Q&A: SOE's Laurence On Making Kung Fu Hustle

Sony Online's Taiwan-based studio, SOGA Interactive, has their eyes set on picking up the cyber café market in Asia. They attempted to launch Everquest II there, but the project was not initially a success and was canceled shortly after open beta.

But instead of continuing to localize games developed in the West, and in line with SOE's new attitude of making region-specific content, SOGA has announced a brand new online game based on Stephen Chow's popular movie Kung Fu Hustle.

John Laurence, general manager of SOGA, caught up with Gamasutra to explain the business model behind the new IP, the concepts behind the Kung Fu Hustle game, and lessons learned from the Everquest II launch in Taiwan.