Vidal and Bidaux led the team that launched Dark Age of Camelot, one of the world's fastest growing online role playing games. Bidaux headed up the European team that launched the title in multiple languages for Wanadoo.
Vidal said: "Joining NCsoft is a great opportunity to work with some of the most talented and innovative people in the worldwide games and online industries. I want to be part of a company that wants to take the online gaming genre to new standards of excellence."
Bidaux added: "NCsoft is just an amazing company with formidably successful games that appeal to gamers across both Asian and Western markets. Its success in Korea, Taiwan and other parts of Asia is well documented, but its recent success in the US, where City of Heroes has maintained the number one spot ahead of some huge releases, is testimony to its abilities in product deployment, support, sales, operations and marketing."
Commenting on the appointment of Vidal and Bidaux, NCsoft European head Geoff Heath, said: "At the heart of our business we want great people. Sebastien and Thomas have a reputation across the European interactive entertainment and internet industries as being the leaders in their field. We really could not have hoped for more capable or experienced people to help us drive the NCsoft business forward in Europe."
NCsoft announced the launch of its new European subsidiary in July. It has already successfully established itself in North America, Japan, Taiwan, China and Thailand. The launch of its European company takes NCsoft one-step closer to constructing a global network for online game services.
NCsoft is planning to launch Lineage II and City of Heroes in Europe by the end of 2004. After that, the company will continue to service new games with the objective of establishing itself as a leading online game company in the European region by 2005.