'Abyssdia' and 'Oz Re:Light' Launch First in Japan
"Success of Subculture Games in Japan Seen as a Gateway to Global Recognition"
The domestic gaming industry in South Korea is testing the popularity of Korean subculture games by launching them first in Japan. Success in Japan, often referred to as the home of subculture with its emphasis on anime featuring beautiful girl characters, is considered a strong indicator of potential global success.
According to the gaming industry on August 20, NHN is launching the collectible role-playing game (RPG) 'Abyssdia' in Japan today. Developed by Ring Games, this title tells the story of mysterious threats emerging from the 'Abyss Slit,' which are resolved by a group of beautiful girls and a conductor. NHN explained that although the game was initially planned for release in the second quarter of this year, the schedule was postponed to the third quarter to improve its overall quality.
Dreamage also released the isekai re-light fantasy RPG 'Oz Re:Light,' developed by Makoville, in Japan a day earlier. This collectible RPG is characterized by its emotional animation direction and high-quality 2D graphics. Well-known local voice actors participated in the project, enhancing its immersion and quality. Even before its official launch, the game attracted attention with a 'co-creation' project, allowing users to directly participate in shaping the basic concepts, personalities, and visual designs of the characters.
Korean game companies are releasing subculture games in Japan first to validate their marketability. Since subculture games are based on Japanese-style animation and Japan has a highly active market in this genre, it is easier to gather user feedback. Previously, Nexon's 'Blue Archive' achieved great success using this strategy, and Shift Up's 'Goddess of Victory: Nikke' also entered the Japanese market in 2022 and gained recognition.
'Blue Archive,' which recently launched its global PC version via Steam, was first released as a mobile version in Japan in 2021. It was later introduced to the Korean and global markets (excluding China), and finally entered China in 2023. The game is considered a success, having accumulated $500 million (approximately 709.6 billion KRW) in revenue over three years. More than half of the cumulative 1.5 trillion KRW revenue for 'Goddess of Victory: Nikke' was generated in the Japanese market. The company expects further revenue growth after its official launch in China in May this year.
An official from a game company stated, "Subculture games, once dismissed as part of otaku culture, have now formed a fandom and are becoming mainstream. Just as MMORPGs are popular in Korea, subculture games have a strong presence in Japan. If a game receives a positive response in Japan, it is likely to gain popularity in Korea, China, and other markets as well."
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