. With CCP centralized in Iceland and working primarily with the North American and European markets, it only make sense that they would partner with a major Asian company to bring EVE to the East. Working with Nexon the partnership creates the perfect platform for players.
So Japan will get a localized EVE universe for players which will include EVE as well as DUST 514. It looks like the process will begin this fall and players will be able to jump into an entire new sector of space. EVE's design and quality have always been the best and Japan's players will now have a playground all to themselves. With the addition of DUST 514 to the PS3 the new environment will give the full EVE experience to Japan's strong player base.
Nexon comes in as one of the top game publishers in Asia. They have a very solid reputation in the MMO space with Maple Story, Dungeon Fighter, Mabinogi, and most recently Vindictus and Dragon Nest. If you do not know Nexon they are one of the friendliest MMO companies on the map. It shows in their service to players and their reputation among their peers. Everyone likes Nexon and it seems that CCP could not have found a better fit.
It looks like CCP will continue to manage the game while billing and support will come from Nexon. Nexon offers a large number of games through its catalogue and CCP will soon be part of that selection.
In industry terms, the partnership of CCP and Nexon builds on a growing global marketplace for games. Games are no longer launched in one part of the world; they are quickly being added to national markets all over the globe. Both of these companies represent the best in MMO development for their own respected areas, and now watching them join forces could mean much more for the industry as a whole. More game companies looking to break into the European and Asian markets may go this route forming global partnerships over time.
The real winners in this deal are the Japanese EVE players, best of luck to them as they start out on their first journeys into a brutal space environment where no prisoners are taken. Hosting its own playground for wannabe pilots, EVE Japan could become a huge success overnight in the East.
