East Meets West
East Meets West: Sony and Microsoft team up on cloud gaming, Rockstar buys Dhruva, and Indonesia is world's fastest-growing market
Keeping up with the news from the world's most influential games market
Mobile Future
NCSoft wants more from its legacy RPG franchises on mobile as sales decline
Mobile still makes up more than half of the company's sales
Korea Stars
Brawl Stars takes $50 million in South Korea
Total global sales to date reach an estimated $230m
Season 2
Supercell partners with South Korean TV network OGN for Clash Royale League
Handling production in the West and Asia
New Opportunities
SK Telecom partners with Microsoft on 5G, AI and cloud technologies
SK Telecom will adopt Microsoft 365 secure solution
Financial
MapleStory and Dungeon & Fighter shatter expectations to drive Nexon’s Q1 2019 results
Nexon predicts further growth as it heads into the next quarter
Live And Kicking
Four years on: Netmarble on how Marvel Future Fight has continued to assemble fans
"In order to compete with other games, the title should be as fun as if it only came out yesterday"
Loss
South Korea economy could lose over $9 billion once the WHO names gaming addiction a disease
Stigmatising gaming addicts could cost the industry trillions of KRW
Crucial Year
Hatch on game subscriptions and streaming: "We’re basically opening up the floodgates of creativity"
CCO Vesa Jutila discusses the company's big partnerships and even bigger plans
East Meets West
East Meets West: Chinese regulator starts approving new games, China debates long working hours, and Perfect World is world's top grosser
Keeping up with the news from the world's most influential games market
Korea
South Korean FTC will carry out an “extensive review” of consumer regulations
The antitrust body wants to combat games taking advantage of children spending money they don't have
East Meets West
East Meets West: Tencent could be launch a gaming phone, and how China and South Korea are driving Eve online into the future
Keeping up with the news from the world's most influential games market
Mobile Star
Supercell’s Brawl Stars is making $50 million a month
Sales pass $200 million to date
Develop Reboot
China and South Korea are driving Eve Online into the future
"I have Eve Echoes in my pocket. It is like an artefact from the future"
East Meets West
East Meets West: Game of Thrones joins latest China game approvals, and Hatch partners with Samsung on 5G
Keeping up with the news from the world's most influential games market
Hatch A Plan
Hatch partners with Samsung to bring 5G games service to South Korea
Hatch Premium will be included with any purchase of Samsung’s Galaxy S10 5G in the country
3g 4g 5g More
SK Telecom introduces new 5G data plan that includes exclusive games and promotions
Firm states that new 5G network will utilise its 34,000 5G base stations across the country
Eastern Stars
Is Brawl Stars set to knock it out the park in China as Supercell’s latest billion-dollar success?
An analysis of the online multiplayer shooter's Western and Eastern performance
Asia Roundup
East Meets West: The battle to acquire Nexon heats up, and Nintendo is wary of looking greedy on mobile
Keeping up with the news from the world's most influential games market
Acquisition Battle
Nexon shortlists five bidders including Kakao and Tencent
Formal bidding process starts in early April
Bidding Battle
Report: EA, Amazon and Comcast all submit acquisition bids for publisher Nexon
New challengers join a growing collection of suitors
Nexon-marble
Netmarble on Nexon acquisition: "With some leverage we could do the funding ourselves"
Been execs remain coy on exactly how a deal might be structured
The Saga Continues
Tencent joins Netmarble consortium in bid for Nexon
Deal could be made official as soon as February 21st
Maple
Maplestory M’s massive success is only part of Nexon’s record-setting financial results
Nexon’s highest full-year performance across both PC and Mobile made FY2018 one of the publisher’s strongest years to date
China Vs South Korea
South Korea’s Kakao considers $9bn Nexon bid
Potentially one of the companies biggest acquisitions
Nex-marble
Netmarble forming consortium to acquire Nexon
Serious contender for $9bn-valued publisher
Say What?
Report: Nexon put up for sale as founder and controlling stakeholder exits
Total 98.64 per cent stake owned by Kim Jung-ju up for grabs, it seems
Soulful
Netmarble’s Blade and Soul Revolution tops iOS grossing charts in South Korea one day after launch
The MMORPG will launch globally in 2019
Big Indie Pitch
Brawl Quest becomes the final Big Indie Pitch champion of 2018
We check out the top 3 prize winners at this years Big Indie Pitch at G-STAR 18
Event
The Big Indie Awards this week!
Join us at G-STAR in Korea to find out the winners, plus two Indie Pitches and one sweet party
Mmo Mania
NCSoft's 2019 plans include new Lineage, Alon and Blade & Soul mobile titles
Korean publisher revealed five new titles it hopes will lead growth next year
G-star 2018
Meet Pocket Gamer and Jagex Partners at G-STAR
We’ll be at the Korea show with the Big Indie Awards, a Big Indie Pitch and a sweet PG Party
G-star 2018
Indies: Sign up now to be part of G-STAR's Indie Game Zone in November
Limited space available, register now to not miss out
Region Focus
Region Focus: The opportunities and challenges facing South Korea’s lucrative games industry
In-depth analysis of the sector with comment from executives at Netmarble, Com2uS and Pearl Abyss
Indie Focus
How the Busan Indie Connect Festival is connecting developers with consumers
Event director Dustin Lee gives us the lowdown on the show
Trendy Sector
What's up with the South Korean games market?
Mobile and PC MMOs rule the roost in a sector-defining part of the world
Lineage Of Ips
Netmarble on Lineage 2 Revolution's runaway success and finding the next big hit
Simon Sim talks up the company's global strategy and M&A activity
Studio Profile
South Korean developer Ekkorr on Endless Frontier making $60m and the importance of sharing ideas
CEO Myeong Yong Shin offers up the details on the studio's work
Top Performers
PUBG Mobile and Lineage M top download and grossing charts in South Korea in H1 2018
The top 10 grossers and downloaded mobile games across the App Store and Google Play for the first six months of the year
Korea
Expo space at G-STAR sold out!
Asia’s leading games industry conference and expo fills b2b show floor one month ahead of November dates
Studio Profile
NHN Entertainment on dealing with South Korea regulations and topping the mobile charts with a fishing game
Publishing business department director Sang Ho Kim discusses the company's vast operations
Business News
Webzen launches casual games publishing brand Appmigos
But stays clear of hyper-casual
Global Charts
Weekly global mobile game charts: South Korea's Line Puzzle tops downloads as Clash Royale makes a comeback
Google Play and App Store rankings in the US, Great Britain and Ireland, and China for the week of October 1st to 7th
Studio Profile
Webzen: "There is a lot of pressure to always acquire a new cash cow"
CEO Tony Kim gives us the lowdown on the company's plans
Summoning A Hit
Com2uS on Summoners War's rapid expansion and applying lessons learnt to Skylanders: Ring of Heroes
"I think that gaming is a hits-driven business in the same way that publishing is a hits-driven business"
Special Focus
Don't miss our South Korea Special covering the country's games industry this week
Interviews, analysis, studio profiles and region focus all dedicated to this exciting market
Potter
Jam City launches Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery in South Korea
Move could prove a lucrative venture in the RPG-friendly market
Big Indie Awards
Entries open for The Big Indie Awards 2018 in association with G-STAR
There's STILL time to enter this year's biggest competition for indie developers [update]
Business News
Hong Kong’s Apptutti signs new partnership to help Korean devs access China games market
Support services localised for Korean speakers
East Meets West
South Korean publisher Pearl Abyss acquires Eve Online studio CCP for $425 million
Icelandic studio claims it will maintain independence while supporting Pearl Abyss' current and future projects