Valve announced today that they will be partnering with Nexon to publish Dota 2 in Japan and South Korea. Nexon, a Seoul based developer and publisher, will add Dota 2 to a list of games that include MapleStory, Vindinctus and Antlantica Online. No release date has been announced for either territory, but news is sure to come in coming months as Dota 2 in North America approaches its official launch as well.

Gabe Newell, president of Valve, contributed the following comment in regards to the partnership:

"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."

The International 2, the biggest Dota 2 tournament in the world with a $1 million grand prize, included five Chinese teams with one eventually winning the whole event. Alternatively, the largest League of Legends tournament in the world had a South Korean team place second. What I'm trying to imply is that the MOBA genre is spectacularly popular in the region and that Valve's partnership with Nexon can only mean the best for the scene.

Dota 2 is currently in beta on the PC, though a pre-release beta key can be purchased through Steam for $29.99.