On March 29, Smilegate announced the acquisition of World Cyber Games (WCG), previously owned by Samsung Electronics.

Smilegate contracted with Samsung Electronics to acquire all rights associated with WCG last January. The company has appreciated WCG for its authenticity and prestige as a global esports tournament for a long time now, and considers it to be the most suitable brand for establishing a new digital entertainment culture for new generations.

WCG is said to be the biggest international game tournament and is known as the “esports olympics”. Originating from South Korea as the only global event, the tournament has been the stage for a large number of dramatic and glorious moments since the demonstration game in 2000, all the way to the last tournament in Kunsan, China in 2013.

Smilegate plans to develop WCG to be the best digital entertainment festival in the future. The newly launched WCG will not be limited to just esports, but will become a festival where countless people can have fun through participating in games and sharing experiences; the aim is to make WCG a new chapter in digital entertainment culture. 

WCG plans to actively cooperate with leading global game companies and cultural content-related companies in order to become a globalized digital entertainment culture platform. Despite the acquisition, it will operate as a separate corporation from Smilegate Group.

The detailed information of the list, locations, and times of esports events held by WCG is to be announced.