Goblin Armed with K-Content... Shaking the Global Game Market [Buaeri's Game Dictionary]

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] Pearl Abyss's new game 'DokeV,' highly anticipated in the gaming industry this year, has launched a global campaign targeting gamers' sentiments worldwide as a K-content.

"What is Korean is global" - K-content infused into DokeV

According to Pearl Abyss on the 11th, the official theme song 'Rockstar' music video for the new game DokeV was unveiled on the 9th (local time) at 'The Game Awards (TGA).' TGA is the United States' premier gaming awards event, often called the Oscars of the gaming industry. This year, it was held offline at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles and was broadcast live through over 40 streaming services worldwide. The released video shows the protagonist and friends of DokeV practicing choreography to the Rockstar music and performing on stage.

Pearl Abyss is putting great effort into embedding K-content into DokeV. Rie Kim from the world-renowned dance crew 1MILLION is participating as the performance director. Rockstar is a song created by 'Star Wars,' who composed 'Dalla Dalla' for the famous girl group ITZY, featuring the addictive qualities unique to K-pop music. They are betting on K-content combining K-pop music and addictive choreography. Pearl Abyss captured 1MILLION's choreography using motion capture technology.

Another notable aspect is the Korean cultural content. In the music video’s opening scene, Korea’s representative tourist sites such as Gyeongbokgung Geunjeongjeon Hall, Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, and Namdaemun Gate are realized as a metaverse (extended virtual world) in a virtual space. Additionally, nostalgic games like Biseokchigi (stone flipping), towel spinning, and malttuk bakgi (stake driving) can be seen in the video.

Pearl Abyss has also partnered with leading domestic content companies. Collaborations with CJ CGV, CJ Olive Young, CJ ENM, and others bring various real-world locations such as Korea’s iconic tourist spots, cinemas, performance halls, and beauty stores into the game’s virtual world. On the 7th, they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Korea Tourism Organization to jointly promote experiencing Korean travel within the metaverse world. The Rockstar music video will also appear at the live broadcast of the '2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA)' at 6 PM that day. This is the first time game content has been showcased at MAMA.

DokeV emerging as a hot topic

DokeV is recently regarded as a highly anticipated title in the gaming industry. It is an open-world action-adventure game where the protagonist embarks on a journey to find dokkaebi, unfolding through a unique worldview. Although the exact release date has not been finalized, the securities industry expects DokeV to launch in 2023.

Even before release, overseas reactions have been enthusiastic. At Europe’s largest game show 'Gamescom' last August, the game trailer showcased a dazzling open world crossing virtual spaces, incorporating K-pop music, hanok (traditional Korean houses), sotdae (wooden bird poles), haetae statues, traditional games, and famous domestic landmarks, attracting significant interest from global users. Cory Barlog, the renowned game director of 'God of War,' publicly expressed his anticipation on social media, saying, "I want to play it right now."

Kim Sang-young, DokeV’s lead producer, stated, "Pearl Abyss is doing its best to create a DokeV world where experiences in virtual space feel as real as reality, and we will repay that with a great game."

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