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Counting Rupees: Korea bangs

Each week Jeff Engel and Geoff Brooks contribute Counting Rupees, a column on the business behind gaming:


I've temporarily relocated to Seoul for the summer to work for a consumer electronics firm, so I thought I'd spend a little time detailing some of the differences in gaming culture here in South Korea, and the impact that infrastructure has on the gaming business. In short, there are two notable differences in the Korean gaming industry relative to the United States. First, PC games are significantly more popular than console games; and second, gaming is much more mainstream in Korean culture than it is even now in the States. These differences have created structural factors in the country that have profoundly shaped the nature of the industry from a business perspective.

Perhaps the most salient factor is cultural - there is, as far as I can tell, almost no stigma attached to gaming in the country (at the least, it's viewed as a mainstream activity). A number of Korean acquaintances have commented on the Korean fascination with the new and fashionable: when one co-worker went apartment-hunting with a real estate agent, the agent refused to show him any houses that had been previously occupied, on the assumption that they would be of little interest. And part of that fascination seems to be technological, indicating a possible cause of Koreans' embrace of gaming as a form of entertainment. Indeed, I've seen countless people using a DS or PSP on the subway... and my cheap, used cell phone has more free games on it than I've played on any phone since I began using them in the first place.

Continue reading Counting Rupees: Korea bangs

Capcom profits in FY07, wants into Chinese online market


Capcom is looking to get into China and South Korea's online game market with some modifications to its console games. Reuters reports that Capcom's CFO, Kazuhiko Abe, expressed it would be an "attractive step to modify" its console games for online use in other Asian markets, as Japan only has a "certain group of users" into online games.

The publisher should have plenty of money to fund its expansion into western Asia after it reported $803 million in sales (up 11.5%) and about $75 million in profit (up 34%) for fiscal year 2007. Games like RE 4 Wii, RE: Umbrella Chronicles and Devil May Cry 4 saw "robust sales" overseas, while Monster Hunter Freedom 2 shook the money tree back home in Japan.

Read -- Capcom aims to enter China online market
Read -- Profits at Capcom

South Korean president gifted with mother of pearl Xbox 360

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has commissioned 100 Xbox 360s adorned in the traditional Korean mother of pearl, with at least one of them going to South Korean president Lee Myung-bak at Cheong Wa Dae on May 6, according to Far East Gizmos. Given the conole's tepid reception in the region (although it did just receive a price drop), we wonder if the president will be able to find any local Xbox Live friends.

Regardless, that's still one of the classier case mods we've seen, and certainly more aesthetically pleasing that the Croco-360. Let's just hope the system doesn't become one massive, red-ringed paperweight.

[Via Engadget]

Microsoft drops price of Xbox 360 in Asia

Microsoft has dropped the price of its Xbox 360 in four Asian markets: Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan (via Bloomberg). According to Microsoft executive Jeff Bell, price reductions in Europe caused sales of the hardware there to almost double.

Here are the price drops reported by region:
  • Hong Kong: An 11 percent drop
  • Singapore: A 20 percent drop to S$499 (US $366)
  • South Korea: A 5.1 percent to 369,000 won (US $369)
  • Taiwan: A 17 percent drop to NT$10,360 (US $340)
According to a Microsoft spokesperson in Taipei, the Hong Kong and Taiwan price drops will come today. The Singapore and South Korea price drop confirmations came from separate emails with no confirmation as to the effective date.

Report: Wii coming to South Korea by May 5

We've known for a while now that Nintendo was planning to bring the Wii to PC-gaming mecca South Korea some time this year, but recent word has it that the system may be hitting the country's shores sooner than later. The Korea Times is reporting that Nintendo and Activision recently registered two Wii games each with Korea's Game Rating Board. The paper speculates this move means Nintendo Korea is looking to launch by Children's Day on May 5, a popular gift-giving holiday in the country. Though there's no official announcement from Nintendo, we can't think of a better holiday to launch for a system known for kid-friendly games like Super Mario Galaxy and Resident Evil 4.

Wii comes to China, South Korea in 2008

On the same day he decreed the Wii's price will not be lowered, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata announced plans to bring its money-printing home console to China and South Korea next year, following this year's supposed holiday season console shortage.

"We suffer a global shortage of the Wii," said Iwata in a news conference (via Reuters). "Our responsibility now is to deliver as many consoles as we can to existing markets ... But next year, I think we can bring the Wii (to China)."

Though China received the Nintendo DS in a timely manner, South Korea didn't get an official launch of the portable until January of this year.

[Via Engadget]

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