Transformer MMO Coming Only to China and Russia

NetDragon Websoft, one of the most important video game developers in China, has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Hasbro Inc., the well known entertainment product company that holds all the rights to the Transformers line toys. The two companies will be working together to bring a MMO based on the franchise in 2011 to players that live in China, the rest of Asia, the Russian and CIS countries.

NetDragon has experience working in the MMO field, with current games on offer including: Eudemons Online, Conquer Online, Zero Online, Way of the Five, Heroes of Might & Magic Online, Disney Fantasy Online and Tian Yuan. At the moment the company is working on Dungeon Keeper Online and on a new take on Ultima Online. The company has not yet talked about how it will approach the Transformer. The most recent title based on the intellectual property was launched by Activision this summer.

Mark Blecher, who is the general manager and senior vice president of Digital Media & Gaming at Hasbro, the company controlling the Transformers franchise, stated, “NetDragon’s proven expertise at creating hugely successful MMOG’s, coupled with the passion they share for the iconic TRANSFORMERS brand, means we are thrilled to be entering into this license with them to deliver a truly ground-breaking MMO to fans in China and selected markets in Asia and Russia/CIS”.

Liu Dejian, who is the executive director and chairman of NetDragon, added, “As a brand and a cultural icon, TRANSFORMERS is already a household name in China, and we are extremely honored to be able to join hands with Hasbro to bring the excitement and fanaticism of TRANSFORMERS into the online gaming sector. We firmly believe that through the hard work of NetDragon’s passionate and creative employees, we will be able to create a game that will stand the test of time for TRANSFORMERS fans and hobbyists around the globe.”