British games developers are increasingly looking to overseas territories to maximise their return on investment by releasing the same IP in multiple markets. Historically, the most popular options have been Europe and the USA, but Asia is catching up fast.
Leading the charge is Korea, one of the most attractive game markets not only in Asia, but also the world. It’s now the fifth largest region for games overall, behind only the US, China, Japan and the UK.
Korea represents a total of 5.7% of the world game market as of 2016, with the second largest online game market and the fourth largest for mobile games. This year, Korea’s market value for games is expected to exceed $9 billion for the first time.
Why Korea?
G-STAR is striving to become a global game exhibition. Unlike other Asian territories such as China, Korea has a low level of regulation on foreign games, making it easier for overseas developers to launch their titles into the region. Additionally, Korea has a fast internet network, which helps the distribution and uptake of games.
Domestic game companies largely focus on PC online and mobile games, but the console sector is now growing rapidly. Korean users’ response to foreign games – especially AAA titles – is very hot.
How To Get Involved
Developers looking to explore the region’s potential will find an ideal introduction at Asia’s biggest games exhibition, G-STAR. Taking place in Busan this November 14th to 17th, this global game exhibition has become an international hotspot for companies both exporting and importing games.
G-STAR has the highest volume of b2b exhibitors in Asia as well as overseas game exhibitors. While other global b2b exhibitions and game shows decline, G-STAR continues to be an attractive proposition for companies exporting and importing games.
With numerous special events and a networking platform, G-STAR is the central hub for the gaming industry in Asia. As well as a conference schedule featuring key speakers, and the core b2b and b2c exhibitions, there is also an investment market, recruitment fair and more. Via the conference programme, called G-CON, you can meet the key speakers from companies making AAA titles.
2019 also sees the introduction of the Indie Showcase, giving indie devs the opportunity to receive feedback about their games from attendees. This year it’s all about win-win for the indie games scene. It’s a great way for indie developers to get feedback from visitors, who might otherwise not have much contact with gamers themselves.
It is possible to register now at the official site! https://www.gstar.or.kr/eng
