Park Jae-hyuk is a seasoned journalist who has provided comprehensive coverage of South Korea's corporate dynamics, economic policies, industry challenges and the global positioning of Korean companies. Based on the articles he has written since joining The Korea Times in 2016, his investigative approach has helped readers understand corporate governance, economic trends and business strategies shaping South Korea’s economy.
Fortnite poised to dent Battlegrounds' supremacy
Epic Games' shooter game, “Fortnite” / Courtesy of Epic Games Korea
By Park Jae-hyuk
By Park Jae-hyuk
The market share of “PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds” may go down further as Epic Games Korea announced it will give various benefits to users who play “Fortnite” at PC cafes, according to industry officials Thursday.
“Fortnite,” a shooter game that has won huge popularity with gamers in Europe and North America, has expanded its presence in the Korean market.
In August, Epic Games Korea decided to join hands with Samsung Electronics for the release of the Android version of “Fortnite.”
Also, the U.S. game developer's local subsidiary said it will offer the shooter game to PC cafe owners for free for at least 118 days.
It will carry out an event from Nov. 8 to Dec. 19 as well, to give users compensations worth 100 million won ($88,062). Those who accomplish missions while playing “Fortnite” at PC cafes will be awarded.
Epic Games Korea's aggressive marketing strategy will weigh on PUBG, the developer of “PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.”
The mega-hit shooter game, which was released in 2017, has been losing its users in recent days.
It lost the No.1 spot at PC cafes here in July to “League of Legends” developed by the U.S.-based game company Riot Games.
The market share of “PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds” even decreased to 19.65 percent in October.
The recent release of Blizzard's “Call of Duty: Black Ops 4” has also accelerated the exodus of users.
“With the release of new survivor shooter games, the market share of Battlegrounds will decline further,” an industry official said. “With continuous updates and improvements in services, PUBG should put its top priority on the prevention of user exodus.”
Epic Games is also the first foreign game maker that has become the main sponsor of G-Star 2018, which will be held in Busan from Nov. 15 to 18.
The company plans to open 100 promotional booths during the event to demonstrate “Fortnite” which can be played on various devices including PC, PlayStation 4 and smartphones. It will also invite famous streamers and professional gamers to the booths.