Titanfall is heading to Asia as a free-to-play online game

A new free-to-play Titanfall is going to Asia.

Publisher Electronic Arts is teaming with free-to-play pioneer Nexon to bring new life to its first-person sci-fi shooter. A moderate success when it released on Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC in early 2014, Titanfall already has a multiplatform sequel in production. EA is now using its Titanfall license by creating a new version for a PC-driven Asian market that firmly embraces the free-to-play business model over paid games.

Nexon confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that its subsidiary Nexon GT is responsible for building the new, free-to-play Titanfall, along with input from original developer Respawn Entertainment. It’s heading to Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and SouthEast Asia (which includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam), but it doesn’t have a release date yet.

Titanfall shipped without a single-player campaign, and its fast-paced multiplayer mech and infantry combat is an ideal fit for an online free-to-play shooter. The partnership between Electronic Arts and Nexon marks the third time the two have collaborated, with previous title FIFA Online 3 proving particularly successful in South Korea’s PC-gaming cafes.

Rival publisher Activision has already adapted its popular Call of Duty franchise for a free-to-play audience in China. It’s a smart way to target a market where traditional games consoles are still struggling to make an input, despite the Chinese government recently ending a 14-year console ban.