NCsoft America president on PS3 MMOGs, other big plans for 2008

NCsoft is showing no signs of slowing down even after the big release of Tabula Rasa, and with NCsoft America under Chris Chung’s management, massive games are inbound. In his latest interview, Chung talked about making PS3 titles, improving customer experience, and extending NCsoft’s domination in Japan. Check out the full article for more details.

One of the most prominent companies in the MMORPG scene with strong franchises across the globe, NCsoft, is cooking up big things for 2008, and NCsoft North America president Chris Chung (who recently replaced Robert Garriott) was able to talk about what’s in store. In an interview, he discussed about making console MMOs, improving customer experience, and launching Tabula Rasa in Japan.

From his lengthy chat with 1UP, what caught our interest the most is his promise of a great online PlayStation 3 title that NCsoft can be proud of. Chung wasn’t able to reveal any details, but mentioned an announcement by the second half of this year. “We are working hard internally to have something to not only announce but to show off,” he told 1UP.

Chung did say NCsoft is looking at its existing IPs to decide which ones will work well on consoles, so City of Heroes on Sony’s machine is a possibility. If they’re heading that way, Guild Wars on the PS3 sounds tempting – players can only carry eight skills in the game, which can all be mapped to face buttons and shoulder buttons for easy access.

Aside from exploring new business models, Chung pointed at better customer experience as part of NCsoft’s 2008 game plan. “We’re going to introduce a lot of new services that will make it easier for people to start playing games right away and make them have easier connections to the people and friends that they play with,” he said. Seems like playing NCsoft titles will soon be as convenient as having Xbox Live.

Chung also brought up Tabula Rasa‘s launch in Japan. “A lot of people might not know, but Richard Garriott‘s titles have always been big in Japan,” he commented. Those who’ve been fighting the Bane may soon ally with soldiers from the land of the rising sun.

For the full interview with NCsoft’s Chris Chung, click on the “via” link below.