Korean Mobile Gaming, Igniting the Engine of Growth
This article is written by James Jung , founder of Korea-based technology blog Onsuccess.me, where you can find insights into Korean startup ecosystem and tech space.
Apple, on November 2, opened a game category window on its Korean App-store, thanks to which Korean users no longer need foreign account access to download games using Apple’s App-store. With this step, Apple has opened up the previously inaccessible world of some 60,000 mobile gaming apps for its Korean users to enjoy.
この記事は、韓国のテクノロジーブログ「Onsuccess.me」の開設者James Jungが執筆しています。Onsuccess.meでは、韓国の新興企業の生態に関する知見を得たり、議論を交わしたりすることが出来ます。
Apple社は、11月2日に韓国版App Storeにおいてゲームカテゴリを開設した。これにより、韓国のユーザーはApp Storeでゲームをダウンロードするのに、もはや外国のアカウントを使ってアクセスする必要がなくなった。これまで、韓国のユーザーは約60,000 にも及ぶモバイルゲームアプリの世界へ入ることが出来なかったが、今回アップル社は、彼らに対してこの世界への門戸を開いたということになる。
この記事は韓国に拠点を置き、韓国のスタートアップ・エコシステムとテクノロジー領域についての見識を得ることができるテクノロジー・ブログ、「オンサクセス・ミー」の創設者であるジェームス・チョンによるものである。
アップル社は、11月2日、韓国のアップルストアにゲーム・カテゴリーのウィンドウをオープンした。韓国人がアップル社のアップルストアでゲームのダウンロードを行う際、海外のアカウントが必要なくなったためである。これにより、アップル社はこれまで開拓できていなかった韓国60,000人のゲーム・アプリの潜在需要を切り開いたことになる。
The release of a game-category has long been a wish for Apple users in Korea, ever since the iPhone’s release some 2 years ago. During that period, global companies such as Google and Apple have refrained from opening a gaming category on their Korean services in accordance with the so-called system of advanced caution regarding gaming regulations.
In the future, businesses which provide gaming services on the App-store will need to match the standard criteria for games in order to have their creations approved for use. After businesses which provide gaming services actually bring out a game, they have one month within which to register it with the Game Rating Board.
将来的に、App Storeにおいてゲームを提供する企業は、一定の基準を満たすことで自社のゲームが認可されるようにしなければならなくなる。そうした企業は、ゲーム発売後１カ月以内に、そのゲームをゲームレーティング委員会に登録しなければならない。
It seems as if the advanced caution regarding gaming regulations, according to which system the companies operated before, has been changed to a system of expost facto consideration.
In its direct provision of games to domestic users, the new gaming category is set to really put the cat among the pigeons in the Korean mobile gaming market.
No sooner had the domestic App-store game category been released than Gamevil came out with mobile versions of a total of 30 games including “Pro Baseball Series,” “Zenonia Series,” “Super Soccer Series,” all registered in Apple’s App-store game-category under the Gamevil tab.
The opening of the gaming category ushers in a new era of cutthroat competition. While it does the lower the barriers for domestic market entry of foreign-made games, it only highlights the lowering of domestic gaming standards. However, the predominant view is that for those domestic gaming businesses which have already made some preparations through, for example, rolling out online versions and services, and so shown a mindset appropriate for the global market, there should be little likelihood of yielding in any way, shape or form their competitive market domination.
One business expert was reported as saying that “this opens one more arena in which gamers can compete around the world, and is a big change for the domestic Korean gaming businesses in their securing of a new distribution channel for the highly loyal Korean domestic market. The increased competition will more than anything sort out which games offer high quality content, and rather than being something which should be feared, in fact is a highly significant development.”
