Valve's partner Komodo has announced that they're expanding the Steam Deck retail presence into South Korea on June 1st. They'll be doing this through Electromart through a partnership with SHINSEGAE I&C, the leading retail tech company of SHINSEGAE, the largest retail group in South Korea. This will include the Steam Deck and the Docking Station at all of the Electromart stores nationwide.
This follows on from the expansion into Japan in late April plus Hong Kong and Taiwan back in March.
From the press release:
Ricky Uy, CEO of KOMODO, said:
“We continue working towards our goal of bringing Steam Deck to as many customers as possible, and we are very pleased to be working with SHINSEGAE I&C to launch retail sales in South Korea. We also plan to offer more Steam Deck trial opportunities in Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan.”
Joon Jung, Vice president of SHINSEGAE I&C, said:
“Based on our solid distribution channels and know-how, SHINSEGAE I&C is continuously expanding its business portfolio in the gaming sector, from gaming device distribution to game IP and publishing. We look forward to working with KOMODO to introduce Steam Deck to a wider range of Korean gamers through SHINSEGAE I&C’s various retail stores.”
Komodo also stated they have plans for plenty more promotions and events to come but not hints as to what.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
TheRiddick May 30, 2023
They have lost some legal battles here so perhaps they are salty over that still...
Quoting: TheRiddickAt this point it's obvious Valve is deliberately avoiding the AU/NZ market.Or it's for tax reason. As an example, it's not available in Switzerland.
I bought one in the store in Osaka recently, and got of course a defect one. Unfortunately, my holiday was too short to get a replacement and since it was tax-free, I could not get a refund.
Quoting: RC2225It's neither of those things; it's just a tiny market and Valve can't be arsed.Quoting: TheRiddickAt this point it's obvious Valve is deliberately avoiding the AU/NZ market.Or it's for tax reason. As an example, it's not available in Switzerland.
I bought one in the store in Osaka recently, and got of course a defect one. Unfortunately, my holiday was too short to get a replacement and since it was tax-free, I could not get a refund.
The US has loads of money, and it's where Valve are based, so they've got to sell it there. Canada is just a few miles away from Valve HQ, and they can reuse the US distribution, so that's easy enough. The EU is a 450 million person single market, so it would be silly not to sell it there. The UK has 70 million people, is a hugely influential gaming market, had harmonised all its laws with the EU so that part's easy, and you can reuse your EU distribution if you remember to put a different plug in the box, so you might as well. And... that's it: that's everywhere that Valve can be bothered to sell it. The Asian countries it's being sold in are because a logistics partner is doing all the actual work of selling there. Australia (and Switzerland, and Norway) are too tiny to be worth taking it all on just for them, so you're waiting on having a logistics partner. Good luck!
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