'PUBG' sweeps 6 prizes at Korea Game Awards

PUBG Corp. CEO Kim Chang-han holds the trophy after receiving the grand prize of the 2017 Korea Game Awards for the company’s online shooter “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)” at the Busan Cinema Center, Wednesday. / Courtesy of Bluehole

PC game reclaims grand prize from mobile sector after 4 years

By Yoon Sung-won

BUSAN ― Online shooter “PlayerUnknown’s Battergrounds (PUBG)” won six prizes at Korea’s top game awards including the presidential grand prize, Wednesday.

During the 2017 Korea Game Awards at the Busan Cinema Center in this southern port city, PUBG won the grand prize as well as awards for sound, programming, design, game business innovation and domestic popularity.

Kim Chang-han, PUBG’s executive producer and CEO of its development studio, pledged to foster the online shooter as an e-sport success.

“Though Korea is the birthplace of e-sports, the most competitive e-sports games are foreign-made,” Kim said after receiving the grand prize. “Against such a backdrop, Korea has long needed an influential intellectual property in e-sports. I will do my utmost to make PUBG such a property.”

Pre-released as an incomplete version through the world’s largest computer online game distribution platform “Steam” in March, more than 20 million copies of PUBG have already been sold globally. It became the most played game on the platform with over 2.5 million concurrent users. According to market tracker Gametrics, the game has been ranked as the most played computer online game at PC bangs, or internet cafes, in Korea with a 27.53 percent market share as of this week.

In this online battle-royal shooter, each user becomes one of 100 players on an island and has to do whatever it takes to become the last survivor. PUBG Corp., a development subsidiary of Korean game firm Bluehole, plans to complete and officially launch it within this year.

PUBG’s winning of the grand prize this year means the return of its computer game to the top perch in four years.

On the back of the explosive growth of the mobile games market here, Action Square and Fourth Thirty Three’s “Blade,” Netmarble Games’ “Raven” and Nexon’s “Heroes of Incredible Tales” have won the grand prizes of Korea Game Awards over the last three years, respectively.

Expectations are that good business achievements by Korea-made computer online games such as PUBG and Pearl Abyss’ “Black Desert” on the global stage will revitalize investment and development of major computer online games here.

Korean game giants such as Nexon, NCSOFT and Bluehole have unveiled plans this month to release new major computer online games such as “FIFA Online 4,” “Project TL” and “Ascent: Infinite Realm.”

“Though the growth of the mobile games sector has its meanings, good business performances by computer online games will encourage major investments in this market,” an industry source said.

“Major investments in computer online games are likely to result in development of advanced graphics technologies and network gaming systems, boosting capabilities of Korea’s game development industry in general.”

Meanwhile, Netmarble Games’ mobile role-playing game “Lineage 2: Revolution” won the second place prize with the prime ministerial prize. Neowiz Games’ “DJMax Respect,” Rhymus’ “The Musician, Nexon Red’s “Alliance x Empire” and Vespa’s “King’s Raid” shared third prize.

The Korea Game Awards, organized by the nation’s largest game industry lobby K-Games in 1996, has been regarded as the top awards event in Korea.