Well, the news is finally, finally out: Zapak, Reliance Entertainments online gaming company has acquired the exclusive licence for operating Crazy Kart, a Massively Multiplayer Online (MMOG) Game from Shanda, in India. One of the most successful casual games in China, Crazy Kart has apparently been under closed-beta testing in India, and is expected to be launched commercially in the second quarter of 2008. This is Zapak’s first MMOG launch in India - and they’ve delayed the launch by a quarter. Another key point to note is that Zapak, like Games2Win before it with CT Racer and Kreeda with Dance Mela, is launching a casual gaming MMOG…these appeal to a wider audience, and importantly, most parents prefer games that don’t have blood and goo splashing across the computer screen.

SEE ALSO: Zapak Claims 70-75 Percent Marketshare; Kancha Tournament; MMOG Launch Delayed

Shanda (NSDQ: SNDA) has already licensed Crazy Kart in Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam. Notably, Rajesh Sawhney, President of Reliance Entertaiment, mentions in the release that Crazy Kart is only the first step between the two as a part of a long term strategic partnership. So we should expect more Shanda games to be launched in India.