wraggster
February 19th, 2007, 17:32
via kotaku (http://kotaku.com/gaming/korea/microsoft-sony-nintendo-battle-it-out-in-korea-237719.php)
Things in Korea are starting to change. A country known more for its voricious PC gaming appetite looks poised to be the settling for yet another console war. This year, the PS3 will launch in June, and the Nintendo Wii will hit stores sometime later. With the Xbox 360 out in Korea since 2006, is Microsoft worried? Says Microsoft Korea director Kim Dae-jin:
When we first started to sell Xbox 360 a year ago, many people from the game industry and the media worried about us. But now, things have turned rosier. We will have some healthy competition in 2007 and that will expand the market volume. Even though PlayStation and Nintendo are joining the race, we will still be able to make more sales than last year.
If the DS is any indication of how Korean gamers view Nintendo, huge initial sales since the product when on sale show that the Wii could be a hit. Sony has an uphill fight as Sony Computer Entertainment Korea faces big losses and recently cut its staff by a quarter — Hence the delayed PS3 launch in Korea. Piracy might be to blame for Sony's woes, though. And since Microsoft Korea is apparently moving more units than its Japan branch, things do look promising!
Things in Korea are starting to change. A country known more for its voricious PC gaming appetite looks poised to be the settling for yet another console war. This year, the PS3 will launch in June, and the Nintendo Wii will hit stores sometime later. With the Xbox 360 out in Korea since 2006, is Microsoft worried? Says Microsoft Korea director Kim Dae-jin:
When we first started to sell Xbox 360 a year ago, many people from the game industry and the media worried about us. But now, things have turned rosier. We will have some healthy competition in 2007 and that will expand the market volume. Even though PlayStation and Nintendo are joining the race, we will still be able to make more sales than last year.
If the DS is any indication of how Korean gamers view Nintendo, huge initial sales since the product when on sale show that the Wii could be a hit. Sony has an uphill fight as Sony Computer Entertainment Korea faces big losses and recently cut its staff by a quarter — Hence the delayed PS3 launch in Korea. Piracy might be to blame for Sony's woes, though. And since Microsoft Korea is apparently moving more units than its Japan branch, things do look promising!