NCsoft invests $3.5 million in Swedish developer Moon River Games

NCsoft invested $3.5 million in Swedish developer Moon Rover Games, comprised of former DICE employees.

NCsoft made an initial investment of $3.5 million to a newborn game developer Moon Rover Games for a long-term partnership. [EACH COMPANY]

NCsoft made an initial investment of $3.5 million in Swedish developer Moon Rover Games, eyeing a strategic partnership, the Korean company said Tuesday. “Moon River Games is a company with high potential that continues to attempt new endeavors based on its expertise in the shooting genre,” NCsoft co-CEO Park Byung-moo said in a news release Tuesday.

Moon River Games was founded in Stockholm by former employees of DICE, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts best known for its first-person shooter (FPS) franchise Battlefield. The developers at Moon River Games previously worked on hit franchises including Far Cry, Tom Clancy’s The Division and Star Wars Battlefront.

Moon River Games is currently developing Project Aldous, a co-op FPS set to roll out for both PC and consoles.

“Our investment in Moon Rover Games indicates the changes that NCsoft will show in the future,” the co-CEO said, adding that the firm will continue to look for game companies with developing capability and genre expertise.

The latest investment is part of NCsoft's efforts to expand its portfolio and advance into broader global markets.

NCsoft will announce an additional investment in a Korean studio as well as a road map of its plans for the Southeast Asian game market in August, the company said Tuesday.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]