Online game publisher Nexon America (MapleStory, CombatArms) announced its plans to publish PopTag!, also known as BnB Crazy Arcade in other territories, in North America some time in the first half of 2010.

Sharing more than a few similarities with Hudson Soft's Bomberman series, PopTag! has players battling each other and computer-controlled characters in online maps with water-based weapons, like water balloons. To defeat their opponents, they place a water balloon next to an enemy to trap it in a bubble. The trapped player can escape the bubble by using a special item or receiving help from a teammate.

With each victory, players earn experience points and can level up. The game features both player-versus-player modes and cooperative modes in which gamers can team up to fight enemies and boss monsters. There's even a co-op mode enabling two players at a single computer to control different characters at the same time using a single keyboard.

Though it's a free-to-play title, PopTag! has thousands of purchasable items and character customization goods. It also features an in-game messenger and other community features, as well as a "sweetie" system that actually allows players to marry each other in-game. Nexon adds that it plans to release regular updates with new maps, modes, items, and quests.

"PopTag! is an exciting addition to our catalogue of games, and it should have strong appeal to fans of fast-paced arcade style gaming," says Nexon America CEO Daniel Kim, Nexon America's CEO. "We consider PopTag! one of the cornerstones of Nexon's worldwide success. It exemplifies Nexon's commitment to delivering a quality free-to-play gaming experience with frequent content updates."