Crytek opens Korean shop

Just as some Eastern game companies are setting up shop in the West, many Western game companies are extending their reach into the East. On the heels of Japanese role-playing game purveyors Square Enix establishing an action-oriented studio in Los Angeles, German developer Crytek said today that it had recently opened up a new branch in tech-savvy South Korea. It is the third satellite studio for the German developer, which also has operations in Kiev, Ukraine, and Budapest, Hungary.

While not a development studio per se, Crytek's Korean arm will initially focus on supporting the CryEngine in Asian markets. In addition to the Crysis franchise, Crytek's proprietary CryEngine is being put to use in a number of upcoming titles, including an as yet unannounced massively multiplayer online game from Korea-based XLGames. The new studio will be headed up by Young Mok Park, who Crytek notes is a veteran of the gaming industry.

Crytek is only the latest Western developer to show an interest in expanding to the East. Epic Games, creators of Gears of War, performed a there-and-back maneuver last week, after its Chinese subsidiary, which was founded in 2006, opened its own Washington-based development house that is currently working on Fat Princess and an unnamed MMOG.