Samsung targets gaming market with dedicated online store

Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s second-largest smartphone maker, is looking to expand its presence in the lucrative global gaming market by launching a dedicated online store.

The world’s top memory chipmaker said it is opening Samsung Game Portal, an online store specializing in gaming, on Samsung.com in more than 30 countries around the world, starting in the US, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Brazil on Friday.

The Game Portal provides information on not only gaming devices but also game titles while selling gadgets such as the Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone optimized for high-end mobile games such as Genshin Impact, and the Odyssey OLED G9 monitor with a 49-inch curved organic light-emitting diode screen, according to the South Korean tech giant.

FAST-GROWING MARKET

“Gaming has become an important part of consumers’ lifestyle, not just entertainment, especially for Millennials and Gen Z,” said Evelyn Kim, Samsung’s executive vice president for its Direct to Consumer Center, in a statement.

“We will implement various initiatives to provide customers with a superior gaming experience, from purchase to use, by providing an environment that makes it enjoyable and easy to purchase gaming-related products.”

Half of the gaming population are cross-platform gamers who use more than one device to play, spending an average of 16 hours a week gaming, as well as eight hours a week watching gaming-related video content and six hours a week participating in gaming-related communities, according to Accenture, a global professional services company.

To celebrate the launch of the Game Portal, Samsung is offering discounts, which may vary by country, on bundles of gaming devices, as well as a variety of regional purchasing incentives centered on its recently launched Odyssey gaming monitor and Neo QLED 8K products.

Write to Ik-Hwan Kim at lovepen@hankyung.com
 
Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.