MMORPG.COM News: Imagine to North America / Europe

Imagine an MMORPG

It's easy if you try: CDV Software Entertainment (thanks Frans) announces a collaboration to bring Enlight's MMORPG Imagine to North America and Europe as early as Q1 2007. The partnership will also develop another MMOG specifically for the western market for release in 2008. There isn't much about either game, though, as the announcement sticks to business, focusing on trend spotting and return on investment:

As part of its two-stage market entry strategy, CDV will initially adapt Enlight’s role playing game Imagine, which is to be published in China in July this year, to Western markets, license it and from the first quarter of 2007 market and distribute it exclusively in Europe and the USA.

Parallel to this, in a second step, CDV and Enlight will develop a further high-end (Triple A) MMOG, in which the experience from the first project will be used. Publication for this product specially planned for the Western market is scheduled for 2008. It will be exclusively marketed and distributed in Europe and the USA under the CDV label.

The cooperation with Enlight allows CDV AG to access an existing, high-performance mechanism for MMOGs and the extensive experience of Enlight in operating MMOGs. As a result, the cost structure can be well calculated and the risk-return ratio is excellent.

Christoph Syring, Chairman of the CDV AG Management Board, “We have been observing the market for online games for some time and are pleased that the time for the long-awaited breakthrough has come. With the cooperation with our experienced partner of many years, Enlight Software Ltd., we are in the position of systematically implementing our two-stage market entry strategy quickly with a manageable investment level. At the same time we are participating in the MMOG mega trend. We are confident that this strategic expansion of our business model with the MMOG genre will positively impact our growth as early as the 2007 fiscal year.“