China's Shanda Games takes majority ownership of eFusion MMOG

Eschborn, Germany-based eFusion MMOG GmbH announced today that Chinese online games publisher Shanda Games has purchased a majority stake in the company (financial terms were not disclosed). At the same time, eFusion just announced that it's entered into an agreement with Eyedentity Games, a Korean online game development studio for the exclusive license to operate its action MMORPG Dragon Nest in Europe.

Shanda views the move as an important step in shoring up its overseas business. The company said it "has a strong intention to enhance its presence in the European market, where its influence remains relatively modest compared to other regions of the world."

With the Shanda investment, eFusion noted that it will now "have all of the capital it needs in order to level up its position in the MMO games market." The next step for the publisher will be to launch Dragon Nest across Europe.

Michael Lim, founder and CEO of eFusion MMOG GmbH, commented, "We are really delighted to become part of Shanda Games and are also excited about the tremendous opportunity to offer Dragon Nest, a skill based high-quality MMORPG, to European gamers. Launching Dragon Nest in Europe will be a huge milestone for us, but most of all, we're looking forward to Dragon Nest attracting lots of fans among European gamers. The online game market in Europe is growing very fast but the competition is becoming tougher. We are ready to face the challenge and to build on eFusion MMOG's success in this market."