Korean game companies open pop-up stores to attract consumers

Bird’s-eye view of ‘PUBG Sports Day IN Starfield’ utilizing the PUBG IP. (krafton)

South Korean game developers are reaching out to consumers by opening pop-up stores and holding offline campaigns.

The campaigns are to sell merchandise featuring game characters and platforms as part of the companies’ efforts to diversify profit sources and increase in-person interaction with young gamers.

Krafton Inc. recently announced its plan to open a pop-up store for its popular game “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” in collaboration with Starfield, a shopping complex operated by Shinsegae.

The pop-up features an athletic event themed around the Battlegrounds settings. The store will be open at Starfield Hanam from Sept. 20 to 30 and at Starfield Goyang from Oct. 2 to 13.

NCSoft Corp. also launched a three-day pop-up store in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, on September 6 to showcase a collaboration between its mobile game title “Lineage M” and the golf brand Parsons Xtreme Golf.

Smilegate also opened a pop-up store for “Lost Ark” at The Hyundai Seoul from August 23 to September 1.