According to a new report from market analyst IHS, the US$2.83 billion Korean online PC game market will expand at a compound annual growth rate of 3.7 per cent to rise to US$3.5 billion in 2018.
The report also reveals that NCSoft’s Lineage led the market last year with US$281 million in revenues, followed by Nexon’s Sudden Attack, which earned US$208 million in 2013. Other top titles included EA’s FIFA Online 3 (operated by Nexon) and Riot Games’ League of Legends.
Though the overall Korean online PC game market grew by 8 per cent in 2013, mobile platforms expanded much more rapidly last year.
“Most growth (in 2013) came from a collection of established franchises some of which have been around for nearly a decade and one (Lineage) that launched way back in 1998,” said IHS in the report. “With growth being driven from these established games it is perhaps no surprise that it was relatively suppressed at 8 per cent. In contrast the mobile and tablet games market grew over 250 per cent in 2013 and was worth over US$1 billion for the first time.”
IHS also noted that Korea is currently the second largest market for online multiplayer PC games worldwide, with China ranking first.
