Hello, we're Realworld, a playable content platform. In Seoul's Seongsu-dong, where countless pop-up stores appear and disappear daily, Realworld Seongsu has persevered for nearly three years in this battlefield-like environment, truly establishing itself as Seongsu-dong's hottest destination.
However, it would be a shame to keep this amazing space only in Seongsu-dong. That's why Realworld is going nationwide. The beginning is Realworld Gwangju. We're excited to share news about our brand-new Gwangju location that just opened on May 14, 2025.
The Background of Realworld Franchise
Realworld, committed to customer satisfaction, carefully reviews player feedback. While organizing reviews about Realworld Seongsu, we discovered something interesting: visitors from regions outside the Seoul metropolitan area were including Realworld Seongsu in their Seoul travel itineraries.
You might think, 'What's the big deal? If you're in Seongsu, you can just drop by Realworld.' However, we couldn't overlook the fact that travelers who carved out precious 2-3 or 3-4 day trips to Seoul were visiting Realworld Seongsu, especially considering these were trend-sensitive women in their twenties. We also noticed frequent comments like 'I wish there was a place like Realworld Seongsu in [my city]' in their reviews.
Therefore, Realworld could hypothesize that there was demand for playable content similar to Realworld Seongsu in non-metropolitan areas. To test this hypothesis and make Realworld accessible nationwide, we needed locations beyond Seoul.
Realworld's New Store: Realworld Gwangju
We had the perfect opportunity when we met 'Red Point,' which operates 'IWAS,' a cultural complex in Gwangju's Suwan district. The collaboration discussions gained momentum quickly. Notably, 'IWAS' was recognized as a unique meeting destination with Gwangju's special and distinctive charm, earning selection as '2024 Gwangju Unique Venue' by Gwangju Tourism Organization.
This special space, 'IWAS,' has transformed into an even more fantastic venue by partnering with Realworld. We adopted the 'Mystery Hotel' concept from Realworld Seongsu while appropriately adapting it to fit the 'IWAS' space. Now you can experience Realworld Gwangju, which is similar yet different from Realworld Seongsu. You can enjoy the popular content from Realworld Seongsu at Realworld Gwangju, plus we expect the Gwangju-exclusive content 'May Newspaper' to gain significant popularity.
Realworld Gwangju isn't just a pretty cafe or escape room space. Like IKEA's showroom where you can experience spaces in advance, Realworld Gwangju also serves as a showroom for playable experiences. When school teachers visit, they can preview educational content for their students, and local government tourism officials can gain insights for tourism revitalization.
Experience Content: The Local Answer
The recent trend in China's murder mystery market, estimated at 17.2 billion yuan (approximately 3.4 trillion won), is regional expansion. While tier-1 cities like Beijing are already saturated, tier-2 cities like Changsha, Chengdu, and Hangzhou have consumption power and average spending approaching tier-1 cities. Some murder mystery operators are expanding to tier-3 and tier-4 cities to capture regional demand.
In Korea, we frequently hear news about local commercial districts collapsing due to regional decline. To overcome this, shouldn't we provide more special experiences with local character? If we consider why Seongsimdang hasn't expanded beyond Daejeon, we can understand the importance of unique local experiences.
Experience content that engages the whole body typically takes place in offline rather than online environments, making location crucial. For regional cultural heritage sites, instead of just looking and moving on, wouldn't providing experiences where visitors become protagonists in the story create more special and meaningful travel?
According to the February 2025 trend report by Univ20's Research Lab, Gen Z is reducing spending on temporary satisfaction items like fashion, beauty, and subscription services, while increasing spending on experience-expanding consumption like hobbies and self-development. If local hip content that captures regional character appeals to this trend, becoming a beloved destination for Gen Z wouldn't just be a dream.
Seongsu and Gwangju, Next is Cheongju
Realworld Gwangju finally opened on May 14, 2025. Realworld's journey doesn't stop here. In the first half of 2025, we're also entering Connect Hyundai Cheongju, the second location of Hyundai Department Store's new retail channel Connect Hyundai. Please watch how Realworld can make an impact in the increasingly competitive retail industry. We'll continue our efforts until the day you can meet Realworld nationwide, beyond Seongsu, Gwangju, and Cheongju. Thank you.