PC Games Blocked by COVID... A Rain in the Drought

Sharp Increase in Usage Time of 'Battleground' and 'Sudden Attack'
Expecting Non-Face-to-Face Benefits During Chuseok Holiday with PC Bang Business Resumption

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] Domestic PC games have received a much-needed boost amid a drought. With the resumption of operations at PC bangs, which had been closed due to the resurgence of COVID-19, and the upcoming Chuseok holiday, it is expected that the number of PC game users will increase more than during any other holiday due to social distancing measures.

According to GameTriks, a PC bang game research company, since PC bangs nationwide reopened on the 14th, PC game usage time has increased significantly. Krafton's PC game "Battlegrounds" recently recorded 210,000 hours of weekly usage, about a 40% increase compared to early this month when PC bangs were closed. Nexon's PC game "Sudden Attack" exceeded 150,000 hours of weekly usage, up about 35% from the previous week, and "MapleStory" also surpassed 100,000 hours of weekly usage, showing an increase of more than 35% compared to the previous week.

The industry expects PC game usage time to increase further as PC bangs gradually return to normal operations and benefit from non-face-to-face activities during the Chuseok holiday. In the case of Battlegrounds, usage time exceeded 400,000 hours in early August before PC bangs were closed, indicating there is still significant room to recover to previous PC game usage levels.

Due to the resurgence of COVID-19, PC bang operations became difficult, causing the game industry to suffer in the PC game revenue sector. As a result, there are predictions that mobile games will lead game industry sales in the third quarter rather than PC games. PC bangs nationwide were classified as high-risk facilities at the end of August due to the COVID-19 resurgence but were excluded from this classification only on the 14th of this month. During the prolonged closure in early this month, PC game usage time shrank to about one-quarter of the level seen in early August just before the shutdown. Battlegrounds' weekly usage dropped to the 100,000-hour range, Sudden Attack to 90,000 hours, and MapleStory to 60,000 hours, marking the lowest usage times.

The game industry is using the recovery of PC games as a stepping stone to revitalize PC gaming. This Chuseok, with more people staying at home, the number of PC game users is expected to be higher than during any other holiday. Nexon is holding Chuseok events in games such as Sudden Attack, KartRider, and Baram-ui Nara. NCSoft's "Aion" and Smilegate's "TalesRunner" are also targeting PC game users during the Chuseok holiday. Additionally, since the survival of PC bangs is crucial for PC games, Nexon, Pearl Abyss, and Kakao Games have decided to fully support PC bang operators with game usage fees as part of a win-win strategy.