Abstract
With a games market valued at more than $1 billion, South Korea is one of top ten worldwide games markets but information on this intriguing games market is often unreliable, exaggerated and not supported by fact-based analysis. This report will separate the realities and myths about the South Korean games market, identify any opportunities for international companies and examine lessons learned from the world' s most dynamic game market.
This comprehensive study covers the PC, online and console market in South Korea and contains an executive summary, market forecasts up to 2010, deep marketplace analysis, company profiles and strategic recommendations.
Table of Contents
- METHODOLOGY
- INTERNET USAGE
- IIInternet Usage
- Usage by Occupation
- Usage Patterns
- Reasons for using Internet
- Internet Shopping
- Instant Messenger
- Blogging
- HARDWARE PENETRATION
- Households with Information Devices
- Mobile Phone Usage Rate
- INTERNET ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
- Paid Content Usage
- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- MARKET FORECASTS
- DRIVERS TO GROWTH
- INHIBITORS TO GROWTH
- UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF ONLINE GAMES
- TOP ONLINE GAMES
- GAME PORTALS
- KOREAN GAME OPERATORS
- CJ INTERNET
- HANBITSOFT
- NEOWIZ
- NEXON
- NEXON AMERICA
- NCSOFT
- NHN
- WEBZEN
- GRAVITY
- SOUTH KOREA: INTERNET PIRACY
- COPYRIGHT ACT OF KOREA
- ONLINE PIRACY
- ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE
TABLE OF FIGURES
- Figure 1: Key Country Metrics
- Figure 2: Internet Usage Rate by Age (Rounded %)
- Figure 3: Internet Users by Age (in millions)
- Figure 4: Internet Usage Rate by Occupation
- Figure 5: Purposes of Using Internet (multiple responses, %)
- Figure 6: Internet Shopping Usage (ages 12 and over)
- Figure 7: Purchase Items by Internet Shopping (multiple responses)
- Figure 8: Future Intention to Use Internet Shopping
- Figure 9: Instant Messaging usage Rate by Gender and Age
- Figure 10: Purposes of Using Instant Messaging (multiple responses)
- Figure 11: Blog Usage and Ownership Rate by Gender and Age
- Figure 12: Purposes of Using Others' Blog (multiple responses)
- Figure 13: Purposes of Managing Blog (multiple responses)
- Figure 14: Households with Information Devices (multiple responses)
- Figure 15: The Rate of Households with (Wired) Internet Access
- Figure 16: (Wired) Internet Access Type of Households (multiple responses)
- Figure 17: Internet Access Device (multiple responses)
- Figure 18: Mobile Phone Usage
- Figure 19: Purposes for Mobile Phone Use by Gender & Age (multiple responses)
- Figure 20: Paid contents Usage Rate by Gender & Age
- Figure 21: Type of Paid contents (multiple responses)
- Figure 22: Type of Paid contents by Gender & Age (multiple responses)
- Figure 23: Monthly Expenses on Paid contents
- Figure 24: Payment Tools for Paid contents (multiple responses)
- Figure 25: KT Telecom Broadband Pricing May 2008
- Figure 26: Online Games Market Forecast 2007乚2011 Graph, $m
- Figure 27: Online Games Market Forecast 2007乚2011 Data Table, $m
- Figure 28: Top Online Games at Internet Cafes, August 2008
- Figure 29: Most Visited Online Game Sites, August 2008
- Figure 30: Top Online Game Portals August 2008
- Figure 31: Netmarble Unique Visitors by Age Group
- Figure 32: Comparison of Korea' s Top Four Game Operators
- Figure 33: Revenues and Net Income of Top Korean Game Operators 30
- Figure 34: Netmarble Metrics: Unique Visitors, Paying Customers, ARPU
- Figure 35: CJ Internet Game Line乚Up for 2008
- Figure 36: Screenshots from Pangya
- Figure 37: Screenshots from Hellgate: London
- Figure 38: Neowiz' s Revenues & Net Income 2001 to 2007 ($US)
- Figure 39: Pmang Metrics: Monthly Visitors, ARPU, Peak Concurrent Users
- Figure 40: Demographic Breakdown of Nexon' s Maple Story in North America
- Figure 41: NCsoft Q4 2007 Revenue Mix by Geography
- Figure 42: NCsoft Revenues in Q2 2007, by Online Game Sales, in $m
- Figure 43: Screenshots from Lineage 3
- Figure 44: Screenshot of Hangames
- Figure 45: Webzen Q4 2007 Revenue Breakdown
- Figure 46: Webzen Key Metrics for 2007
- Figure 47: Webzen Revenue by Game 2007 in millions
- Figure 48: Screenshots from Ragnarok II Online
- Figure 49: Web乚Hard Services Accounting for All Online Piracy Cases
