EA courts Korea

Since former EA president and COO John Riccitiello once again took up the reins of Electronics Arts in February 2007 as CEO, the worldwide megapublisher has undergone extensive restructuring. In addition to realigning the company under four new divisions in June, the publisher has undertaken a number of business ventures, including dropping $860 million on superdeveloper BioWare/Pandemic, as well as closing down one of its more high-profile studios, EA Chicago.

EA's development-studio shuffle doesn't appear to be over quite yet. South Korean news outlet Chosun reports EA will be opening a branch in the tech-savvy nation sometime this year. The studio, which will reportedly receive 20 billion wan (about $21 million) in investment, will primarily comprise Korean developers, but it will be helmed by senior producer Danny Isaac, whose previous credits include EA's FIFA Soccer franchise.

Chosun reports the new studio will create "three or four new online games," and EA hopes to use it as a hub for further expansion into the Asian market. Last year, EA purchased Korean company Neowiz for a reported $105 million in a similar move to expand into the Asian market with new online titles.

"The size of the studio hasn't been decided yet," said an EA rep to Chosun. "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."