Nexon Publishing Free-to-Play Title from Sleeping Dogs Dev

United Front Games, the independent developer behind Sleeping Dogs, has signed a publishing deal with Nexon America for their upcoming free-to-play title expected next year.

Founded in 2007, Vancouver-based United Front Games has developed successful titles like ModNation Racers and 2014’s upscaled Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition in addition to Sleeping Dogs, which garnered critical praise and financial success, with over 1.75 million copies sold. Nexon America is the U.S. branch of the South Korean publisher responsible for casual games like Maple Story and Mabinogi.

No additional details about the deal were given, but both companies expressed excitement about the partnership. Stephen van der Mescht, chief executive officer of United Front Games, stated, “Nexon brings an unparalleled wealth of knowledge of the growing free-to-play market. We are thrilled to partner with a publisher who has an excellent track record of building direct and meaningful relationships with players,” adding, “We can’t wait to unveil our new title with Nexon America – we’re confident it’s going to be a smash hit.” His new partner, president and chief executive officer of Nexon Owen Mahoney remarked, “We are committed to bringing a new line-up of AAA-quality free-to-play games to the Western market, and our partnership with United Front Games is another step toward achieving this goal. United Front Games’ team has a great track record of developing successful titles, and we’re looking forward to showing the world what our combined strengths can create in 2015”

We still don’t know much about UFG’s next project, but Nexon will be bringing London-based Splash Damage’s next game, entitled Dirty Bomb, to America later this year.