Smilegate Chairman HyukBin Kwon Receives the First Order of Cultural M… 2020-12-17

2020-12-17

| A leading role in game IP diversification, contributing to raising the status of the game industry

"2020 Korea Content Awards" is an award ceremony for the video, games, comics, animation, and characters industry. It promotes the development of the Korean cultural content industry by awarding outstanding contents and contributors. This year, the founder of Smilegate and chairman of Smilegate Foundation, HyukBin Kwon won the Order of Cultural Merit for the first time in the game industry.

| First Order of Cultural Merit in the game industry, Smilegate Group’s achievements

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The "2020 Korea Content Awards" ceremony, which was canceled due to COVID-19, was held in Seoul at the office of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The Order of Cultural Merit awarded to Chairman HyukBin Kwon, is the top award for Korean content delivered by Minister Park Yang-woo. This award is given for contribution to the development of culture and arts in Korea. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it awarded the Smilegate Group for its contribution to the development of industrial and cultural arts, including CROSSFIRE’s growth into global content and leading IP diversification business.

| Establishment of the company to the development of CROSSFIRE, achievements of Chairman HyukBin Kwon

It is no surprise that Chairman HyukBin Kwon was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit through CROSSFIRE. Chairman HyukBin Kwon has had a central role in establishing the company and developing the first-person shooting game CROSSFIRE since 2002.

As a result, CROSSFIRE has grown into a global hit with 1 billion cumulative members in 80 countries including China, Europe, North and South America, and Vietnam within 10 years. CROSSFIRE is currently the world's No. 1 FPS game with Forbes magazine reporting it as the world's highest-selling game in 2013.

| IP diversification <CROSSFIRE>

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Chairman HyukBin Kwon and Smilegate Group did not stop at the success of CROSSFIRE. Not only did it contribute to revitalizing the global e-sports market by holding the global e-sports competition CFS, but it also plays a role in instilling pride in Korea as the host country. Last year, the Africa continent also made its debut, showing that CROSSFIRE is leading the “e-sports K-wave” globally.

After the "CROSSFIRE Vision Summit" held in Shanghai, China in 2016, it focused on IP diversification projects and examined the possibility of CROSSFIRE as cultural content. It will also be made into a blockbuster film with Hollywood’s Original Film and Sony Pictures. Prior to Hollywood, CROSSFIRE was made into a drama in China based on CROSSFIRE e-sports competitions, "Chunwolhwasun". It recorded 1.8 billion in viewership.

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<”CROSSFIRE”, a 36-episode e-sports drama in China (Titled Chunwolhwasun in China)>

As soon as the drama was broadcasted, it quickly became the second most popular video on Tencent, marking the first success of a drama based on Korean e-sports IP. This Order of Cultural Merit is the result of CROSSFIRE's efforts to advance industrial and cultural arts by growing into new global cultural contents and leading the IP diversification business.

| Smilegate subsidiary, WCG CEO Seo Tae-gun receives presidential commendation

Smilegate Group welcomed WCG CEO Seo Tae-gun’s presidential commendation as well. CEO Seo Tae-gun was awarded the presidential commendation for his contribution to improving negative perception of games and promoting game culture by conducting various game-related tasks for 30 years in private and public institutions.

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<Non-face-to-face WCG 2020 CONNECTED e-sports event>

Recently, global e-sports festival WCG was successfully held as a non-face-to-face e-sports event, contributing to raising the status of Korea's e-sports cultural content. Smilegate Group and its affiliates were recognized for their achievements in leading the Korean cultural content industry.

| Global IP companies as the backbone of Korea's cultural content industry

Chairman HyukBin Kwon expressed his deep gratitude to Smilegate Group executives and employees, saying, "I think this award is for all Korean gamers who have devoted their passion to the growth of games as the backbone of Korea's cultural content industry. We will now strive to have the most Game of the Year awards and continue to grow Smilegate into a global IP master loved by the world. We will lead the way for the world to recognize Korea’s game industry”.

Smilegate will continue to do its best to become a global IP master that contributes to the development of the content industry in Korea and share joy with people.

EDITOR's COMMENT

#CROSSFIRE

CROSSFIRE is the world's No. 1 FPS game with more than 8 million simultaneous users worldwide. It services about 80 countries including Europe, North and South America, China, and Vietnam. CROSSFIRE was reported as the world's highest-selling game in 2013 by Forbes magazine, a U.S. economic magazine. It has truly established itself as a global No.1 game in name and reality.

#Smilegate #2020 Korea Content Awards #First of Game Industry #Order of Cultural Merit #Global Hit Game #Global Cultural Content #IP Diversification #Global IP Master