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Webzen invests in Hound13... Secures priority negotiation rights for publishing 'Project D'
Webzen has made a strategic investment of 30 billion KRW in the domestic game developer 'Hound13' (CEO Park Jung-sik). With this investment, Webzen has secured a 25.64% stake in 'Hound13' and the right of first negotiation for publishing new games under development by 'Hound13'.
'Hound13' is a game development company founded in 2014 by key personnel from 'Dragon Nest' and 'Dungeon Striker', led by CEO Park Jung-sik. Since 2019, it has directly developed and serviced the mobile action RPG 'Hundred Soul' in 140 countries including Japan, North America, and Europe, possessing capabilities in both game development and global service support.
Currently, 'Hound13' is developing new games such as 'Project D', and has already applied for trademark rights to 'Dragon Sword' for the game service of 'Project D'.
'Project D' is an anime-style action RPG built on Unreal Engine 5, boasting the action of 'Stylized Graphics' and an open world that explores various terrains including underwater environments.
The previously released game footage showcased cooperative hunting against large monsters and skills that involve directly climbing onto the monster's body.
Webzen plans to finalize the development and service schedule after consulting with the developer 'Hound13' and release additional information about the game.
Meanwhile, as part of its mid- to long-term business plan, Webzen has formed a 'Unicorn TF' directly under the CEO to secure partner companies with excellent capabilities regardless of game genre or platform.
It has already released an indie game ('Lemoire') in collaboration with developer Black Anchor on the Steam platform as Early Access, and in the second half of last year (2023), it partnered with a Japanese developer to service the subculture game '어둠의 실력자가 되고 싶어서!' in Korea, expanding its collaboration partners and game genres both domestically and internationally.
Webzen announced that it plans to release new games developed directly, such as the subculture game 'Terbis', this year, and is also rapidly preparing the service schedule for publishing investment games for which contracts have already been signed.
웹진 인벤강승진 기자
2024-01-04