NCsoft opens China branch

Coming off a year of record revenues, Korea-based massively multiplayer online game developer NCsoft is hoping to continue its growth in the coming months. Part of that growth includes the recent opening of a Shanghai-based subsidiary, NCsoft China.

Previously, NCsoft China was known as NC Sina, a joint venture between NCsoft and Sina.com started in 2003. After the acquisition of a majority stake in NC Sina, the company is now NCsoft's to run. The new outfit will import some of its parent company's existing games to the Chinese market, but it will also develop and publish new games catering specifically to the tastes and interests of Chinese gamers. NCsoft's stable of existing MMOs includes Guild Wars, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Auto Assault, and Lineage.

This is not NCsoft's only foray into China. The publisher has also established the NCRC (NCsoft Research and Development Center) in the country. NCsoft now has operations established in the US, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and China.