Founding Years: The Birth of the Company (1999 – 2001)
Wizard Soft Inc. started as a publisher in 1999, where they help publish games like Steel Empire (1999), Walpurgis Night (1999), and Arcturus: The Curse and Loss of Divinity (2000).
MISSING SECTION OF ACQUIRING TRIC.
20th March 2001
Wizard Soft Ltd, Announced that it has decided to export the PC Game “Jurassic War 2” to 33 countries in the European region through French game distributor Axel Tribe since November 1st 2001.
Wizard Soft has produced Jurassic War 2 in 6 languages, including English, French and German.
Axel Tribe had the European publishing rights to Jurassic War 2 over the next 3 years, with plans to translate it into English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and sell it throughout Europe starting in October.
Transformation and new releases (2003 – 2005)
December 2003
Lim Ho-gil was appointed as CEO of Wizardsoft.
5th January 2004
Wizard Soft Ltd. enters a financial scandal, and has been put on hold until it’s been solved.
Yeom Dong-gyun appointed as CEO of Wizardsoft
17th November 2004
Megapoly Entertainment ( 메가폴리 엔터테인먼트 ) becomes an affiliate of WizardSoft.
21th December 2004
Wizardsoft (CEO Lim Dae-hee) released the PC game ‘Love 2 Parfait’, surpassing 10,000 copies in cumulative sales in just 3 days.
12th January 2005
WizardSoft Co., Ltd. (CEO Lim Im Lim 임대희) announced that it has decided to release ‘Yoshitsune Heroes’, the latest work of FROM SOFTWARE, which was one of the famous game developers in Japan and is well known for the ‘Armored Core’ series in Korea.
Name changes, and company restructuring (2005 – 2025)
February 2005
Wizard Soft Ltd.(051980) and Retec Communications merges.
17th March 2005
Wizard Soft Ltd.(051980) and Retec Communications changed its name to S&H (S.N.H. or SNH), which stands for “Hardware & Software”.
It relocated its gaming assets to Yatap-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam.
15th March 2006
SNH (CEO Lease Hee 임대희 임대희) disclosed in a disclosure submitted to the Financial Supervisory Authority that it had liquidated and excluded its affiliate, Wizardsoft America (3003 N 1ST ST #213, SAN JOSE CA 95134)
Date of Formation: 1999-09-10.
This exclusion has been in the order of liquidating a non-performing company that has no operating performance since 2003 as a subsidiary of a game company prior to the merger.
With the liquidation of Wizardsoft America, the Company will not incur any burden on the valuation losses to be reflected in the Pull. This is because there is no residual remainder already reflecting all the valuation losses since the end of 2003.
This allows SNH to clean up a number of affiliates unrelated to its flagship business, such as excluding the Learning Paper Company from its affiliates in November, and to conduct business independently.
An official of the company’s public relations team said, “As we are currently focusing on the optical communication equipment business, cleaning up the subsidiaries formed by the company before the merger is a willingness to concentrate all our efforts on the optical communication equipment business.”
29th October 2015
SNH announced on the 29th that it will change from the existing S. N. H.(SNH) to “HULIMS Co. Ltd” in accordance with the diversification of its business area.
30th June 2016
HULIMS Co Ltd. changes name to Nextbio Holdings Co. Ltd.
April 2018
Shareholders of NextBio Holdings Co. Ltd. changed to JoongAng Living Tech.
14th May 2019
Shareholders of JoongAng Living Tech. changed to Central Bio co Ltd.
21th July 2019
Shareholders of Central Bio co Ltd. changed to JoongAng D&M co Ltd.
2025
JoongAng D&M co Ltd. ( http://www.joongangdnm.co.kr/home/ ) is the current owners of the Jurassic War Intellectual Property, even though they most likely doesn’t know about it.
The expired license for Jurassic War 2 can be found here, and clearly shows that JoongAng is the current owners of the IP, even though the Trademark haven’t been renewed for over 20 years.
http://eng.kipris.or.kr/enghome/main.jsp
Milestone Game Releases and Innovations
Throughout its impressive history, WizardSoft mostly worked as a publisher for small game studios, helping launch several milestone titles that have defined its legacy. These games not only reflected technological advancements but also revolutionized gameplay mechanics that resonated with players.
1999 (2 games)
* Steel Empire (Developed by: Sonnori Co., Ltd.)
* Walpurgis Night (Developed by: Dragonfly Co. Ltd.)
2000 (3 games)
* 15th December – Plus the name in my memory (Developed by: Artrim Media)
* 23th December – Arcturus: The Curse and Loss of Divinity (Developed by: Sonnori Co., Ltd. and Gravity Co., Ltd.)
* 23th December – Cookie Shop (Developed by: Megapoly Entertainment)
2001 (3 games)
* May – Jurassic War 2 (Developed by: Wizard Soft Inc.)
* 25th September – White Day: A Labyrinth Named School (Developed by: Sonnori)
* Fart Captain Pungppungi (Developed by: Stern Interactive Co., Ltd.)
2002 (1 game)
Astonishia Story (Developed by: Sonnori Co., Ltd.)
2003 (3 games)
* 18th March – Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield (Developed by: Red Storm Entertainment / Ubisoft Montreal)
* 22th October – Cookie Shop 2 (Developed by: Megapoly Entertainment)
* 11th November – Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Developed by: Ubisoft Entertainment Inc.)
2004 (1 game)
* December – Love 2 Parfait (Developed by: Megapoly Entertainment)
However, through this journey, they also took on the challenge to outright buy a gaming company and developed Jurassic War 2, which set a new standard for korean RTS games upon its release. The game was developed with the intent to battle big western games like Starcraft. Despite facing initial development challenges, the game was released to critical acclaim, earning multiple awards for its innovation and gameplay. Player feedback highlighted its intuitive design, making it accessible yet challenging enough for seasoned gamers.
The Legacy: Recent Developments and Future Directions
In recent months, the iconic RTS game company has made significant strides, signaling a reinvigoration of their commitment to the real-time strategy genre. With the resurgence of player interest in strategic gameplay, the company’s latest release has not only renewed engagement among long-time fans but also attracted a new audience. The game, which embraces both classic and contemporary design elements, illustrates the company’s intention to meld nostalgia with innovation, ensuring that their offerings resonate across generations.