PlayStation is reportedly paying close attention to Korean game developers and working hard to build partnerships in South Korea. According to MTN, Sony’s attention has increased towards the region after the massive success of PUBG, Black Desert, and NCSoft’s TL.

One of the developers Sony is reportedly interested in is Pearl Abyss, which is about to launch Crimson Desert, and PlayStation is discussing plans including investment in return for partial exclusivity on content. According to the same report, Neowiz, Com2uS, and NCSoft are also in consideration by Sony.

Crimson Desert was unveiled during 2020’s Game Awards and caught everyone’s attention. Since then, however, the game had been delayed indefinitely with no updates on the release date in about two years.

MTN also reports that this is part of a rebuttal against Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. According to reports, Sony also acquired Bungie and other smaller developers as part of the same rebuttal.

Announced partnerships of PlayStation with Korean developers include Stellar Blade (AKA Project Eve), which is being developed by Korean studio Shift Up and coming exclusively to the PS5.

While Sony is building partnerships and increasing its first-party studios, Microsoft is still facing backlash from antitrust watchdogs in the US and UK for its merger. The preliminary injunction hearing against the Microsoft-Activision merger concluded yesterday, and a decision is expected sometime next month.

Source: MTN