At the PlayStation State of Play event a few weeks ago, several Asian games were showcased, including the collaborative action game WPCA: World Phantom Control Agency from South Korean publisher Krafton, which drew significant attention. However, it has been confirmed that the title will not launch on Xbox. This phenomenon has once again sparked discussion about the relationship between Microsoft and South Korean game developers.
As one of South Korea's largest game publishers, Krafton's relationship with Microsoft is quite nuanced. Although Microsoft sold its studio Tango Gameworks to Krafton, several of Krafton's titles have not launched on Xbox, including the popular life simulation game inZOI, as well as Kenshi Town and Project ZETA. The newly announced WPCA is also not part of Xbox's release plans.
The report notes that among major South Korean publishers, Krafton is considered relatively "friendly" toward Xbox. Other companies such as Netmarble, NC Corporation, Hound13, and Shift Up have shown even more inconsistent support for the platform. Shift Up's Stellar Blade has confirmed it will skip Xbox, while Hound13 explicitly stated that the Xbox version of its hit title Dragon Sword: Awakening is a lower priority, with PS5 and Switch 2 versions taking precedence.
Industry insiders believe there are two main reasons for Xbox's cold reception in the Asian market. First, Microsoft's advertising investment outside the United States is severely insufficient. The presence of Xbox in physical stores in East Asia has nearly vanished, resulting in a limited player base and little incentive for developers to support the platform.
Secondly, even developers willing to bring their games to Xbox face practical obstacles. Julian Rice, founder of Japanese developer Rice Games, recently revealed on social media that his studio has been waiting over six months for an Xbox development kit without any response from Microsoft, preventing the porting of their JRPG title Shujinkou to Xbox. He bluntly stated, "Microsoft has kept us on the waiting list for over half a year, so I haven't been able to work on the port..."
Such cases are not isolated incidents. Some developers have shared poor experiences using Microsoft Store advertising services on Reddit, and other companies have reported difficulties obtaining development kits from Microsoft. The report criticizes that, regardless of internal issues at Microsoft, failing to respond to small and medium-sized developers interested in collaboration is an unacceptable oversight.
As of now, Microsoft has not issued an official response to these issues.