Disney buys South Korean studio in bid to tap Asian F2P market

StudioEx, which is still to launch any games, has been acquired by Disney Interactive in an aggressive push into the free-to-play multiplayer Asian market.

GameIndustry reports that StudioEx is currently developing Heroes of the Pantheon and Galaxy X, both free-to-play Facebook titles.

The purchase has been confirmed by Disney, saying, “The Walt Disney Company has acquired Studio Ex, a games development studio in Korea that focuses on multiplayer, free-to-play online and mobile games. Through a stock purchase agreement, Studio Ex is now a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company reporting into Disney Interactive.”

Disney also announced recently a partnership with Smilegate, a Korean firm, to develop a Marvel game targeting the Asian market as well as plans to develop and launch Zipi Racing in partnership with Zipi Studio. Characters from the movies Toy Story and Cars will feature in the massively multiplayer online racing game.