Xbox Criticized By Korean Media And Fans For Neglecting Their Gaming Market

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Korea Is The 4th Largest Gaming Market!

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  • Korean media and fans have called out Xbox for neglecting their gaming market. 
  • Despite being the 4th largest market, first-party games have no localization.
  • The criticism first surfaced with the release of Starfield and later with Avowed. 

Korea is one of the most important gaming markets in the world. Now, more than ever, the region has become more prominent thanks to recent hits like Lies of P, Stellar Blade, and more by studios like Shift Up and Neowiz.

However, while other major players consider the country a focal point of their marketing strategies, Xbox has been heavily criticized for neglecting the Korean gaming market.

Why it matters: Companies like PlayStation and Nintendo heavily invest in Korea for their upcoming titles, but Xbox is notably missing among the big-name players. 

Starfield
Starfield was the first title that received criticism.

A Korean media outlet, Global Economic, recently published an article that reveals that people are calling out Microsoft for repeatedly leaving the region out of its first-party games localization support compared to the other big publishers. 

The criticism first surfaced with the release of Starfield. What was seemingly Microsoft’s flagship title for this console generation totally neglected localization. Making this an even bigger deal was that most of the arketing for the game happened in Korea. 

The Outer Worlds 2
The Outer Worlds 2 won’t feature Korean language support either.

This happened with Avowed, which was initially announced with Korean language support. The source contacted Microsoft to ask about the support for The Outer Worlds 2, which the company said wasn’t planned. 

This frustrates the Korean audience and could lead to a huge loss of popularity for the brand in the region. Also, considering that Korea is the fourth largest gaming market in the world, this doesn’t sound like the right move. 

What are your thoughts on Xbox getting criticized for neglecting the Korean market? Let us know your opinions in the comments, or join the discussion on the Tech4Gamers forum.

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