Nexon To Publish Multiplayer Game From Ex-343 Industries Dev's New Studio

Nexon announced today that it has signed a deal to publish a new multiplayer game from ex-343 Industries and ex-EA Black Box developer Kevin Franklin's new studio First Strike Games. For those of you who don't know, 343 Industries is the company that took over as the primary developer of the Halo series after Bungie left the series behind to work on Destiny, while EA Black Box is known for developing the Skate series and various Need for Speed games.

Very little is known about the game at this time, but it will be a multiplayer title based on an entirely new IP. It is expected to have "broad appeal, with an E10+ rating." According to the press release, more details will be unveiled later this year.

Nexon president and CEO Owen Mahoney had the following to say about the announcement.

Partnering with First Strike Games is another example of our focus on and commitment to working with the best development talent in the Western market. This partnership will leverage First Strike Games’ passion and unbeatable background in multiplayer games and our deep expertise in online services to build innovative games that appeal to global tastes and engage communities of players that will stand the test of time.

First Strike Games CEO Kevin Franklin also provided a statement.

We are super focused on competitive multiplayer games at First Strike. In Nexon, we found a partner who has truly understood the gameplay we are exploring, has embraced our company vision and has contributed great ideas and expertise. We are looking forward to making amazing games together.

First Strike games was formed last year with the intent of specializing in competitive multiplayer games. The company is currently working on "entering full production" by increasing its staff from 30 employees to more than 50.

We will be sure to keep you updated as more information becomes available.