Financial
South Korean publisher Com2us posts over $100m in earnings for the 11th consecutive quarter
Summoners War creator reports a 9 per cent sales increase since last quarter
Oh No
Netmarble shares plummet to all-time low as Lineage 2 popularity fades
Shares dropped 11.27 per cent on August 9th to close at 126,000 won
Banned
No end in sight as South Korean games companies locked out of China for over a year
No signs of issues being resolved
Take Three
Kakao Games makes a third $16.8 million investment in esports developer Neptune
The South Korean company now holds an 11 per cent stake in Neptune
Korean Market
Your G-STAR guide to entering Asia's biggest games market
Exclusive interview: the chairman of the G-STAR organising committee explains the importance of understanding the South Korean games industry
On The App
Over 90% of Google Play revenue in South Korea comes from games
Wise App surveyed 23,000 Android smartphone users in Korea from May 1st to 31st
Korean Event
Early Bird registration opens for South Korea’s G-STAR 2018
10% off tickets to the major Asian show taking place November 15th to 18th in Busan
Heading For Ipo
King of Fighters creator SNK and RPG dev Vespa set for South Korea flotations
Vespa joins the Japanese giant in going public in 2018
Winner
Report: PUBG developer Bluehole snaps up mobile studio Delusion Studio
The terms of the deal are currently unknown
Eyes On Korea
Why Seasun and other Chinese developers are expanding their influence over South Korea's mobile market
Seasun Games overseas business development director Zhen Li tells us why Chinese games are so popular in South Korea
Developer Awards
Entries open for The Big Indie Awards at G-STAR
Gala ceremony in South Korea the grand finale to another fantastic year of international Big Indie Pitches
Top Tips
4 tips for tapping into the South Korean mobile games market
WeQ CEO Markus Malti on cracking one of the world's most lucrative mobile sectors
New Clan
Chinese dev Seasun cracks South Korean market with Clans: Shadow of the Moon
Seasun managed to score a 170 per cent ROI through the Taptica’s targeted app install campaign
International Events
Pocket Gamer and G-STAR launch international promotional partnership as Big Indie Awards heads to South Korea
UK publisher Steel Media Ltd extends partnership with South Korea’s leading game expo G-STAR, including the Big Indie Game Awards in Busan in 2018
Co-development
Canada’s Throwback Entertainment inks co-development deal with South Korea’s Leanup
Two titles set for release by the end of the year
God Like
How NadiaSoft plans to mix Eastern and Western influencers for global appeal
The new IP will feature an array of gods and heroes from Greece, China and more
Going Public
Kakao Games applies for IPO in South Korea
Publisher set to go public on South Korea's second-tier stock exchange Kosdaq
Take To The Seas
Overseas sales push Com2us to $100m revenues for Q1 FY18
85 per cent of revenues came from abroad as Summoners War continues to draw players
Event News
International Game Show 2018 PlayX4 heads to South Korea in May
Event houses B2B and B2C exhibitions
Legal Investigation
Report: South Korea’s FTC investigates Google Play over claims it abused market leading position
Storefront accounted for 60 per cent of all mobile app content sales in 2017
Boycotted
Report: China still refuses to license new South Korean-developed games
Tensions originated with South Korea’s THAAD missile defence system which led to China’s unofficial license boycott
Joining The Band
Publishing giant Netmarble picks up stake in K-pop label Big Hit Entertainment for $190m
Becomes the second largest shareholder
Group Up
China’s Shanda Games invests $9.4 million in Kakao Games
Kakao Games received a $131.6 million investment from multiple investors in February
Coin Offering
South Korea's Reality Reflection launches ICO for AR game Mossland
Moss Coins can now be purchased
Crypto Korea
South Korean cryptocurrency operator Dunamu to invest $93 million in blockchain technology
Dunamu to spread investment over three years
Another Milestone
Summoners War surpasses 90 million downloads
Com2us expects to hit 100 million downloads in the near future
Big Moves
Lineage 2 developer Netmarble names new CEO
South Korean-based developer Netmarble
Kakao Investment 2018
Kakao Games raises $131 million ahead of planned IPO in 2018
Tencent, Netmarble and Bluepoint all chip in
Nexon Shakeup
Nexon Korea CEO Jiwon Park promoted to global COO of Nexon
VP of business Junghun Lee nominated to take over as CEO
Studio Merger
Nexon merges development studios Ndoors and Nexon Red
Studios to collaborate on game development
Big Indie Pitch
Arcade shooter Defenoid shoots down the competition to win the Big Indie Pitch at G-Star 2017
Dead 2048 and GWARP take second and third spots
Iap Inspector
How does Lineage 2: Revolution monetise?
IAPs from the players' perspective
The Charticle
From Lineage 2 to Contest of Champions: The games powering South Korean powerhouse Netmarble
It's not all about Lineage 2 - though nearly half of it is
Star Event
South Korea's biggest games conference G-STAR 2017 kicks off
200,000 consumers expected
Netmarble Financials Q3 Fy17
Lineage 2 Revolution generated 45% of Netmarble's revenues in Q3 FY17
Launching in Europe and North America on November 15th
Com2us Financials Q3 Fy17
61% of Com2uS' $98.9 million Q3 overseas revenues came from North America and Europe
Summoners War continues to be the biggest performer
Nexon Financials Q3 Fy17
FIFA Online 3 M and Dark Avenger 3 boost Nexon's revenues to $532.9 million
Dynasty Warriors Unleashed and DomiNations continue to grow
Come Say Hello
Meet Pocket Gamer at G-STAR in South Korea
We're itching to meet as many people as possible in this exciting market
Art Expo
Webzen's MU Online inspired visual art exhibition is underway and open to the public
Korea Calling
Global games expo G-STAR kicks off next month in South Korea
We give you the low-down on what to expect
Lineage Leaps
Lineage M was the third-highest grossing mobile game worldwide in July 2017
Only launched in South Korea at the tail end of June
Kakao Games Merge
Kakao merges its games division with subsidiary Kakao Games
Hoping to improve efficiency and competitiveness
Netmarble Financials Q2 Fy17
Netmarble's revenues slide to $472.3 million as Lineage 2 Revolution loses business in South Korea
Lineage 2 Revolution makes up 37% of all Netmarble's revenues
Nexon Financials Q2 Fy17
Nexon revenues grow to $431.7 million due to continued success of Heroes of Incredible Tales
Dynasty Warriors Unleashed finds a home in Southeast Asia
Com2us Financials Q2 Fy17
Com2uS revenues hit $114.8 million as Summoners War clears $890 million lifetime overseas revenues
Work continues on Summoners War MMO and Skylanders game
Ncsoft Financials Q2 Fy17
NCSoft's mobile sales jump 300% to $83 million thanks to Lineage M
Mobile take on PC MMO is cannibalising other games with its name
No Joy For Korea
ChinaJoy organisers demanded removal of any mention of 'Korea' from country's B2B pavilion, source claims
Tensions between South Korean and Chinese governments continues to have impact on Korean games industry
Next In Line
Line launches games publishing division after NextFloor acquisition
NextFloor CEO Min Kyu Kim to head up new unit
Critical Force Seoul
Critical Ops developer opens South Korean office and targets Asia after hitting 22 million downloads
The mobile FPS lines up a new target
New Ratings
South Korea's GRAC enhances game rating system through international cooperation
Discussion with Valve, Google and Microsoft to enhance follow-up management to protect users as well as joining IARC