Game industry trade body the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has two new members, publishers Trion World Network and XSEED Games.

Based in Redwood City, California, Trion is a publisher and developer “of server-based games and original entertainment for the connected world”, and holds development and technology studios in Austin, Texas, and San Diego.

Formed in 2004, XSEED says its vision is “to cross pollinate the avid gaming cultures of Japan and North America”.

“The association is dedicated to bolstering the interests of organisations within the interactive entertainment arena and with its support we will continue to develop and publish dynamic, connected games on the Trion Platform, as Trion strives to lead our industry in its transformation from packaged goods software to games as a service,” said Trion CEO Lars Buttler.

XSEED president Jun Iwasaki said: “This will be a critical year for gamers, so we look forward to working together to deliver quality products and experiences that further supports and validates the games industry’s position within the entertainment sector.”

ESA CEO Michael Gallagher also welcomed the association's new members: "We look forward to supporting their efforts through our work on the key public policy issues facing the entertainment software industry, including piracy, intellectual property rights and freedom of speech."

Following a spike in membership fees that most likely contributed to the high-profile departures of publishers including Activision and LucasArts, the ESA said earlier this year that it was revising its membership fees policy in the hope that its new model would “make the ESA an attractive and accessible option for small and mid-sized publishers so we can more fully represent our industry’s diversity”.