How the Korean games biz is shaping genre innovation and audience expansion

• Gain a deeper understanding of why an increasing number of global games professionals pay attention to the Korea and APAC games markets.
• “One of the leading markets in the world for game publishing, IP licensing and esports” and “one of the world’s most advanced mobile-first consumer cultures”, according to Mona Ibrahim and Claire Rozain.
• Join Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Korea on October 31st to learn more about the region’s games ecosystem.

Ahead of Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Korea on October 31st, we spoke to a selection of the speakers sharing their industry expertise at the event. 

Aiming to bridge the eastern and western games markets, Mona Ibrahim, the managing director of Word Witch Consulting + UGC Attorney, has a particular interest in Korea thanks to her extensive experience working on transmedia strategic partnerships for Epic Games. 

“With companies like Nexon, NCSoft and Krafton, Korea has become one of the leading markets in the world for game publishing, IP licensing and esports. It's also currently one of the richest markets for licensing linear content thanks to K-pop's international reach,” she says. 

Ibrahim is now hoping to help Korean companies expand to the US and bring US brands to the Korean market.

Claire Rozain, the CEO of RZAIN Consulting and SisterSoundFR, also recognises the strength of the Korean market, although she sees it through a different lens.

“Korea has one of the world’s most advanced mobile-first consumer cultures, with high digital engagement among women across gaming, wellness, and story-driven platforms,” she says. 

Alongside being the founder and CEO of UA strategy firm Rzain, Rozain is also the co-founder of SisterSoundFR, which is a mobile app and content portfolio made by and for women. 

“A design and monetisation benchmark”

“It is built on a simple but under-served idea: women deserve emotionally intelligent, story-driven, inclusive gaming and utility experiences”, explains Rozain, adding that “Korean studios are global leaders in IP, narrative innovation, and emotional UX design - areas we care deeply about and collaborate on through creative partnerships."

“We see Korea as a design and monetisation benchmark for both global mobile growth and inclusive, genre-expanding experiences.”

She highlights the increase seen across East Asia, and particularly in Korea, of emotionally driven, women-focused content, stating “studios are beginning to see that designing for women is not a niche - it's a growth strategy.”

This is particularly evident given the significant investment into narrative-led mobile games targeting female audiences, K-drama style storytelling, choice mechanics, and multi-character arcs.

Another significant area gaining momentum is transmedia IPs where games, comics, music, and streaming content unite into wider fan ecosystems. More than entertainment, Rozain says these have resulted in their own fan economies, increased retention, and new monetisation channels “beyond ads and IAPs”.

“From a global perspective, this trend is reshaping what mainstream mobile looks like. Historically underserved user segments - especially women - are becoming the core growth engine for the next generation of mobile products”.

Speaking of industry trends, Ibrahim thinks it’s clear what the central universal theme is. 

“AI, UGC, and web3 are going to be the big issues facing games over the next couple of years. I think generative AI in particular will have a significant impact on game development”, adding “for better or for worse”.

Western studios got a lot to learn

But rather than focusing on current trends, she is “more interested in what is not a trend in APAC right now, and why”. 

“The games industry has been struggling with massive layoffs, downsizing, and studio closures for years, with nothing to indicate that things will improve. However, the APAC region has reported significantly fewer cuts than western studios, and I think western studios could learn a lot from how Asian studios manage costs”.

Indeed, many agree that the Korean games market has proven to be more resilient than other geographies.

A substantial contributor, according to Ibrahim, is its strong historical PC bang culture, in addition to the emphasis on live ops games from industry giants like NCSoft, Nexon, and Krafton. 

“Games like Valorant have also seen major traction. For young people in Korea, games are both competitive and a source of community, and I think this plays a major role in the resilience of the Korean games industry”.

The focus on live ops is a unique feature of Korean game studios, and one of its many strengths, according to Rozain. 

“Unlike many western markets that rely heavily on platform economics or hit-or-miss launches, Korea has built a sustainable, vertically integrated gaming ecosystem - from IP development to live ops, community, and even music and media crossovers,” she argues. 

Another often overlooked feature, she says, is Korea’s “intuitive understanding of gender-inclusive engagement”, as demonstrated with titles like Mystic Messenger or Romantic Diary which have shown that “women will spend - and stay - when content reflects their experiences”.

Leader in genre innovation and audience expansion

For Rozain, this resilience translates into opportunity, “Korean studios are not just weathering market shifts - they’re actively shaping the next phase of genre innovation and audience expansion.”

“We’re still not designing for over 50% of the market: women”. This, she thinks, makes audience expansion a real prospect. Other major opportunities come in the form of “UGC, AI-powered prototyping, narrative-driven hybrid casual and leaning into creative-as-a-strategy”.

When asked about the biggest challenge and opportunity facing the games industry at the moment, Ibrahim responds, “Both of these questions have the same answer.

“There are those who see AI as a solution for everything, and those who see AI as the end of everything. In reality, I think AI in its current state is nothing more than a tool that produces content humans want to consume when actual humans are taking the lead in the creative process itself”.

Commenting on their participation in PGC Summit Korea, Ibrahim circles back to her motivation of wanting to close the gap between Korea and the rest of the world, which she phrases as wanting to “become one of the beams holding together the bridge between Korea and the global market.” 

“PGC is a fantastic event for learning from each other, collaboration, and networking, so I'm excited to be a part of it,” she says.

For SisterSoundFR and Rozain, attending the event is a strategic step toward understanding and engaging with “one of the most culturally influential women’s mobile markets in the world”.

“We’re here to listen, learn, and collaborate”.

Meet and learn from more expert speakers like Ibrahim and Rozain by joining Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Korea on October 31st. Register your ticket today, saving you up to ₩70,000 ($50), with current Mid Term rates.