Take-Two is pushing its Civilization franchise into Asia, with a model very popular in the region. Firaxis and South Korean studio XLGAMES are working together to develop Civilization Online (working title), a massively multiplayer online-only game catered to the Asian market. XLGAMES CEO Jake Song, known for the Korean MMORPG Lineage, is heading up the project.

The announcement from Take-Two points out that this is part of a larger company effort to bring franchises to the region as online, mobile, and social games. Some of its other efforts include the free-to-play NBA 2K Online that recently launched in China, the F2P mobile game NBA 2K All-Stars, and the simulation game Pro Baseball 2K set for release next spring.

"Making our intellectual property available to delight consumers wherever they are is an important component of our long-term growth strategy," said Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, in the announcement. "Our online and mobile social projects in Asia are enabling Take-Two to further broaden its global footprint and captivate audiences across a myriad of screens, platforms and business models. If successful, these projects will enhance our core business with revenue and profit streams that are higher margin and more stable over time."