Smartphones dominate the South Korean market, so with the exclusive release of Stellar Blade RPG on PS5, developers back home can successfully shoot themselves in the foot…

We are only ten days away from the release of one of the most exciting games on the market. Several aspects of the game generate controversy. In addition, it may be in his native country, South Korea, that he is doomed to fail the most. Stellar Blade promises to be a smash hit among action RPG fans. But the game’s director, Kim Hyung Tae, told how the South Korean industry called them deluded and crazy for wanting to release their game on consoles.

Eve’s adventure will arrive on April 26, which, if you tried it thanks to the demo or followed the numerous trailers, will guide us into a post-apocalyptic world, the narrative of which is based on biblical foundations.

The crazy premise inspired by NieR Automata or Bayonetta is sure to catch players’ attention based on the theme. However, it is risky in South Korea.

What is the problem with the game in South Korea?

As the project director Kim Hyung Tae already mentioned in the new Stellar Blade development video released less than 48 hours ago called The Journey, colleagues in the industry who heard about the project, including the country’s publishers, thought they were crazy for taking a risk with a release that had no will have a future.

“When I made this game, most people thought I was crazy because mobile games dominate the market in South Korea,” Hyung Tae was quoted as saying.

“The console market almost didn’t exist and doesn’t exist today,” he continued. In fact, we don’t just have to take the creative’s word for it. It’s also worth taking a look at AllCorrectGames’ statistics. In 2023, the South Korean market generated revenue of 22 trillion won or roughly 14 billion euros. The gaming community is divided into two platforms: 66.84% of users play on mobile, primarily on Android, and the rest are divided between consoles and PCs. The former predominates over desktop machines.

This is a market where more than 30% of the population are active gamers. 47% of South Koreans own a mobile device. Lineage, FIFA or Genshin Impact are real phenomena here. Therefore, many were surprised by the exclusivity of the game from a development community that is well-established in these markets. Of course, Sony’s support that Stellar Blade will be released exclusively on PS5 for the time being is a massive help in its market impact. It remains to be seen whether this effect is reflected in positive sales.

Stellar Blade will not feature single-player microtransactions

Although there are only a few days left until the game’s release, the South Korean studio is not resting on its laurels: it has already answered all possible questions before the release. One of these revolved around the game’s potential microtransactions. The developers have confirmed that there will be no additional payment options in Stellar Blade. (At least when it comes to non-co-op content.) The South Korean team, on the other hand, envisions skins and collaborations with other IPs that could be hidden behind a paywall.

Source: YouTube, AllCorrectGames