NC Partners with China's Shengqu Games to Launch Aion 2

NC, the South Korean game developer formerly known as NCsoft, has struck a deal with China's Shengqu Games to publish its upcoming MMORPG Aion 2 in the Chinese market. The companies signed the agreement earlier this week at a ceremony in Shanghai, with NC co-CEO Kim Taek-jin and Shengqu Games CEO Feng Cheng both in attendance.

The partnership is not a new one. NC and Shengqu Games have worked together since 2009, when the original Aion first launched in China and became one of the most recognizable Korean MMORPGs in the country. Aion 2, the long-awaited sequel, will carry the local name Tower of Eternity 2 for Chinese players, and Shengqu has already launched an official Chinese-language website for the title.

Neither company has released a firm launch date yet, saying additional details such as the release schedule will be shared at a later point. The lack of a confirmed timeline suggests the rollout is still in an early marketing phase, even as anticipation builds among China's large base of MMORPG fans.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Kim said Aion 2 had achieved the creative vision of the original title "at an even higher level of quality," and pledged that NC would work to make the game a lasting presence in China's competitive MMORPG market. Feng, for his part, described Aion 2 as more than a simple sequel, calling it a title that blends NC's accumulated development expertise with the latest gaming technology, and said Shengqu intends to support the game closely from launch through ongoing live-service operations.

NC is also using the ChinaJoy gaming expo in Shanghai, which opened this week, as a platform to build momentum for the title. The company has set up a large demo zone at Shengqu Games' booth and is screening trailer footage on a large display to give attendees an early look at the game.

The deal underscores NC's continued reliance on China as a key overseas market for its MMORPG franchise even as the company works to diversify its game portfolio and revenue streams globally.