💸 Japanese and Korean Game Companies: Nintendo, Sony, Square Enix, Nexon, NCSoft, & Netmarble

Hello GameMakers,

For many in the West, the Asian gaming market and its top players are not well-known and difficult to understand.

The Pixel brothers have got you covered!

We are joined by Dr. Serkan Toto, the foremost expert on Japanese gaming, this week to discuss some of the most interesting Japanese and Korean video game companies.

Be sure to catch this episode!

Japan and Korea: Lands of Mystery

Chinese game companies, like Tencent and miHoYo, and Japanese console makers dominate globally. However, the other game companies in Asia are often a mystery to Westerners.

Today we cover some of the top game companies from Japan and Korea.

From Japan:

• Nintendo

• Sony

• Square Enix

From Korea:

• Nexon (Sort of both Japanese and Korean)

• NCSoft

• Netmarble

Further, after our initial in-depth discussion on some of the top players, we briefly discuss highlights from other interesting game companies from the region.

Key topics discussed:

• Game company trends in Asia

• JP + KR game companies’ adoption of crypto gaming

• Traditional game companies killing it on mobile

• JP live services history

• Importance of mobile gaming for Sony

• How has Sony done so well with first-party studios?

• Watch out for Capcom!

• SEGA + Rovio

• Leads-based model and how this could unlock Western audiences for Japanese and Korean game titles

• The Chinese invasion of Japanese talent, e.g., Nagoshi-san

On the last topic, so that I can brag a bit, I was quite impressed when I met Nagoshi-san over dinner during my SEGA days. Pic below:

Valuations

Below you can find a quick breakdown of high-level valuations of the companies we discussed:

▶️ Pixels & Profits: Top Japanese and Korean Game Companies

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Anchor

Speakers:

• Joseph Kim. CEO at Lila Games.

• Brian Peganoff. Founder at Timber Advisors.

• Matthew Kanterman. Director of Research at Roundhill Investments.