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Industry News | Nintendo Working with Korean Developers

27.12.2006

Following the launch of Nintendo of Korea on 7th July, 2006, everything went quiet on the Seoul-based office. Finally, though, Nintendo's Japanese president Satoru Iwata has revealed that the Nintendo DS will be fully localised and launched in that territory on 18th January, 2007, with the Wii hitting there later on in 2007.

What is more interesting is how there will be strong support from Korean developers, most of which are renowned for their online games, meaning that there could well be some strong online DS and Wii games coming in the near future. With a extensive initial financial push of over US$25 million / UK

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Kangaroo_Kid 27.12.2006#1

Will Maple Story DS come to fruition after all?

nilihanth 27.12.2006#2

I'd like to see something like Maple Story or even Conquer Online on the DS.

Both the Wii and the DS should have MMOs on them. Its about time!

Negatio 27.12.2006#3

I expect something of Guild wars caliber from NCsoft.

Silence is the loudest noise we could possibly hear.

Martin_ 27.12.2006#4

Shenmue Online... Ugh..

dojo 28.12.2006#5

Bear in mind the 360 and PS3 don't have any MMOs yet (FF XII doesn't count...it is crap), and Wii seems to be playing Online catch up with them, so I'd give it a few years before we saw a Wii MMO, if at all. Smilie

Martin_ 28.12.2006#6

dojo99 said:
Bear in mind the 360 and PS3 dont have any MMOs yet (FF XII doesnt count...it is crap), and Wii seems to be playing Online catch up with them, so Id give it a few years before we saw a Wii MMO, if at all.

Well, FFXII does count, because it's an MMO. It's rubbishness is irrelevant, as all MMos are complete crap. They're just perpetual leveling-up nonsense.

kobayashi 28.12.2006#7

common, bring us korean mmo games like Warrock and Guidl Wars!

The Croft 28.12.2006#8

Has the PSP launched in S.korea? If so when?

Did the GameCube launch in Korea?

I honestly found this shocking to be honest the country is right beside Japan and it the most technologically sound country in the world and Nintendo haven't even bothered to launch the DS there yet. LAZZZZY

I also heard Nintendo are planning to launch the DSlite in other countries in Asia and Africa

( Edited on 28.12.2006 13:34 by Hulkamania )

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Kangaroo_Kid 28.12.2006#9

The reason consoles het released so late there is because of incredible rates of piracy.

I know the N64 was properly released in Brasil until around 2000 as the iQue, where it had to be taken into the shops and games were purchased and then put onto the console.

iQue

EDIT: Wiki page put in to make sense

( Edited on 29.12.2006 04:19 by Kangaroo_Kid )

MogwaiBoy 30.12.2006#10

I've lived in Korea and my wife is Korean. So I think I can make a fair comment on the Korean Nintendo situation.

yes, the GameCube was released there, albiet a few years late and with less than a handful of games officially translated into Korean (Super Mario Sunshine being the main one if I remember correctly).

Piracy in Korea is no where near the epidemic in China. The main reason (I think) is that Korea is oppressively conformist, and somehow PC/Online gaming is considered the way to go for gaming. Young Korean aren't allowed to sit around at home and play gaming consoles because their parents will hassle them to study harder etc - that's why PC cafes / online gaming is so popular in Korea: ESCAPISM. It's really a sight to behold. You wouldn't believe they have at least 2 channels on TV devoted to 24-hour Starcraft matches. Plus broadband usage in Korea is among the highest in the world (if not the highest) and Koreans are competitive at heart - so online gaming just completely reigns there. Until Nintendo can find a way to break into that mentality then they won't make much of a dent there.

Maple Story DS with wifi etc would be a very, very good start!