Back in 2015, Japanese game company SEGA signaled its intention to expand its offerings in South Korea by signing a publishing deal for Soulworker. However, SEGA Korea quietly gave up on the deal, and Korean developer and publisher Smilegate took over the domestic…
Bluehole Studio – Korean developer receives new multi-million investment
Earlier today, it was announced Bluehole Studio (developer of TERA) has received a new investment from Neptune Company, a lesser-known South Korean mobile games developer, spent 5 billion Korean Won (around USD 4.3 million) to purchase a 2.4% stake in…
Farm Heroes Saga – King loses IP infringement lawsuit in South Korea
Back in 2015, King (developer of Candy Crush) brought Korean studio Avocado Entertainment to court of IP infringement of its game, Farm Heroes Saga. The “copycat” game, Forest Mania, was accused by King of plagiarizing Farm Heroes Saga’s user interface (UI),…
Smilegate – Founder of once-failing studio is now Korea’s 4th richest man
According to Forbes, the founder of developer Smilegate, Kwon Hyuk-Bin, is now South Korea’s 4th richest man. Kwon Hyuk-Bin currently owns 100% shares of Smilegate Holdings, and his company was once on the edge of closing down. Tencent, China’s biggest…
King Digital – Candy Crush developer sold to Activision for USD$5.9 billion
Activision Blizzard (parent company of Blizzard Entertainment) has agreed to buy King Digital Entertainment for USD$5.9 billion, merging major titles Call of Duty and World of Warcraft with the leading mobile title Candy Crush Saga under one company. Activision will pay USD$18…