An interview at G-STAR 2023 with Matt Cannon, Venatus COO

Venatus had a blast at the G-STAR 2023 game show! Hosted in South Korea, the Venatus booth served as a fantastic networking hub for our Korean team and Matt Cannon, Venatus COO, to engage with industry professionals. The conversation below captures some great insights from throughout the event, and was made possible by KHGames!

Q: Could you introduce Venatus and yourself?A: I'm a gamer with a deep passion for games, and I've been in the online advertising industry for over 20 years. I co-founded Venatus 13 years ago, focusing on combining gaming and online advertising. Initially, Robert Gay (Venatus CEO) and I started the company independently without any investment. Now, we have grown to 125 employees with offices in six countries, including two in the US, and a HQ in London.

Q: What is the purpose of your visit to G-STAR 2023?A: I came to meet Patrick (Branch Manager, Venatus Korea) and the rest of our wonderful Korean team!

Together, our goal has been to introduce and develop our unique advertising technology in Korea. We aim to showcase and utilize what Venatus offers specifically to Korean game developers, publishers, and brands interested in gaming ads.

Q: Compared to other major game shows, G-STAR in Korea might seem unfamiliar. How are you finding it?A: I'm having a great time! The event has been extremely well prepared. Western events like Gamescom focus mainly on console and PC games, but the Korean market is concentrated more on mobile games, which is a really distinctive difference.

Q: Venatus is known for providing specialized gaming ad solutions. Do you have any specific strategies to form close relationships with Korean game companies?A: In Korea, a few large portals and companies dominate the online advertising market, which is quite unique. Venatus' way of working is common overseas, but not here — so our aim is to quickly introduce our distinctive approach to Korean companies seeking an alternative. Venatus is also a Google Certified Publishing Partner (GCPP), and we want to help Korean media partners collaborate more effectively with Google.

Q: What were the most memorable and exciting games you've seen so far?A: Smilegate's 'Lost Ark' is published by Amazon, and is very successful and well-known globally, so seeing the new 'Lost Ark Mobile' version showcased here at G-STAR was particularly impressive. EA's 'Founders Clubhouse' also caught my eye, especially with Son Heung-Min's involvement, which I believe Korean users will really appreciate.

Q: With the recent trend of Korean game companies seeking to enter the global market, especially in the West, what advice or message would you offer them?A: There are significant cultural differences between Asia and Western regions like North America and Europe. Applying the same approach used in the Asian market might lead to a high chance of failure in the West, so it's important to work with local experts or companies that understand these regional differences.