SOE sets sights on India

In August, Sony Online Entertainment announced it would be partnering with Virgin Comics to create a massively multiplayer online game based on Ramayan 3392 A.D, a futuristic reinterpretation of the Indian mythological epic of the same name. However, that apparently won't be the extent of SOE's dealings with the subcontinent.

Speaking to Reuters today, SOE vice president of business development and international operations David Christensen said that the publisher is looking to set up a game-development shop in India. "Our goal is to have an office in India," he said. "We have identified a couple of game developers in India and we are in talks with them." SOE will reportedly lend technical expertise to the studio, while an Indian outfit will focus on the underlying framework and marketing aspects of the operation.

Already one of the more prolific publishers of massively multiplayer online games, Sony Online Entertainment has seen a number of new franchises added to its stable this year. These include Sigil Games' epic-scale MMOG Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, Fly Lab Software's Pirates of the Burning Sea, and The Agency, an in-house-developed spy-themed MMOG for the PlayStation 3 and PC.