South Korean games company Smilegate is setting up shop in Spain's Barcelona.

The appropriately-named Smilegate Barcelona will be working on a brand new open-world triple-A title and currently employs more than 20 members of staff. The firm is unsurprisingly hiring more people.

The new outfit is being headed up by CEO Yongil Kim.

“As open-world games will continue to dominate the video game industry, we are well-positioned to build upon our team’s experience with talent from around the world, and are ready to create a triple-A experience from our new studio in Barcelona,” he said.

“Barcelona’s vibrant and lively youth culture set to the backdrop of gorgeous old world history is a powerful and inspiring combination. The city welcomes creativity and supports technology industries such as ours with a strong infrastructure and high quality of life.”

Smilegate is an absolute giant in its native South Korea. The company is best known for its first-person shooter, CrossFire, which boasts more than 650 million players around the world.

The Barcelona studio isn't Smilegate's first European operation. The firm previously ran a Berlin developer, though that was closed in April 2018 just over a year after it was opened. The Korean company was also working with UK studio Radiant Worlds on a project called SkySaga: Infinite Isles, but pulled support for the game in 2017.