From multi-platform data syncing to player-driven recommendations, Minimap is redefining how gamers connect across borders.
Modern games are everywhere—on PCs, consoles, handhelds, mobile devices—and yet the identity of the player has never been more fragmented. A gamer’s hours, achievements, screenshots, and reviews are scattered across ecosystems that rarely speak to each other. Steam knows one version of you, PlayStation another, and your Switch library lives in its own world entirely. Meanwhile, game discoverability has collapsed under the weight of tens of thousands of annual releases, forcing developers to search for communities where authentic word-of-mouth still matters.
Minimap, a Pangyo-based startup, is trying to solve both problems. The platform combines verified gameplay data from multiple platforms with a dedicated gaming community, creating a single place where players can track everything they’ve played while connecting with others who share their interests.
It’s an ambitious goal, and its roots are unexpectedly simple.
George Jeong, Minimap’s Chief Global Officer, oversees global community growth, partnerships, and the company’s expansion into new markets. He joined two years ago and has become one of the platform’s most recognizable advocates—not as its chief executive, but as the leader responsible for shaping its global voice and direction.
From a Personal Gaming Journal to a Data-Driven Community
Minimap began not as a social network but as a personal utility. The founders wanted a digital “gaming journal”—a place to record every game played, every title completed, and every screenshot captured.
“Traditional social platforms mix everything together,” Jeong explains. “There wasn’t a space dedicated solely to gaming.”
As early users logged hundreds of titles, something predictable happened: they wanted to talk to each other. Tips, guides, recommendations, jokes, screenshots, news, reviews—activity grew organically, anchored by the authenticity of verified gameplay data. The journal became a community.
Today, Minimap allows players to sync their game histories from Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo. Achievements, playtime, progression, libraries—everything you’ve done across platforms finally lives in one profile. Integrations with Epic Games, GOG, and RetroAchievements are in progress, and mobile—though not widely requested by users yet—is part of the roadmap due to publisher demand.
The result is something the industry has never truly had: a centralized gaming identity backed by data.
Introducing Minimap in Jeong’s Own Words
Q. How do you describe Minimap to someone hearing about it for the first time?
Jeong: “Minimap is a gamer community platform backed by real gameplay data… a kind of ‘LinkedIn for video games,’ where your actual play data becomes part of your Minimap profile.”
Discoverability Is Broken—And Community Matters More Than Ads
The rise of digital distribution has unleashed a flood of new games. In 2024, nearly 19,000 titles launched on Steam alone. Across all platforms, the number approaches 20,000. Visibility has become a crisis for games.
“Standing out is almost impossible. Gamers don’t typically respond to banner ads anymore. They buy games through recommendations—from friends or communities.”
George Jeong, CGO, Minimap
Recognizing this, Minimap partners with companies including Sony, Bandai Namco, and Smilegate to create campaigns that focus not on blasting ads but on fostering meaningful, targeted engagement. Players discover games from people they trust—not algorithms or banners.
“Ads are one tool,” Jeong stresses, “but not the main one.”
It’s a philosophy that echoes on the platform: discoverability is not manufactured but emerges naturally from data, behavior, and conversation.
The Role of AI — and Why Minimap Uses It Sparingly
In an era where many platforms lean heavily on AI-driven recommendation models, Minimap intentionally chooses restraint.
“We don’t rely heavily on AI for recommendations. We focus on first-party data—the real gameplay data users bring in.”
George Jeong, CGO, Minimap
The team does see value in AI for utility tasks. Minimap hosts more than four million reviews, and some games have over ten thousand on their own. Summarization tools could help players parse this information quickly.
But the principle remains firm: AI should assist, not dictate. The focus is on using AI to make data easy to understand, not on AI-driven recommendations.
A Personal Connection to Games
Jeong’s passion for gaming traces back to a single formative moment.
“Yes—Diablo II,” he says when asked which game shaped him most. Growing up, his parents discouraged gaming. One day, his father unexpectedly bought Diablo II for him anyway and he spent countless hours on it.
“It became a meaningful memory—my first game I could openly enjoy around my parents,” he recalls. “I’m not sure if my dad regretted buying it because I never stopped playing games afterward!”
His current tastes span JRPGs like Octopath Traveler 0, Blizzard titles, and indie games—especially those under ten hours. He also hosts a weekly podcast, Quest Unplayed, where he discusses indie releases, giving him early access to emerging talent.
