14 DAY TRIAL // Mobile phone users in South Korea who own devices running under Google’s Android operating system are now able to download and purchase games from the Android Market.
There are thousands of games available for users in the country, and more of them are expected to come soon.
“Starting right away, Android users in Korea can explore the many thousands of popular game titles available in Android Market and download them onto their devices,” Eric Chu, Android Developer Ecosystem, explains in a blog post.
“For paid games, purchasing is fast and convenient through direct carrier billing, which lets users in Korea easily charge their purchases to their monthly mobile operator bills.”
Apparently, Google’s Android OS has gained a lot of market share in South Korea lately, and the country is on the top list when it comes with device sales.
Moreover, the number of applications that users here download and install on their devices grew significantly, and the country is now the second-largest consumer of apps worldwide.
The availability of games for Android users in South Korea should help drive the app adoption upwards.
The new feature available for South Korean mobile phone users is expected to prove beneficial for game developers as well.
“If you are a game developer, now is the time to localize your game resources, app descriptions, and marketing assets to take advantage of this new opportunity,” the said blog post continues.
“When you are ready, please visit the Android Market developer console to target your app for distribution in South Korea and set prices in Korean Won (KRW). If you don’t want to distribute to Korea right away, you can also exclude it.”
Google expects the game purchases and downloads to increase significantly in the coming weeks, due to the fact that Android users in South Korea benefit from the convenience of direct carrier billing, and courtesy of the high popularity that games enjoy on Android.