Clockwise: Sudden Attack, Dungeon & Fighter, Counterstrike Online: Zombie, Freestyle

It is no news that Korea has been a market leader in production and distribution of online games. Korea’s online games are known to be highly adaptive, addictive, and profitable. With its efficient production model and long term revenue model from recurring user fees, it stands quite competitive against console games which have been the dominant game form for decades. Already vastly popular in Japan, US, China and other Asian countries, Korea’s online games have also been increasingly gaining ground in Europe and South America. Hence Korean games make up more than 50% of the total online gaming market.

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Within Korea’s online game Mecca, there are also those games that take the spotlight, those gamer’s favorites that have been ceaselessly on the top spots.
The most Popular Online games in Korea Top 10 for 2nd week of May are:
1. Sudden Attack                                      - FPS
2. Dungeon and Fighter                             - Action RPG
3. Aion: Tower of Eternity                          - MMORPG
4. World of Warcraft                                  - MMORPG
5. Maple Story                                          - MMORPG
6. Fifa Online 2                                         - e-Sports (Soccer/football)
7. Freestyle                                              - e-Sports (Basketball)
8. Lineage                                                - MMORPG
9. Counterstrike Online: Zombie Scenario   - FPS
10. Lineage 2                                           - MMORPG

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This ranking is from Game Meca  Online Games, which is based on the game awareness and game access traffic data aggregated from popular search portals, PC game room access time, online gaming traffic data, game website visitors, and Game Meca user rankings.
As you can see most of the games are categorized amongst one of three forms, FPS (First Person Shooter), MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online role play game) and e-Sports (electronic sports). It is no secret that Korea has been a leading nation of online multiplayer games, but these games have been refusing to give out their top spot for months!

MMORPG games such as Aion, WOW, Maple Story and Lineage seem to be filling up most of the spots on the list. However, maintaining the #1 slot consistently for over a year is ‘Sudden Attack’, a free-to-play multiplayer first person shooter online game. I had introduced it in as earlier article for its placement of celebrity characters such as Rain and Jessica Gomez to further promote its game attraction.

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eSports also seem to be also gaining more ground. ‘Fifa Online 2’, the online football games has always been in the leading spot, making headlines as a representative strategic collaboration between Korea’s number one game company Neowiz and the world renown software producer EA(Electronic Arts). And with the upcoming World Cup 2010, Fifa Online 2 can expect more attention to its way. However, for games such as ‘Freestyle’, the multiplayer online basketball game is one of the only games to recently make its way on to the top 10 list, going up four spots from the previous week. Also another e-Sports game, Pro Baseball Manager has made it a huge leap over eleven spots to hold its place on #12 this week.
It appears like FPS, MMORPG and e-Sports games are going to remain on the forefront of Korea’s online gaming industry, the apple of the eye for Korean gamers, and likely to continue stirring the interests of international game developers.

Until now, the Korean telecommunication industry sole client base had been individual customers.  They were naturally the target customers, since people were the ones who needed telecom services for their mobile phones, home phones, and office phones. However, the telecommunication service  industry had been facing market saturation with its 47.9 million users, which accounted for almost the entire Korean population. Hence, it had been difficult to go beyond the fierce zero-sum battle over the fixed pie amongst the three major telecom players: SKT, KT and LGT.

Nevertheless, the three telecom service moguls overcame recent stagnant growth and have made a breakthrough with the B2B market. They had found a convergence model where they can create value and services by providing software solutions to a carefully selected range of core businesses of such as logistics, finance, education, healthcare, manufacture, transportation and SME (small medium enterprises).

This opened new windows for the telecommunication sector, and also created synergy value between businesses and optimized services for end consumers. Hence, the three telecom services launched their innovative projects; SKT introduced its IPE (Industry Productivity Enhancement), KT with its S.M.ART (Save cost Maximize profit Art), and lastly LGT began its ‘Taltongshin’(beyond telecom) project.

On this issue, I am going to first introduce SK Telecom’s IPE, with KT and LGT on the upcoming issues.

SK Telecom

IPE, Industry Productivity Enhancement was built as SKTelecom’s goal of becoming a ‘Global ICT(Information & Communication technologies) leader’, and also to evade stagnation in the industry. SKT’s qualified TF(task force) has selected upon eight core businesses in  logistics, finance, retail, education, healthcare, manufacturing(automobiles), housing construction, and SME(small medium enterprises). I will introduce POSCO and the automobile industry’s MIV as two of SKT’s IPE systems.

To establish a firm IPE in manufacture, SKT has collaborated with POSCO (world’s top producing Korean steelmaker) to construct a “Smart Factory,” which is based on the concept of the smartphone ‘Mobile Office’(operational management service which includes name card, electronic payment, schedule, bulletin, staff check etc) SKT had provided the previous year.  Hence within the next 4 years, POSCO is planning to replace all in-house cable phones to wireless phones, and establish a ‘(fixed wireless) broadband convergence network’ using the WCDMA(3G mobile) network. These ‘smart’ fixes are expected to bring positive effects on logistics, equipment, safety, and energy savings to POSCO.

SKT is also establishing an IPE for the automobile industry called MIV (Mobile In Vehicle). MIV is a diagnostic remote control system that provides services such as anti-theft, emergency rescue, AV integration system, meter check, etc , which is also anticipated to enhance productivity.

President of SK Manwon Jeong has stated the four mission statements of accomplishing SKTelcom’s vision of becoming a global leader in ICT, which are procuring a patriotic leadership in technology, developing of new markets, propelling globalization with its synergy effects, and increasing consumer welfare.
And, they are expecting to do so, however, not solely in their captive marekt, but by creating new market space many diverse industries.

“App Store” is a buzzword for many mobile operator and Korean companies are no exception. We covered previously the launch by LG this summer and its now who SK launched yesterday its own version : www.tstore.co.kr . Tstore should go global in 2011. LG  will follow in October.

The KT proposes not only applications but also game, phone decoration, games, music, movie , education materials and funny features. Being based on the WIPI, a south-Korean middleware enabling interoperability to run application, it aims to be largely open regardless of the phone you use. The platform can be reach by visiting the website with your phone or your computer or by installing a management software. At the end of the year, Tstore should be available whatever is your telecommunication provider.

A strong developpers community is the key of a vigorous appstore and Tstore seems to be friendly towards them.  SK will propose freely to developers to use SKT DRMs, upgrade infrastructure or organize contests. The review and approval process will not be necessary for developers who already have recognition from professional organizations. Developers will pay a registration fee each year, starting next year. SK will take a 30% commission on sales revenues of applications.SK may invest in venture companies to secure contents.