Bluehole And Kakao Games Announce Project W

Bluehole announced today that it is working on a new "AAA MMORPG" that is being developed under the codename "Project W." With Project W, Bluehole "aims to bring back the fundamental joys of playing an MMO." The company is also touting the team of "veteran developers" it has assigned to the project, including NCSoft's former Chief Art Director Hyung-Jun Kim, who is the Project Director of Project W.

Kakao Games stepped into the picture in the form of an investment and strategic partnership. Kakao Games will both be investing in Bluehole and publishing Project W in the West. The only other title that Kakao Games' Western branch, Kakao Games Europe, has published at this time is Black Desert Online, so it's interesting to see that they're obtaining the rights to publish Bluehole's next project in the West so early on.

Kakao Games CEO Kye-Hyun Cho had the following to say about the announcement.

I am thrilled to be working with Bluehole, one of the best blockbuster PC online game developers in the industry. I see this event not only as a major cornerstone in our global expansion, but as an opportunity for both parties to grow.

Bluehole CEO Gang-Seok Kim also made a statement about the announcement.

What has deeply resonated with me was the strong will of Kakao Games to take the lead in the global market by discovering and securing competent titles.

Kim was also quoted saying that he would "pour out every resource there is to make a product that surpasses anyone’s expectations for an MMORPG."

And that's all we know so far. We'll be sure to keep you updated as more information about Project W becomes available.