DOTA 2 will be available in Japan and Korea soon

In what is bound to be welcome news to gamers in Japan and South Korea, DOTA 2 will soon be available in both countries thanks to an agreement between developers Valve and online game publisher Nexon.

Valve president Gabe Newell said in a statement: "Nexon, a company with whom we have a long and strong relationship, was clearly the right choice as a publisher to successfully deliver Dota 2 into the Korean and Japanese market. Partnering with Nexon will allow us to deliver Dota 2 to a massive audience of Asian gamers via a premium service."

Cracking the Eastern market may be a challenge for Valve, with League of Legends so firmly entrenched in the region - especially in Korea.

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.