The ‘Korea Game Awards’ (hereinafter referred to as the Game Awards), which determines the best game of the year, is just two months away. With numerous anticipated titles being released and fierce competition expected, attention is focused on whether a console platform game will win the grand prize for the first time in 20 years.
The Game Awards is the only government-hosted awards ceremony in the gaming sector in Korea. This year, the competition is particularly intense due to the release of many highly anticipated titles that were delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The diversification of genres and platforms is also notable. While the domestic game market has been dominated by mobile-based massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), many new console-based titles have been released this year.
The most notable title is Neowiz’s ‘P-ui Geojit’ (P’s Lie), which will be released on the 19th. This game is a dark-themed action game adapted from the classic fairy tale Pinocchio. It attracted global gamers’ attention by winning three awards at Gamescom in Germany last year, marking the first time a Korean game achieved this feat. It is a strong contender for the grand prize, especially as a console game, a category in which Korean developers have not previously excelled.
Another candidate is Nexon’s ‘Dave the Diver’ (hereinafter Dave), which has received worldwide acclaim. This game, playable as a single-package title on consoles and PC, surpassed 100,000 cumulative sales within ten days of its official release on June 28. Dave is the first Korean game to receive a score of 90 on the game review site Metacritic, earning the ‘Must Play’ badge. Domestically, it was selected as the ‘Excellent Game of the Month for the Second Half of 2023’ by the Korea Creative Content Agency.
A console game has only won the grand prize once before at the Game Awards, in 2004. At that time, Pentagram’s ‘Kingdom Under Fire: Crusaders’ won over Nexon’s ‘Mabinogi,’ a strong contender. Its high game quality and status as Korea’s first console platform game for Xbox were decisive factors.
Wemade’s ‘Night Crow’ is also a strong contender for the grand prize. While it is an MMORPG, the genre that Korean developers mainly focus on, it is considered less innovative compared to P-ui Geojit and Dave. However, it stands out as the first domestic MMORPG developed using the latest Unreal Engine 5. It is also expected to score highly in the ‘commercial success’ category, one of the main evaluation criteria. Since its release in April, Night Crow has consistently ranked high on Google Play and the App Store.
Meanwhile, the Game Awards will be held on November 15, the day before the international game exhibition ‘G-STAR 2023.’ G-STAR will take place over four days from November 16 at BEXCO in Busan.
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