BEIJING, Nov. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The integration of China's independently developed online games into the global game market has brought huge changes to the once supplementary relationship between industrial economy and cultural export, which also turned the tables of the trade deficit in China's online games industry. Online games have become a new channel for China-Korea cultural exchange.
An increasing demand for online game products in both China and South Korea has led to a significant change in the online games industry from selling products to exporting culture. According to a report on China's games industry (overseas part), released by GPC, the China Game Publishers Association Publications Committee, the overseas revenue of China's independently developed online games in 2008 was a meager 70 million U.S. Dollars. Analysts anticipate the revenue in overseas markets for China's online games in 2013 will exceed 1 billion U.S. Dollars, at least a fourteen-fold increase over the past six years.
According to analysts, China's online games at first inherited the obvious commodity structure mode from South Korea as well as its complementary feature in game design and production. However, with the innovation of China's local online games, its exported products have become more diversified and rich in culture. Games themed on traditional Chinese culture have begun to penetrate markets in Japan, South Korea, southeast Asia, Europe and America, which is already a new label of China's cultural exportation.
Occupying the first place for six consecutive years in China's games export, Perfect World has promoted its own original online games themed on traditional ethnic culture to over 100 countries and regions, which makes it the hard core of the "going global" drive of Chinese culture. In the meantime, Perfect World is searching for new ways to invest overseas and develop products globally, such as setting up a branch company in South Korea and buying out Cryptic Studios in North America, etc. so that the company can sell games like Neverwinter Nights Online to South Korea and rest of the world.
The rapid development of China's games industry has been a hot topic among South Korean media discussing China's march into their market. Chinese game companies "go global" via purchasing overseas studios, setting up PWIE, etc. so as to enhance overseas output capacity. Therefore, the media warn, "Korea and global game companies should pay more attention."
In recent years, Perfect World has introduced outstanding cultures across the globe into its game developing process. Centered on the idea of "a sharing world," the company has gradually integrated end devices -- computer, TV, smart phone and tablet in presenting its games, which has injected fresh momentum into overseas markets such as South Korea. For example, Return of the Condor Hero has three versions: software, online webpage and mobile app, all of which are successful. Touch has been installed in the Perfect Box, a top box for TV games developed by the company, in a bid to test the market of living room entertainment.
China and South Korea are close both in geography and culture, thus their game products enjoy relatively high acceptance in each other's markets. Therefore, online games have become a forceful engine and best demonstration of the cultural exchange and industrial cooperation of the two countries. What's more, mobile games also provide new opportunities for the two countries to further cooperation in culture and entertainment industries. It is believed that companies from both countries will join hands to expand the global games market, which will in turn vigorously promote a deeper development of the two countries' bilateral relations.
