At GungHo Online Entertainment's Tokyo Game Show booth, company president Kazuki Morshita, together with representatives from GameArts and G-Mode, today announced the development of Grandia Online for the PC platform. Grandia Online will take players to world known as Genesis - The Mythical Age just before the events of the original Grandia. The game's story will be about exploration, in particular the exploration of new continents.

In Grandia Online, not only the users themselves will move around, but the entire world, its weather, landscape, NPCs and monsters will constantly change. Grandia series director Youichi Miyaji said the game's theme was "adventure in motion".

System-wise, Grandia Online will inherit the fast-paced battles from its four available offline predecessors. Morishita also explained that the companies were looking into implementing an innovative communication system. Apparently mobile content provider G-Mode will be responsible for brining the online experience of Grandia Online to cellphones. The company's president explained that cellphones were one part of online gaming and hence he wanted users to enjoy the game's experience on their cellphones as well.

GameArts' Miyaji said the development team would feature South Korean members as well and will allow the company to create a new Grandia whose development wasn't possible until now.

RPGFan will bring you more information on Grandia Online as it becomes available.

• ITMedia Games