Dungeon Fighter for Xbox LIVE Arcade

Nexon and Microsoft Game Studios have entered a publishing agreement to bring the multiplayer online role-playing game (MORPG) Dungeon Fighter Online to Xbox LIVE Arcade later this year.

According to Nexon, Dungeon Fighter Online (known as Dungeon & Fighter in Asia) is one of the most popular MORPGs in the world with more than 200 million registered users worldwide.

The game set a new record for concurrent players in Asia after it registered more than 2.2 million concurrent users in the combined China, Japan and Korean territories after its release, says the company.

The Xbox LIVE Arcade version of the game will be jointly developed by Nexon and Softmax, which is the developer of several console games such as The War of Genesis and Magna Carta.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has announced the full availability of Microsoft Kodu Game Lab for the PC and the launch of the Microsoft Kodu Cup 2011 competition. (Read: Kodu Cup Video Game Competition for Kids)

Showing its increasing interest in the emerging gaming market, Microsoft has also announced Dream.Build.Play 2011 Challenge, a contest sponsored by Microsoft to encourage independent game developers to create fun and innovative games using XNA Game Studio. (Read: Dream Build Play Challenge from Microsoft)

Neople, the developer of Dungeon Fighter Online (PC) and a wholly owned subsidiary of Nexon, will be in charge of directing the project. The game will be published by Microsoft Game Studios in all territories.

Nexon will localize the game into English and Chinese, while Microsoft Game Studios will localize the game into Japanese, Spanish, German, Italian and French.

This move marks the first time that Nexon is releasing a game on a console system, and is part of Nexon’s long-term plan to expand onto new platforms in order to introduce new audiences to its game franchises.

“This agreement is a significant step forward for Nexon,” said Min Suh, Nexon’s chief executive officer.

“For some time we have been seeking opportunities to expand beyond online PC gaming and move into new platforms like Xbox LIVE Arcade. With the help of Microsoft Game Studios’ deep development and localization experience, we anticipate that Dungeon Fighter Online will bring enjoyment to entirely new audiences on Xbox LIVE Arcade.”

Developed by Neople, Dungeon Fighter Online is a 2D MORPG with a mixture of action and RPG elements. It launched in Korea in August of 2005 and launched in North America in the summer of 2010.