Korea – August 3rd, 2023 – HYBE and its subsidiary HYBE IM have announced that they are expanding into the gaming business as a publisher of ASTRA: Knights of Veda, a multiplayer online roleplaying game (MORPG) developed by FLINT.
As a global entertainment lifestyle company that seeks boundless expansion in the entertainment industry, HYBE proudly takes its role as the publisher of ASTRA: Knights of Veda, a story-rich and visually stunning dark fantasy action RPG game. This is HYBE IM’s first game publishing project that aims to reenact the success of its mobile predecessor, Dragon Blaze, which was created by FLINT in 2014.
Acknowledging the importance of the game business, HYBE has appointed a team of game industry veterans whose past careers include positions at top gaming companies such as NEXON, NCSOFT, EA Korea, and more to lead HYBE IM toward a successful future in the gaming industry. HYBE IM and HYBE’s unwavering commitment in the entertainment industry will introduce a new, immersive paradigm to the global gaming industry.
HYBE Chairman Bang Si-Hyuk stresses the importance of the game business, stating, “As a global lifestyle platform company, game is a mesmerizing business that incorporates all necessary elements of entertainment.” He adds, “We will continue to fortify our business through HYBE IM’s partnership with FLINT and our involvement as a publisher of ASTRA: Knights of Veda.”
FLINT CEO Kim Young-mo expresses his value in the partnership by stating, “FLINT is a company that pursues the highest quality in all the elements that make up a game, including graphics, stories, music, and gameplay. HYBE is the best partner to deliver this quality of content.”
About HYBE
HYBE, rebranded from Big Hit Entertainment in March 2021, is a global entertainment lifestyle platform company that seeks boundless expansion to innovate the music industry. Ever since, HYBE has been expanding its multi-label system including BIGHIT MUSIC, BELIFT LAB, SOURCE MUSIC, PLEDIS Entertainment, KOZ ENTERTAINMENT, ADOR, HYBE LABELS JAPAN, NAECO, while HYBE AMERICA also manages its affiliate labels including Big Machine Label Group. In addition to the label business, HYBE established an integrated structure with its solution business that creates concert, video content, game, original story, and retail, as well as a platform business through Weverse, a global fandom platform. Composed of its three headquarters based in Korea, Japan, and the US, the company works towards bringing innovative change throughout the global music industry.
About HYBE IM
HYBE INTERACTIVE MEDIA (HYBE IM) is expanding the boundaries of HYBE’s entertainment spectrum by developing games and conducting publishing operations to interact with users worldwide. Through the combination of cutting-edge interactive media technology with music, artists, and entertainment elements, HYBE IM presents a variety of content and services that offer new perspectives and experiences.
About FLINT
Flint is a game developer that strives to impress everyone who loves games. Their previous mobile title, “Dragon Blaze,” received immense devotion over the years, thanks to its vast fantasy storyline and distinctive characters. With over 20 million downloads, it has left a remarkable presence in the Korean mobile collectible RPG game industry. To reward the devoted fans who have been eagerly anticipating a sequel, Flint invested six years in crafting “ASTRA: Knights of Veda” a dark fantasy action RPG that reimagines the captivating universe of its predecessor. Flint aims to create “ASTRA: Knights of Veda” as an epic work of global 2D, expressing a vast universe and story with over 200 full voice cutscenes. They strive to achieve a flawless game that is fun for everyone and plan to launch it simultaneously worldwide across multiple platforms, including PC and mobile.
