Topic: Nintendo Entering Korean Games Market

[WindyMan]

Korean DS launches in early 2007; Korean Wii in late 2007.

Back in July, Nintendo opened a new Korean branch with the assumption that it would be used to better market and distribute their games and game hardware.  It looks like Nintendo will be doing just that, as they've announced they will be bringing Korean-language versions of the DS and Wii to the country next year.    

First up will be the Korean Nintendo DS on January 18.  Nintendo President Satoru Iwata knows that Korea's game market is dominated by online games, so the DS will be a tougher sell than it has been in Japan or North America.  He likens it to "selling women's cosmetics to men."  It will probably be as difficult when Nintendo releases the Korean Wii before 2007 runs out.    

Nintendo Korea will be doing more than releasing Nintendo games and hardware, however.  "We plan to actively support Korean game software developers who have great expertise in developing online games and support their advances into foreign markets," said Iwata.  Nintendo will need the local help if it wants to create its own "entertainment culture."    

Sony and Microsoft have already launched their next-gen systems into the very tech-heavy Korean market, but as with other regions of the world Nintendo doesn't think of them as direct competition.  Said Iwata, "Nintendo's rivals are not other companies, but the indifference of the customers."

[MarioAllStar]

I never knew that Sony and Microsoft were selling their gaming systems in Korea. Hopefully Nintendo will not have to play too much "catch up" in that market.

According to the source, they will be selling the DS lite, which is good.  

[BlackNMild2k1]

I saw this story mentioned somewhere else yesterday and was gonna post it here, but I couldn't find an original/reliable source for the story, so I left it alone. But with the HUGE online/mmo community mixed with all the development houses out there, this could lead to all kinds of online/mmo games that could come to the Wii. Hopefully some of the games that have been anticipated for along long time, will end up getting made/ported/converted thanks to some Korean development help.

[Smash_Brother]

Super Swing Golf is already huge there, and its presence on the Wii will ensure the Wii already has a killer app whenever it launches there.

[BlkPaladin]

If it goes well I do expect that we will get support from Korean Developers. Especially the "free" MMORPGS, I do believe they give token support to the 360, I went the Korean Games Booth and they had at least one game for it. So the Wii and DS with out the monetary barriers that the Xbox360 poses should be enticing.