A few months ago AnimationXpress.com had broken the news about Sony Online Entertainment acquiring the license to Virgin Comics’ Ramayan 3329 AD for developing a MMO on the IP. The company’ Vice President (Business Development and International Operations) David Christensen, who is in Mumbai for the India Gaming Summit 2007, shared some more details on Sony Online Entertainment’s India strategy in a quick and exclusive one on one with AnimationXpress.com
“I read in a book that if you want to do business in India, then think India and Indian. We are very excited and interested in local and culturally specific content. We have licensed Virgin’s Ramayan 3329 AD, because we feel that the story captures the tradition of India and at the same time lends itself very well to an MMOG for example the different sets of characters in this epic.”
“We plan to do the entire game content in India with local talent and artists who know and understand the story. We are pursuing a new joint venture with financial backing and talent resource for the production of this game and this would most probably be in Bangalore to ensure close creative collaboration between Virign and the game development studio,” he stated.
Christensen also shared that Sony Online Enertainment was already working with a few other Indian companies including Delhi based Ienergiser which has been providing CRM & Q&A services to SOE for quite some years.
Sony Online Entertainment will in all probability introduce one of its top titles like Everquest into the Indian market by the end of 2008 in conjunction with a local publisher, shared Christensen.
“The online games space in India is very nascent, yet I feel that Zapak has done an excellent job and signed quite a few users which is impressive. Even the Dance Mela localization by the Kreeda guys is a great job.”