| KT demonstrates VR sports combining 5G and VR technology
| SKT to launch three Nexon games as 5G VR in first half

Ahead of and following MWC19, major global manufacturers' 5G smartphones are being unveiled one after another.

In line with this, SK Telecom and KT are accelerating efforts to secure killer content optimized for 5G. One of the key focus areas is 'VR games'.


SK Telecom turns three popular Nexon online games into 'VR games'
SK Telecom announced on the 19th that it has signed an intellectual property (IP) usage agreement with Nexon for three popular online games to develop 5G VR games.
The three games are Nexon's representative titles 'Kart Rider', 'Crazy Arcade', and 'Bubble Fighter'. In particular, Kart Rider, with its easy-to-play game format for all ages, remains a long-running popular game currently ranked 5th in domestic PC room market share 15 years after its release.

Through this agreement, SK Telecom plans to launch VR games for 5G smartphones such as 'Kart Rider VR (tentative title)' utilizing the three IPs in the first half of the year. Game development will be a collaboration between Pixelfinches, a VR game specialist founded by former key game developers at Nexon, and SK Telecom.

Kart Rider VR is a casual game that can be enjoyed by the whole family, and is expected to provide players with the feeling of directly controlling a kart by utilizing the ultra-high speed and ultra-low latency characteristics of 5G smartphones.

Ahead of 5G smartphone launches, SK Telecom is securing differentiated content through partnerships with various global companies. At this MWC19, SK Telecom will also establish partnerships with various global game, media, and content companies.

Domestically, the company plans to expand the 5G VR game lineup together with large and small developers, including discussions on additional cooperation with Nexon.

SK Telecom plans to provide secured game and VR content to its 5G customers through exclusive supply or differentiated benefits.

Yang Maeng-seok, head of SK Telecom's 5GX MNO Business Group, said "The significance of this partnership is considerable in that the leading domestic telecom operator and game company are joining hands to establish a 5G and VR game industry ecosystem," adding "We will showcase various killer content to our customers in line with 5G smartphone launches."


KT demonstrates 'VR sports' for 5G-based multiplayer game GiGA Live TV
KT and VR content developer Appnori will showcase 5G-based multiplayer game 'VR sports' through KT's personal immersive media service 'GiGA Live TV'.

GiGA Live TV, launched in November 2018, is a service that enables users to enjoy immersive content through wireless standalone VR devices without requiring separate connections to smartphones or PCs. KT announced that GiGA Live TV provides VR content in various genres including movies, sports, and games, and plans to continue expanding new content in the future. KT will unveil the VR sports baseball edition, one of these titles, at MWC19.

VR sports is a game that combines virtual reality technology with popular sports such as baseball, table tennis, and badminton, allowing VR device users to experience immersive service as if participating in actual sporting events. KT has been developing VR sports content in collaboration with Appnori since late last year and has secured exclusive distribution rights domestically and internationally.
The VR sports baseball edition unveiled at MWC19 is content developed to enable games that previously could only be experienced on PC-based wired VR devices to be enjoyed anytime, anywhere without location restrictions on GiGA Live TV-based wireless standalone VR devices. Additionally, with multiplayer functionality provided, multiple users can simultaneously access the wireless network and enjoy baseball games together. At KT's exhibition hall at MWC19, a multiplayer baseball game demonstration will be held where both pitchers and batters can enjoy together, and visitors will also be given opportunities to experience VR sports.
KT anticipates that with the commercialization of ultra-high-speed, ultra-low-latency 5G networks, the wireless multiplayer VR game market including VR sports will experience significant growth. Starting with this VR sports, KT plans to expand VR game content for GiGA Live TV and strengthen content so that more customers can enjoy KT's immersive media services in the 5G era.

Kim Hoon-bae, senior executive of KT's New Media Business Division, said "KT is pleased to provide customers with higher-level and differentiated immersive media experiences through this MWC19," adding "We ask for your continued interest in 5G-based immersive media services that KT will present in the future, including GiGA Live TV."

Lee Hyun-wook, CEO of Appnori, said "As customers become able to easily and conveniently enjoy immersive media services through GiGA Live TV, the immersive media field will become more activated," adding "Starting with 'VR sports' to be unveiled at this MWC19, both companies will continue to cooperate and lead the growth of the immersive media market in the 5G era."