NCsoft teams up with Shengqu Games to launch Aion 2 in China

NCsoft is bringing its massively multiplayer online role-playing game Aion 2 to China in partnership with Shengqu Games.

NCsoft said Friday that it held a strategic partnership ceremony with Shengqu Games in Shanghai on Thursday to formalize the collaboration for Aion 2's entry into the Chinese market.

NCsoft CEO Kim Taek-jin and Shengqu Games CEO Feng Cheng attended the event. The two companies have maintained a partnership spanning 17 years, dating back to the launch of the original Aion in China in 2009.

Under the agreement, Shengqu Games will handle publishing for Aion 2 in China. The company launched the game's official Chinese website on Thursday and unveiled the local service title, "Yongxiang Zhita 2 (Tower of Eternity 2)." Further details, including the service schedule, will be announced in due course.

"Aion 2 brings the vision of the original to life with a far higher level of polish," Kim said. "We will do our utmost to ensure that Aion 2 creates new value in China's MMORPG market and establishes itself as a work that will be remembered for a long time."

Feng said Aion 2 is "not simply a sequel to an existing IP, but a new title that combines NCsoft's long-accumulated MMO development philosophy and expertise with the latest technology," adding that Shengqu Games would "work closely with NCsoft from launch through ongoing operations."

NCsoft is also showcasing Aion 2 at ChinaJoy, the international game exhibition that opened in Shanghai on Thursday. The company is operating a large-scale demo zone within the Shengqu Games booth and presenting a trailer on an oversized screen.