This year, domestic game companies are expanding their sales with console games targeting global mar..

This year, domestic game companies are expanding their sales with console games targeting global markets such as North America and Europe. It is interpreted that domestic game companies, which have focused on PC and mobile games, are trying to diversify their platforms while strengthening their competitiveness in the global market by expanding their business to consoles.

According to the game industry on the 26th, a number of domestic game companies, including Nexon and Krafton, which posted the highest sales ever last year, as well as Kakao Games, which had relatively poor performance, are planning to announce new console games this year.

First of all, Nexon, which solidified its lead by surpassing 4 trillion won in sales, will release “First Bursker: Kazan,” this year’s most anticipated work based on popular intellectual property rights (IP) “Dungeon & Fighter,” on the 28th of next month. “First Bursker: Kazan” is the first console work that Nexon’s subsidiary Neople has challenged and a packaged game that users can enjoy alone, aiming to achieve results in North America and Europe.

The previously released demo version was evaluated as “very positive” through more than 3,000 reviews on the global game platform Steam, raising expectations. As Nexon’s sales last year were driven by the new film “Dungeon & Fighter Mobile,” which was popular in China, the performance of Nexon’s most anticipated film, “First Bursker: Kazan,” is expected to play a major role this year.

Krafton, which still accounts for less than 2% of console sales, will first introduce its expected work “inZOI,” which melts artificial intelligence (AI) technology, on PCs next month and expand it to consoles. “Unknown Walls,” Krafton’s published work, is also set to be released this year as a console game.

The two works have been listed in the top 10 wish lists around the world on the game platform Steam, raising expectations. In its recent earnings announcement, Krafton expressed confidence in expanding the platform through new works, saying, “If you look at the top 10 in the world on the Wishlist, only Krafton ranks two works.”

Console games account for about 30% of the total game market, but they are considered barren by domestic game companies.

According to the market forecast of market research company New stock, the global game market was estimated to be $187.7 billion (about 269 trillion won) last year. Among them, the mobile game market recorded $92.6 billion (49%), the console game market recorded $51.9 billion (28%), and the PC game market recorded $43.2 billion (23%).

In Korea, most of the first-generation developers who produced domestic online games such as “Land of the Wind” and “Lineage” were centered on PCs, so Korea has focused on PCs and the mobile market that emerged after them rather than consoles. In addition, consoles are different from PCs from the development stage, and the need for separate investment was also cited as a barrier.

However, as the game market stagnates, game companies, which have felt limited to PC and mobile games, are now starting to knock on the console market to expand the market. In particular, consoles are essential to catch U.S. gamers, the world’s largest game market and high console usage.

NCsoft of ‘Lineage’ Shinhwa has also started to expand. Two of the four domestic and foreign game companies that NCsoft invested in last year, which significantly increased external investment, are developing console games.

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