We’ve been watching this title closely, and with a newly formed publisher featuring many industry veterans, we are getting that much closer to being able to play the game without taking correspondence courses in Korean.

With GDC ’10 on the horizon, game developers, publishers and players alike are eagerly anticipating all the exciting developments and news that the conference is sure to bring. In anticipation of that heightened level of gaming awareness a new game publisher is getting a jump on the competition with the announcement of its formation and the first title it will be bringing to the North American market. En Masse Entertainment is the newly formed company, made up of industry vets with big time pedigree–including a former CTO of NCsoft, a creator of Blizzard’s Warcraft and Starcraft titles, as well as several other major players in the gaming scene.

Their mission is to “focus on selecting high quality online games and adapting, refining, and positioning them so they are perfectly suited for audiences in Western markets” The first title they will bring to market is TERA, from South Korea. The game is described as “an innovative MMORPG with rich graphics and animations where players fully control their characters through the game’s dynamic battle system. Player actions in TERA can change the balance of power in a world where six races try to work together for the common good.” The game is currently in development and will launch first for Korean audiences and then will later make its North American debut.

Here is the official press release:

En Masse Entertainment Debuts as New MMO Game Company

Seattle-based Publisher Comprised of Powerhouse Talent from Blizzard Entertainment, Microsoft, Electronic Arts, ArenaNet, and NCsoft

SEATTLE – February 24, 2010 – En Masse Entertainment, a new breed of game publisher specializing in bringing globally renowned online properties to Western audiences, today announced its company formation. En Masse, a wholly owned subsidiary of leading Korean MMO company Bluehole Studio, Inc., is focused on selecting high quality online games and adapting, refining, and positioning them so they are perfectly suited for audiences in Western markets. Formed in 2009, En Masse is comprised of talented veterans whose collective portfolio reflects the most recognized and celebrated IPs from leading companies including Blizzard Entertainment, Microsoft Corp., Electronic Arts Inc., ArenaNet and NCsoft. The first official En Masse title scheduled for release in North America and Europe will be the highly anticipated MMORPG PC title, TERA™.

“We’ve brought together ‘best of breed’ experts in the fields of technology, online gaming, branding and localization who have a shared vision for global MMO games that deliver on the highest levels of quality and cultural relevance,” said Dr Jae-Heon Yang, CEO of En Masse Entertainment. “Our inaugural project, TERA, is one that we feel deeply passionate about and will reflect our approach and commitment to the Western gaming community.”

The senior management team at En Masse is comprised of the following members:

CEO Dr. Jae-Heon Yang
Dr. Yang is a computer science academic, gaming executive and visionary leader within the Korean online gaming industry. After transitioning from academia, he decided to develop games by helping great creators fulfill their visions without getting in the way of the creative process. In 2000, he co-founded IMAZIC Co. Ltd., an innovator in online gaming that developed one of Asia’s first 3D MMOs, Sephiroth, which reached hundreds of thousands of players in Korea, Taiwan and China. In 2005, Dr. Yang became CTO for NCsoft, a role he held until 2007 when he returned to academic circles as a visiting scholar at the University of California, Irvine.

COO Patrick Wyatt
Patrick Wyatt has 19 years of experience with hit franchises, starting as a creator of Blizzard Entertainment’s legendary Warcraft® and Starcraft®  franchises, writing Diablo’s®  multiplayer code, scaling up battle.net™, founding ArenaNet, developing Guild Wars® and serving as CTO of NCsoft.

Publishing VP Chris Lee
Chris Lee successfully managed the marketing campaigns for blockbuster franchises including Halo®, Need for Speed™, Age of Empires® and Aion® at leading companies including Electronic Arts, Microsoft and NCsoft before joining En Masse Entertainment.

Senior Producer Brian Knox
Brian Knox, who is overseeing Western development for TERA, is an NCsoft MMO veteran who worked his way up from the trenches before assuming Producer responsibilities for Aion.