NC’s ‘Purple’ Survival Strategy: Aiming for the Steam/Epic Niche

Digital Daily Published on 2024-09-19 14:20:38

Expanding Purple into a Comprehensive Game Platform

NCsoft (NC) is planning to expand its platform ‘Purple’, which has ‍been servicing mainly its⁣ own games, into a comprehensive game platform. However, as large platforms such as Steam and Epic Games have monopolized the market, NC ⁢is contemplating a survival strategy for Purple.

Purple Game Distribution Business Begins

NCSOFT has officially stepped into the game distribution⁣ business by introducing four games distributed‌ by Sony Interactive‍ Entertainment (SIE) through Purple. They will sequentially release the PC versions of ‘Horizon Forbidden West’, ‘Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered’, ‘Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales’,⁢ and ‘Ratchet &​ Clank: Rift⁢ Apart’, and will hold⁤ a discount event of ⁣up to 40% for these games.

Purple⁤ is NC’s own platform that was introduced in 2019 to allow mobile games to be‌ played on PCs. NC plans to use Purple as a means to introduce its ⁢own games to the world as before, but also as a channel to distribute ‌various ⁤partner games and AAA ​games.

Steam and Epic Games Store: The Competition

However, the industry’s view on Purple is complex.​ It is difficult ​to see it as having a⁢ distinct‍ competitive edge compared to global PC game platforms such as Steam and Epic​ Games Store that ⁢have dominated the market.

Steam, the industry’s number one PC game distribution platform, has about 33 million ⁣concurrent users. Even if Purple has ‍a differentiated‍ appeal, it is not easy to⁢ attract users.

Leveraging Crossplay Strengths: ⁢Purple’s Survival ⁢Strategy

However, there are also expectations that Purple’s own competitiveness and NC’s development capabilities can be combined to establish a position of their own. In particular, there is an observation that there​ is a high possibility ‍that it will grow into a game distribution platform specialized in the Asian region, ⁤where ​mobile ⁤and massively multiplayer online⁣ role-playing games⁢ (MMORPGs)‌ are highly preferred.

Purple boasts excellent mobile-PC cross-play ⁤capabilities. This could be a unique ⁤advantage in the Asian market, where mobile games are particularly popular. NC is also well-versed in MMORPG development.

Building a Differentiated Ecosystem

In addition, Purple is equipped with a streaming function that supports simultaneous operation of multiple ‌games, as well as chat and voice conversation functions between users. By strengthening these community-based functions, it is expected that a⁣ differentiated ecosystem can be ‍built, such ‌as increasing‍ the time users spend on the platform.