Nexon America has begun a closed beta for Sugar Rush, its first MMOG developed by a western studio and targeted specifically for North American audiences. The title will allow players to fight against each other while trying to collect virtual coins.

Nexon's previous MMO titles - MapleStory, Mabinogi, and Combat Arms - have all so far been developed by studios based in South Korea. The company's titles are free to play without subscriptions, but typically offer customizations and virtual goods purchasable with real money. According to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal, Nexon's U.S. 2007 revenue more than tripled to $29.3 million from $8.5 million the prior year.

The development team working on Sugar Rush is based in Vancouver, Canada and includes former Electronic Arts Worldwide Studios Group vice president and creative director Steve Rechtschaffner, as well as studio Klei Entertainment.

Headed by Jamie Cheng, Klei Entertainment previously developed and published Eets, a 2D puzzle game for PCs which was later revamped for Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade.