HanbitSoft

{{Short description|Video game company}}

{{Infobox company

| name = HanbitSoft

| logo = Hanbitsoft Logo.png

| type = Public

| founded = 1999

| founder = Ki Young Kim

| location_country = South Korea

| owner = Ki Young Kim

| website = {{URL|www.hanbitsoft.com}}

}}

HanbitSoft ({{langx|ko|한빛소프트}}) is a Korean computer game publishing and development company. It is best known internationally as the Korean distributor for the successful computer game StarCraft.

Formed in 1999, HanbitSoft specializes in the distribution of massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs) to Eastern Asian countries. The publishing company is domestically successful, claiming the top five percent of the nation's computer game market share, and has emerged internationally with its flagship game, Tantra Online. Although the company has developed small hits in-house, HanbitSoft invests significantly in the at large gaming industry and has formed partnerships with companies both domestic and abroad.{{cite web |url=http://www.wispcentric.com/content/view/492/73/ |title=How Korea Became Internet Powerhouse |last=Mohr |first=Kory |date=May 9, 2005 |publisher=The Korea Times |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070929072219/http://www.wispcentric.com/content/view/492/73/ |archive-date=September 29, 2007 |url-status=dead }}

In May 2003, the company published With Your Destiny,{{Cite web|date=2007-09-28|title=HanbitSoft|url=http://www.hanbitsoft.com/products/onlinegame/yd.asp|access-date=2021-01-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928085144/http://www.hanbitsoft.com/products/onlinegame/yd.asp|archive-date=2007-09-28}} an MMORPG developed by JoyImpact. After HanbitSoft acquired JoyImpact, its development team gradually reduced, leaving the game without updates. Although HanbitSoft left WYD without upgrades for a long time, JoyImpact, in 2019, decided to get the game back from HanbitSoft and return the game development.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Ask the Dev Team 01 - Full Interview|url=https://wydglobal.raidhut.com/en/noticias/news/510-ask-the-dev-team-01-full-interview|access-date=2021-01-17|website=WYD MMORPG Classic Game}}

HanbitSoft entered into an agreement with Japanese-based Namco to publish a first person action RPG called Hellgate: London, developed by Flagship Studios.{{cite web |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=20921 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081106042914/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=20921 |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 6, 2008 |title=HanbitSoft Planning Hellgate Relaunch |access-date=August 19, 2017 |last=Caoili |first=Eric |publisher=Gamasutra |date=November 3, 2008}}

HanbitSoft was acquired by T3 Entertainment on July 3, 2008.