EA stakes bigger claim in Asia.
When EA said they want more business in Asia, they weren't kidding. They have now acquired South Korean developer J2MSoft (J2M) to help bolster their holdings across the Pacific. J2M is better known for free to play games such as RayCity, TAAN, and Debut, so this acquisition should fit nicely between the Western games EA has shipped over (such as Warhammer Online) according to Gamasutra:
"The purchase appears to have been made to advance EAs position in Asia, where it has previously launched versions of existing Western franchises such as FIFA Online and NBA Street Online. The former debuted in 2006, and is still one of South Koreas top-ten most played games.
EA plans to announce additional "popular franchises" in development for online play in Asia in the coming months..."
Between sending North American games to Asia and developing their own with J2M, EA is creating quite a presence in Asia. We'll be watching to see how they position games in development to arrive in Asia and North America, so watch this space.
