PC/Console Game Star Wars…Foreign products such as “Diablo 4” vs “TL” and “P’s False” made in Korea
NCsoft and Neowiz, ‘TL’ and ‘P’s False’ targeting the global PC/console market
Large-scale overseas works such as Blizzard’s Diablo 4, Bethesda’s Starfield, and Square’s Final Fantasy 16 are pouring out
This year, the game industry predicted a war of PC and console game stars. While domestic game companies such as “TL” and “P’s False” are waiting for masterpieces that have been focused on development, new Super IPs by overseas game companies are also about to be released.
According to the game industry on the 2nd, the new PC and console large-scale releases, which are expected to be released in the first half of this year, are NCsoft’s new MMORPG “THRONE AND LIBERTY” and Neowiz single action game “P’s False.”
NCsoft is focusing on developing TL to target global PC and console markets as it focuses on allowing game users around the world to enjoy it.
Neowiz’s “P’s False” is a “Soullike” genre game that has become more popular overseas than at home. At Europe’s largest game show “Gamescom” last year, it won ▲ the most anticipated PlayStation game ▲ the best action adventure game ▲ the best role-playing game, raising expectations for global box office success.
Nexon is also working on the final hardening ahead of the release of new PC and console products. Nexon is preparing ‘Kartrider: Drift’ on the 12th as a multi-platform such as a console, PC, and mobile. On the 12th, the pre-league will be opened only in PC and mobile environments, and games will be supported on consoles in the future. In addition, the company plans to release ‘First Discendant’, a PC and console of the root shooter genre, this year.
Pearl Abyss, which has emerged as a masterpiece of development as a “black desert,” is also taking a small step toward releasing new PC and console products. It is developing the launch of the open world action adventure game “Red Desert” developed using its own “Black Space Engine” with the goal of the second half of this year.
The shift-up console game “Stella Blade,” which ranked No. 1 in sales of the mobile game Google Play Store with “Goddess of Victory: Nickel” this year, is also considered an expected work. ‘Stella Blade’ will be released exclusively for the PlayStation 5.
In addition, Iron Mace’s “Dark and Darker,” which went viral on Steam last year as an early access (preview) version, is also expected to be a surprise hit. It was called “Middle Ages Tarkov” among users due to its North American and European game sensibilities rather than the sensibilities of domestic game companies.
■ Domestic game companies that are trying to tap into the global market…The goal of surviving in the midst of a new large-scale overseas production
Major domestic game companies, which focused on releasing new products on mobile platforms, are focusing on developing console or PC/console multi-platform games in response to the growing global console market. This is the result of domestic game companies targeting the global market to survive amid the emerging crisis in the game industry along with the COVID-19 pandemic. It plans to secure new intellectual property rights (IP) and focus on expanding existing IPs by releasing PC and console genres.
According to the “2022 Korea Game White Paper” published by the Korea Creative Content Agency on the 30th of last month, the global game market in 2021 is $219.758 billion (about 280 trillion won), up 8.7% from the previous year. Among them, the U.S., Canada, and North America, the largest game market, have a global market share of 24%. Likewise, four European countries, the UK, Germany, France, and Italy, which have long PC console games, account for 17.6%. Japan, where console games are strong, also boasts a 10.3% market share.
According to the Korea Creative Content Agency’s “2022 Survey of Korean Game Users in Overseas Markets,” North America has the longest console game usage time of 3 hours and 16 minutes on weekends. European users also boasted the longest console usage time after North America with 3 hours and 9 minutes.
In order to target countries with a large share of the global game market, domestic game companies have also constantly stepped up efforts to develop new PC and console products. We are ready to reap the fruits of our efforts in earnest this year. However, it is a negative factor that large overseas game companies, which have been quiet so far, are introducing new PC and console products with major IPs.
Blizzard’s action RPG “Diablo 4” has confirmed its release schedule on June 6. Bethesda’s Open World ARPG Bethesda, famous for its “Elder Scroll” and “Fallout” series, is also scheduled to be released in the first half of this year. In addition, “Final Fantasy” IP’s latest work, “Final Fantasy 16,” which has been loved for more than 30 years, is also set to be released on June 22. In addition, the latest famous IP works such as “The Legend of Zelda,” “Assassin Creed,” and “Riza’s Atelier” have been announced to be released.
However, the industry is cautious about the possibility of Korean game companies’ PC and console success. Krafton’s new PC and console horror action “Kalisto Protocol,” which was introduced in December last year, was also expected to be somewhat boring right after its release. According to Metacritic, a North American game rating site, the Metacritic score of the “Calisto Protocol” (average evaluation score of major global webzines) was only 69 points as of that day. Considering that generally well-received games scored more than 75 points, it can be interpreted as a normal game.
At the same time, the industry is giving mixed views on whether Korean game companies will be successful in targeting global PCs and consoles in the announcement of large-scale new games by overseas game companies.
An official from Game Company A said, “Considering the absolute game quality, it is impossible to directly compare new overseas PC and console products that have already secured a fixed fan base for decades and refined IP,” but added, “I think it will be a step for domestic game companies to shine a value on gameplay rather than immediate sales.”
An official from B game company said, “There have not been many cases of domestic PC and console games that have been recognized overseas, but there are also works tailored to global standards such as ‘P’s False’ that are set to be released this year, so there are elements that can be expected in terms of box office success.”