San Jose-based online game publisher, OnNet USA has announced it will bring Square-Enix's free-to-play MMORPG Concerto Gate to North America through its game portal, GamesCampus. The company says Concerto Gate will enter public beta in 2008.

OnNet USA will act as the North American publisher of Concerto Gate under a sublicensing agreement with Excite Japan, who signed a licensing agreement for the title with Square-Enix last September.

Concerto Gate is the sequel to Cross Gate, which was launched in Japan in July 2001. Though never introduced in the U.S., Cross Gate claims some 23 million registered users in Japan, Taiwan and Korea, and Concerto Gate features an updated game system and improved graphics.

One interesting mechanic of the Concerto Gate world is that the topography of the game world persistently evolves in response to player behavior. For example, players dig in the ground to engage in mining activities, and small mining channels eventually become larger over time. Other gradual, large-scale terrain changes, like the demolition of forests or the formation of new mountains, occur over several weeks at a time depending on the interaction between characters.

Says OnNet USA CEO Kevin Kim, "This endeavor is very meaningful at every level for all parties involved. It is a marriage of OnNet USA’s expertise of publishing micro-transaction based games and Square Enix’s production of groundbreaking titles.” says Kevin Kim, CEO of OnNet USA.