Online games prevail at G-Star 2014
Visitors gather in front of the largest screen at NSSOFT’s exhibition booth to watch a trailer for “Lineage Eternal” and to wait for a turn to play it at BEXCO in Busan, Thursday. / Korea Times
By Yoon Sung-won
Visitors to the G-Star 2014 game show line up at the XLGames’ exhibition booth for their turn to play “Civilization Online” at BEXCO in Busan, Thursday. / Korea Times photo by Yoon Sung-won
BUSAN ― No matter how much mobile gaming expands its presence in the market, online games simply remain too big to fail.
On Thursday, the first day of G-Star 2014 ― the nation’s largest game show held in Busan_ top Korean games companies showed the status of online games still holds. Audiences waited in long lines for an opportunity to play preview versions of blockbuster online games such as NCSOFT’s “Lineage Eternal,” Nexon’s “Sudden Attack 2” and XLGames’ “Civilization Online.”
An industry source says the heated interest in online games at G-Star raises hope for a more balanced growth in the local gaming industry.
“Concern that mobile games may encroach on the territory of online games is not likely to be true. The mobile and online sectors will grow together,” he said. “Mobile and online games have clear differences in the kind of entertainment they offer to gamers. This means that different market needs exist for each sector.”
Another industry insider at the venue agreed, “Online games are not dead yet. There is much to be seen in this sector.”
Alongside test-play versions, companies also used exhibition booths to screen trailer videos of new online games. NCSOFT set up a donut-like theater for its 3D online action title, “Project HON.” Smilegate prepared a similar video room to show a video for its online game “Lost Ark.” Despite the fact audiences could not do anything but watch the screen, they lined up the same as at the test-play booths.
At the business-to-customer exhibition hall in BEXCO, G-Star’s main venue, XLgames unveiled Civilization Online for the first time. The game is part of the much sought-after simulation “Civilization” series; this version is a multi-genre title that combines simulation and role-playing, the company’s spokeswoman said.
Actoz Soft also revealed “Final Fantasy XIV,” an online game developed by Japan’s Square Enix, for the first time.
The Korea Internet and Digital Entertainment Association, the main host of the game fair, said the 2014 event is the largest in its decade-long history. A total of 617 game companies from 35 countries participated in the show, the association said.
Visitors are expected to exceed 200,000, up from last year’s 188,000, meaning the show has grown into one of the largest game fairs in the world. Tokyo Game Show, one of the three major global game shows, draws an average of 220,000 visitors every year.
An industry insider at the venue said, “The number of visitors is much more than previous years, and many more will stop by at the weekend. I’m sure the number will exceed 200,000.”