HanbitSoft () is a

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

n computer game publishing and

development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development (music), the process by which thematic material is reshaped * Photographic development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting * Development hell, when a proje ...

company. It is best known internationally as the Korean distributor for the successful computer game ''

StarCraft ''StarCraft'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. The series, set in the beginning of the 26th century, centers on a galactic struggle for dominance amon ...

''. Formed in 1999, HanbitSoft specializes in the distribution of massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (

MMORPG A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...

s) to

Eastern Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan ...

n countries. The publishing company is domestically successful, claiming the top five percent of the nation's computer game market share, and has emerged internationally with its flagship game, ''Tantra Online''. Although the company has developed small hits in-house, HanbitSoft invests significantly in the at large gaming industry and has formed partnerships with companies both domestic and abroad. In May 2003, the company published ''

With Your Destiny With Your Destiny, often referred to as WYD, is a Free-to-play Scandinavian-based MMORPG developed by JoyImpact Co., Ltd., and was published and marketed worldwide by HanbitSoft Inc. in May 2003. It is also known as Supreme Destiny in Malaysia a ...

'', an MMORPG developed by JoyImpact. After HanbitSoft acquired JoyImpact, its development team gradually reduced, leaving the game without updates. Although HanbitSoft left WYD without upgrades for a long time, JoyImpact, in 2019, decided to get the game back from HanbitSoft and return the game development. HanbitSoft entered into an agreement with Japanese-based

Namco was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company founded in 1955. It operated video arcades and amusement parks globally, and produced video games, films, toys, and arcade cabinets. Namco was one of the most influential c ...

to publish a first person action

RPG RPG may refer to: Military * Rocket-propelled grenade, a shoulder-launched anti-tank weapon **''Ruchnoi Protivotankoviy Granatomyot'' (Russian: ''Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт''), hand-held anti-tank grenade laun ...

called '' Hellgate: London'', developed by

Flagship Studios Flagship Studios was an American video game developer founded by Bill Roper along with , , and David Brevik, former Blizzard North executives. The latter three had been collaborating since their 1993 founding of Condor Studios, later renamed up ...

. HanbitSoft was acquired by

T3 Entertainment T3 or T-3 may refer to: Entertainment * '' T3: Alliance'', an investigative-public affairs TV program in the Philippines * ''T3'' (magazine), focusing on new and hi-tech gadgets * '' Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines'', the third film in the '' ...

on July 3, 2008.

References

External links

* Video game companies established in 1999 Video game companies of South Korea Video game publishers Video game development companies South Korean companies established in 1999 {{Asia-videogame-company-stub