Top American game developers to give advice to local companies

By Park Jin-hai

Most local game firms aspire to make inroads into the North American market but find it challenging due to limited information about the dynamics of that market.

Consequently, a team of leading mobile game developers from North America will share their experiences and tips to local developers in a seminar.

A marketing strategy seminar, hosted by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) and organized by Latis Global Communications, a Korean game localizer, will take place at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul, on Wednesday.

Among the speakers are Anna Cho, user interface engineer of Storm8, who will compare the American and Korean game’s user experience; Alexander Wong, Ender’s Fund founder, will explain how they produced their mobile game Deadeye Derby; and Chaynor Hsiao, project manager of Play next, will present how to make a smooth transition from PC to mobile.

The North American region has become a new battleground for mobile game firms from all over the world, competing to secure an upper hand in this very lucrative market.

According to Newzoo, a market research and consulting firm, the North American mobile market, compared to the Asian Pacific region is relatively smaller in size. The former is $3 billion and the latter $5.9 billion. Despite its small size, its average monthly subscription fee of $3.87 is higher than that of the Asia Pacific.

All the guest speakers will also participate in a discussion session, where they will share their successful and failed experiences with participants.

Hong Sang-pyo, president of KOCCA, said, “The global market for mobile games, where Korean game firms have advantages, has been expanding. We will continue to provide more seminars like this, so that outbound local mobile firms can get more on-site information.”