“When GTA 6 comes out,” he jokes, “I’m sure half the world will call in sick.”
Why Minimap Isn’t Discord or Reddit
Many gamers wonder why they should join Minimap when they already use Discord, Reddit, or Steam communities. Jeong offers a clear distinction: structure and data.
“Discord and Reddit are chaotic, especially big servers,” he says. “Messages get buried instantly.”
Steam communities are limited to Steam data, while Minimap unifies multiple platforms into one identity.
On Minimap, every game has its own dedicated page with posts, reviews, discussions, and aggregated gameplay data. Personal profiles show every review and post you’ve made across your entire gaming life—not just on one platform.
Minimap also prides itself on speed and responsiveness.
“For example, someone suggested displaying total cross-platform playtime. We built it within a week,” Jeong says.
Some users track over 25,000 hours of gameplay and own more than 20,000 games—testament to how vast gaming histories have become.
Privacy, Data Integrity, and a 160,000-Game Catalogue
To keep data accurate, Minimap only accesses information players explicitly choose to share—and only if it is publicly visible. No passwords, no hidden account data. Disconnecting an account instantly revokes access.
The company also built its own database of over 160,000 games, ensuring clean catalog data even if APIs break or platforms change policies. Behind the scenes, this is what allows Minimap to maintain a coherent timeline of each player’s history—even across disconnected ecosystems.
Pangyo: A Strategic Home Base
Minimap operates from Pangyo Startup Campus, the heart of Korea’s tech and gaming ecosystem. The location offers affordable rent, access to support programs and seminars, and proximity to companies like Nexon, Smilegate, Neowiz and more.
“It’s easy to meet partners in person,” Jeong says. Minimap is venture-backed and steadily expanding its footprint from Korea into global markets.
The platform already runs separate Korean and international communities, with strong traction in the United States, Canada, Southeast Asia, Australia, Europe, and India. More language localizations are planned.
What Comes Next
Q. Where do you want Minimap to be in five years?
“My personal goal is for Minimap to become the ultimate gaming hub—a place where you can launch games, buy games, track your data, and connect with the community. Connections matter more to me than revenue.”
George Jeong, CGO, Minimap
Making Advanced Features Accessible
Minimap’s core platform remains free, but the company recently introduced a beta subscription for power users who want deeper data tools—such as exporting their entire gaming history as a CSV file.
“We’re the only platform offering that,” Jeong says.
A Community He Wishes He Had Sooner
Jeong wasn’t active in online communities before joining Minimap, but now leads one he describes as unusually supportive.
“Our community is welcoming—unlike some spaces that can feel harsh or judgmental,” he says. “If something like Minimap existed back when I played Diablo II, I would have loved connecting with other gamers.”
Closing Thoughts
Jeong ends with an invitation for both players and industry members:
“If you’re a PC or console gamer and you’re tired of general social networks with no real connection, come hang out with us… Visit minimap.net and check it out.”
And for professionals:
“If you work in the gaming industry, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn—I love talking with developers and gamers alike.”
Key Takeaways
- Minimap unifies fragmented gaming identities by syncing verified gameplay data across Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo.
- Game discovery is shifting from ads to community-driven recommendations, and Minimap’s structure supports that shift.
- AI is used selectively for utilities like summarizing reviews, not for driving recommendations.
- Minimap prioritizes privacy, pulling only public data and maintaining its own database of 160,000+ games.
- The team is highly responsive, regularly implementing user-requested features.
- Global users span North America, Southeast Asia, Australia, Europe, and India, with more languages coming.
- Long-term, Minimap aims to become a complete gaming hub for tracking, discovering, and launching games.
Company Snapshot
| Category | Detail |
| Startup Name | Minimap |
| Headquarters | Pangyo Startup Campus, Pangyo Techno Valley, South Korea |
| Founded | |
| Founder | Sunghee Cho, CEO |
| Key Executive | George Jeong, Chief Global Officer |
| Product | A cross-platform gamer community built on verified gameplay data, letting players sync playtime, achievements, and libraries from Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo while sharing posts, reviews, guides, and discussions in structured game-specific spaces. |
| Mission | To unify the fragmented gaming experience by giving every player a complete gaming identity and a welcoming community where discovery comes from real players not just by algorithms or ads. |
| Website | To unify the fragmented gaming experience by giving every player a complete gaming identity and a welcoming community where discovery comes from real players, not just by algorithms or ads. |
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