Softmax/Institut Pasteur deal
Research institute to help develop game based around disease research and drug development.
Softmax (CEO: Jeong Yeong-won) announced that it has signed an MOU on "Cooperation in Game Contents Production" with Institut Pasteur Korea (director: Ulf Nehrbass).
Through this cooperation, both companies will develop a game with subject matters such as disease research and new drug development; thus going beyond each of their business areas of "disease research and new drug development" and "game."
Institut Pasteur Korea is a Korean research institute founded through the cooperation between the Korean government and France's Institut Pasteur, the world's top life science research institute. The research institute will provide Softmax with technical support for game development and project with "disease research and drug development" as its subject matter through such cooperation, with Softmax taking charge of developing a game based on understanding of life science in relation to disease and new drug development as its subject matter as well as technical prowess.
"Based on this cooperation, by letting people know of the mechanism of disease and medicine manufacturing through a game, our aim is to enhance the public's understanding of and interest in new drug development," said Director Nehrbass of Institut Pasteur Korea. He looks forward to more people having understanding of and interest in the mechanism of disease or new drugs through games by joining forces with one of the leading game developers in Korea and cooperating on the development of an in-depth game.
Softmax Co., Ltd., said that it expects this cooperation to enable the commencement of the development of a game targeting people worldwide with vaccine or medicine manufacturing as subject matter and revealed its aspiration to introduce an in-depth game that is not just an edutainment game or a functional game but one that will be commercially successful as an exciting game as well.
Softmax
As a leading video game developer of Korea, Softmax is currently engaged in development projects on various platforms (online, console, mobile). The company has released its console game titled "Magna Carta: Tears of Blood" (PS2 & PSP; 2004, 2006 release A.K.A "Magna Carta : Crimson Stigma"), which ranked 1st in the console games sector in the Oricon chart; it was also one of the products that led the Korean wave in digital contents (game), boasting of sales volume of more than 500,000 copies as the highest selling single game developed by a Korean company.
Its sequel, "Magna Carta II" (Xbox 360), is currently in its last stage of development. Softmax actively engages in the Nintendo DS business as well, starting with the release of 2 Nintendo DS titles.
Institut Pasteur Korea
Institut Pasteur Korea is a Korean research institute founded through the cooperation between the Korean government and France's Institut Pasteur in April 2004. As a research institute specializing in life science, Institut Pasteur Korea is carrying out life science & new drug development on a global scale based on its close partnership with France's Institut Pasteur and cooperation with 25 organizations from all over the world including Korea.