Following the success of its previous editions, the GamingonPhone Conference Online (GPC) returned for its 3rd Edition. The premier B2B gaming event from GamingonPhone took place on May 27, 2025, and saw multiple sessions from gaming industry experts delivering their insights to over 500-plus attendees.
One of the standout panels was the State of the Japanese and Korean Mobile Games Market. This saw Tousif Hasan Biswas, CEO, GamingonPhone.com, moderating the session, joined by a powerhouse lineup of speakers: Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games, Laurent Pawlowski, Ex-ONE STORE, and Henry Tiu Yeh, who previously served as CRO, COO, and General Counsel of Com2uS.
How Japan and Korea Built Distinct Gaming Cultures Around Nostalgia and IP Power
A large part of the discussion focused on how Japanese and Korean studios have built long-term player engagement through nostalgic IPs. Henry, who had been a key figure at Com2uS, explained how difficult it was to license global IPs early on, prompting Korean studios to develop their own.
“We got lucky. Tetris funded us, Henk Rogers put us on the map,” he said, pointing to how external support helped their early rise. Meanwhile, Serkan highlighted the dominance of Japan in the IP space: “Japan is probably the strongest in the world when it comes to IP power, franchises like Mario, Pokémon, Zelda, Sonic, Resident Evil, and Final Fantasy, combined with anime and manga, there’s an unbelievable amount of IP power in Japan.”
Laurent echoed this, noting Japan’s head start with both video games and animation, while Korea’s trajectory was different due to past restrictions. “Japanese stuff was forbidden in Korea until 1998, their IPs are mostly based on PC titles like Lineage and MapleStory, unlike Japan where console and anime went hand in hand.”
Transmedia Isn’t New to Japan, But the World is Just Catching Up
The panelists discussed how transmedia, games that branch into anime, TV, or films, have become the norm in Japan, while the West is only now beginning to embrace it. Laurent elaborated on how Japan naturally merged anime and gaming early on.
He shared that early titles like Dragon Ball Z and Saint Seiya appeared on the Super Famicom, showing how the IPs grew together. On the other hand, Korea’s transmedia efforts often came from webtoons or K-pop. He mentioned that while “Superstar BTS” was successful, most other games based on music IPs did not do well.
Why Global Developers Struggle to Replicate Japan and Korea’s IP Formula
One of the big questions was whether global studios can replicate the IP success seen in Japan and Korea. The consensus was: not easily. Serkan cautioned, “You have to think about your transmedia or cross-media approach from day one. In other places, people build the game first and think about transmedia later. In Japan, it’s baked into the strategy.”
Henry added that while IP helps reduce user acquisition costs, it doesn’t replace solid gameplay. “Ultimately, if the game is great, it will be its own IP. Foot Ninja, Subway Surfer, none of them started with big licenses.”
Gacha Monetization Remains Strong, But Faces Rising Scrutiny
Gacha systems were another hot topic, especially with tightening regulations. Henry shared how it’s a core monetization model: “It is part of the fun and part of the anger. We try to be fair, but sometimes players don’t get what they want, and they literally show up at our office.”
Serkan offered insight from the Japanese market, where gacha mechanics are deeply ingrained. He remarked that in Japan, the absence of gacha in a game can raise eyebrows, as it’s considered the standard approach to monetization.
Meanwhile, Laurent highlighted the regulatory challenges in Korea, pointing to a 2021 controversy involving MapleStory, where players uncovered 0% gacha odds. He added that over half of Korean games were found violating gacha regulations during audits that same year.
Overall, the panel at GPC Online’s 3rd Edition gave a rare look at the Japanese and Korean mobile game markets. Japan focuses on anime, manga, and local fans, while Korea moves fast with global hits and bold ideas. Both use gacha systems but face different rules and player views. As Henry said, “If the game is great, it will be its own IP,” Japan and Korea continue to show the world how to make games that truly last.
GPC Online 3rd Edition Unpacked – Further Reading:
