Crispy Gamer News

Frontier Developments is teaming up with Square Enix to publish its WiiWare title LostWinds in Japan and Asia. LostWinds was one of the better WiiWare launch titles, topping the WiiWare charts in both the US and Europe in May 2008. The game also garnered critical acclaim for its unique gameplay and art style.

No word on when Square Enix will release the game in those regions, but the partnership marks an interesting trend for Frontier, a company better known for its work on such games as Thrillville, Dog’s Life, and the RollerCoaster Tycoon series.

THQ and partner JAKKS Pacific have inked an agreement with online game developer Vertigo Games to develop and facilitate an online game for Asia based on the popular WWE SmackDown Vs. RAW franchise appropriately titled WWE SmackDown vs. Raw Online (working title). Scheduled for release in Asia in late 2010, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw Online marks the debut of the popular SmackDown vs. Raw franchise in the PC-online space. No word on whether or not THQ plans to bring the game to North America or Europe at some point.

WWE SmackDown vs. RAW Online is an action game that allows players to play as their favorite WWE superstar or as a created character and fight against other players to make it into the WWE Hall of Fame. Oddly enough, the game will also offer a single-player component, though details on that are pretty murky.
Players earn points as they progress to unlock special features, items and level up their rankings. These points can then be used to purchase additional items, abilities and themes to enhance and personalize their Superstar. THQ promises ongoing content updates and features to enhance the experience as they progress through the ranks, as well as season mode. Players will also be able to enter the lobby to challenge opponents, shop or interact with other connected players.

It is an interesting idea, but would probably work better as a console game. We will keep you posted on this game as more details are revealed.

THQ is opening up a new shop in Shanghai, China today to expand its publishing action to the lucrative region. Building on its relationships established with local Chinese developers and publishers over the past several years, THQ’s new Shanghai office will spearhead the expansion of local partnerships to develop and publish both online and packaged games for distribution in China and around the world.

Later this fiscal year, the company plans to launch Company of Heroes Online, a free to play, micro-transaction game designed specifically for Asia, in collaboration with its China publishing partner Shanda Interactive Entertainment. It is probably for the best that the company focuses on online and free content in that region, given that its retail releases in that region will hit the black market before it hits store shelves.

Electronic Arts issued a press release today announcing a partnership with Taiwan-based GigaMedia Ltd (NASDAQ:GIGM) to launch and operate Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Based on Games Workshop’s Warhammer fantasy universe, the online game is being developed by Mythic EA, the same studio behind Dark Age of Camelot.

For its end of the deal, GigaMedia will provide marketing, community management, technical support and customer service functions. Further details on the game’’s launch in those regions will be announced in the months ahead. This is the second deal between GigaMedia and EA Asia — the companies are already in a partnership to operate NBA Street Online in the same territories.

Electronic Arts is expanding once again, this time establishing an online game development studio in Korea. An article in the Korean newspaper, the Chosun Ilbo, broke the news on Friday, stating that EA plans to set up a development studio within the year and create three or four new online games. According to the article, EA will invest more than $21 million.

EA is also looking to secure Korean game developers to lay the foundation for a future advance into the Asian market. Senior producer Danny Isaac will head the new studio.

The article quotes an unnamed source within EA as saying, 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 than expected we may increase the size of the studio and develop another game.