Searching for influencer marketing in Korea usually means a game is on its way to one of the world’s most demanding game markets. Korean players follow the creators they trust closely, and the platforms they watch on aren’t the ones most Western teams know.
This guide covers how it works, and how we run campaigns there with Major9, our partner office in Seoul.
Where Korean players watch
CHZZK and SOOP
Twitch closed its service in South Korea in February 2024. Korean streamers moved to two local platforms: CHZZK, run by Naver, and SOOP, the platform formerly known as AfreecaTV. Live gaming in Korea now lives there, including the big esports broadcasts.
The two have different cultures. SOOP has a long history and many of Korea’s most established streamers. CHZZK has grown fast and spreads its audience across a wider range of creators. Which one fits depends on your genre and who you want to reach, and many campaigns use both.
YouTube
YouTube is where Korean players go for reviews, first impressions, guides and highlights, and for Shorts. A dedicated video from a trusted reviewer often does the explaining that a live stream can’t.
Naver Cafe and community spaces
Many games in Korea run an official community on Naver Cafe, where players read patch notes, post feedback and follow events. Creators who are active in those communities carry weight, and a creator campaign works best when it points players to the same place your community team does.
How launches work in Korea
Pre-registration
Pre-registration is a big part of launching in Korea, especially on mobile. Publishers set milestone rewards that unlock as more players sign up, and creators are one of the best ways to drive that number. A typical plan announces with a few creators, builds with pre-registration content and peaks on launch day.
Launch week and after
Launch day brings the biggest wave of content. After that, we plan creator beats around your updates, seasons and events, the same way we do in the West. Read how we plan creators around game launches and live ops.
What to get right
- Brief in Korean, with local judgment. A translated Western brief rarely lands. Korean creators expect a brief written for their audience, and the right tone for a Korean campaign isn’t always the right tone elsewhere.
- Pick creators by what they play. Like everywhere, the biggest names aren’t always the best fit. A mid-sized creator whose audience plays your genre usually beats a celebrity who doesn’t.
- Label sponsored content. Korea’s Fair Trade Commission requires clear disclosure of paid content. We brief creators on it and check it before we sign off on delivery.
- Have your rating in place. Games distributed in Korea need an age rating. Plan it into the timeline so creators can go live when you need them to.
How we run it with Major9
Major9 runs creator and influencer campaigns in Korea and across Asia-Pacific, on mobile, PC and console. They know the creators, the platforms and the people behind Korea’s biggest games, and they plan the Korean part of your campaign in Korean, on Korean time.
We sit next to them as one team. If your game launches in Korea and the West at the same time, every region tells the same story, and you get one report across all of them. If Korea is the only market you need, Major9 runs it with us in the loop.
Mobile game launching across Asia? See how we brought Monopoly GO! to players across Asia and our page on mobile games.
Going the other way
If you’re a Korean publisher taking a game to North America and Europe, read our guide to launching Korean games in the West, also available in Korean.
Ready to talk about Korea? Get in touch and we’ll connect you with the team in Seoul.
