Nexon, NCSOFT, Netmarble eye console games
Netmarble Games' “Seven Knights,” which will be developed for Nintendo Switch / Courtesy of Netmarble Games
By Jun Ji-hye
Nexon, NCSOFT, Netmarble and other game firms here are developing and releasing games for console devices, such as PlayStation and Xbox, to diversify their game publishing platforms.
According to market researcher Newzoo, the scale of the global console game market this year is estimated at 38 trillion won ($34 billion), approaching the mobile game market's high of 39 trillion won.
Most domestic game firms have so far focused on PC and mobile games, but are now knocking on the video console game market as demand for console devices has been rising in and outside of the country.
The growing demand for the devices comes as the console game environment has changed. Previously, users had to buy CDs for console games and were not able to play with other players online. But currently, online platforms have infiltrated console games, enabling users to download games online and compete with other gamers around the world.
As well as the three major game firms, Nexon, NCSOFT and Netmarble Games, middle-sized game companies, such as Pearl Abyss and Bluehole, have been making efforts to enter the console game market.
Nexon, the nation's top game publisher, plans to release the console game version of its multiplayer online battle area (MOBA) game “Hyper Universe” next month, exclusively designed for Xbox One.
“The planned release reflects our efforts to diversity game platforms to meet various needs of users in and outside country,” said a Nexon official.
Netmarble Games is planning to develop its “Seven Knights” for video game consoles.
During a press conference held in Seoul, February, Netmarble Games Chairman Bang Joon-hyuk said, “Development is underway for Seven Knights to be played on the Nintendo Switch,” adding that it will expand platforms through Steam, a global PC-based platform.
The measures come as the company wants to pre-emptively secure its future competitiveness at a time when Chinese game companies have consistently increased their influence in Korea as well as Japan and the United States, the chairman said.
NCSOFT is also set to utilize its intellectual property (IP) of Lineage to expand it platform to console devices and other various platforms.
Pearl Abyss, a developer of “Black Desert,” is preparing for the release of the console version of its signature game after the release of the mobile version, while Bluehole already released its “PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds” for Xbox in December last year.
“Through the release of the console version, we want to expand our presence in North America and Europe, where console games are popular, and enhance the IP of Black Desert,” said Jeon Kwang-bae, who is in charge of the console game business at Pearl Abyss.