Korean game companies strengthen proprietary platforms

South Korea’s leading game companies are expanding their own platforms, integrating game and item payments to community features that allow users to communicate with one another.

According to the gaming industry on Sunday, NCSoft Corp. introduced its own payment system on its PC platform, Purple, for last month’s release of “Aion 2” as well as its existing “Lineage” series.

Previously, players had to go through Google Play to purchase items on both mobile and PC games.

Purple is NCSoft’s PC and mobile cross-play platform. It allows users to run PC games remotely, monitor or control gameplay from mobile devices in real time, and share screens with other players.

The platform also offers group and voice chat for player interaction. Purple now supports global partners’ PC games, including the PC version of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.’s “Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered.”

Smilegate Entertainment Inc. operates its electronic software distribution (ESD) platform, Stove, which enables players to purchase and play more than 3,500 games from its own PC and mobile titles to games from major international companies and domestic indie developers.

Similar to the global platform Steam by Valve Corp., Stove integrates payment features, in-game item transactions, and social functions for player interaction.

The platform has become especially popular among fans of niche genres such as subculture, mystery, and visual novels, often produced by solo or small development teams.

Netmarble Corp.’s Netmarble Launcher allows players to purchase and play newly released games such as “Solo Leveling: Arise” and “Seven Knights Re:BIRTH” in a single location.

For cross-platform games that run on both PC and mobile, users can remotely play PC games on their smartphones.

The push to develop proprietary platforms is largely aimed at reducing fees paid to external mobile platforms such as Google LLC and Apple Inc., which currently take up to 30 percent of in-game purchase revenue. By internalizing payments, game companies can significantly cut costs, analysts said.

According to NH Investment & Securities Co., NCSoft’s in-house payment system is expected to reduce the company’s commission payments to external platforms from 25.4 percent of revenue to 20.3 percent next year, saving an estimated 112.1 billion won ($75.87 million).

The companies also aim to grow these platforms into marketplaces comparable to Steam by selling both their own and other domestic and international games.