Netmarble's Simon Sim on Hollywood licenses, cell's future, and cloud gaming

Netmarble has a knack for arising with cell sport hits, together with titles equivalent to Lineage 2: Revolution, Marvel Future Combat, and BTS World.

It's updating these video games continually, and it's launching new titles equivalent to Wealthy Wars and The King of Fighters Allstar. Lineage 2 has greater than 30 million gamers and generated greater than $1 billion in income, and that’s one purpose why Netmarble is price greater than $6.5 billion within the inventory market. The corporate has greater than 4,000 builders, largely in South Korea, and so they’re centered on each authentic titles and licensed video games.

I spoke with Simon Sim, the president of Netmarble U.S., concerning the development of cell gaming, using licenses in cell video games, why the corporate selected to spend money on the BTS Okay-pop group because it was going international. We spoke about the way forward for cell video games, massive licenses, the aborted Nexon deal, cell graphics high quality, and cloud gaming on the GameDaily Join occasion this week in Anaheim.

Right here’s an edited transcript of our interview.

Above: Simon Sim is president of Netmarble U.S.

Picture Credit score: Dean Takahashi

GamesBeat: What was your discuss centered on at the moment?

Simon Sim: The subject was how we cope with IP, and methods to meet the expectations of the followers of every IP. I talked about Netmarble’s method and the teachings we’ve discovered.

GamesBeat: Is BTS one of many massive ones there?

Sim: Sure, BTS is a giant IP of ours. I additionally defined examples like Marvel Future Combat, and the way Lineage II: Revolution is a special style. Marvel followers have completely different expectations. They love motion and gathering the Marvel heroes. We tried to satisfy that viewers after we launched Marvel Future Combat. Lineage II: Revolution relies on a PC MMORPG, so we made a real MMORPG on cell to satisfy these followers’ expectations.

BTS, as you understand, is a very talked-about Okay-pop idol group. It’s an artist IP. However the followers are very informal avid gamers, largely, or non-gamers. We made our sport BTS World a really informal sport mechanically, one thing that’s simple to play, and centered on collaborating with the music aspect. We've a soundtrack launch. The sport works along with the music.

GamesBeat: What’s the dimensions of funding in these video games? What number of builders work on every of these items?

Sim: I must test the precise variety of builders. However my understanding to date is that in Korea, the place we've got our first-party studios, greater than 4,000 persons are growing video games. These are large-scale video games. We'd like plenty of human sources over there. It is determined by the style and the dimensions of a person sport, although.

Above: Netmarble’s Marvel Future Combat is a large hit.

Picture Credit score: Netmarble

GamesBeat: Does it really feel like every a type of three is the largest effort for you?

Sim: So far as probably the most funding — it’s exhausting to say. In the event you take a look at our observe document at Netmarble, we’ve tried to diversify. Lineage II: Revolution is a real MMORPG. That’s a giant scale of funding. Blade and Soul is one other true MMORPG. These sorts of video games want a variety of human sources. On the similar time, different genres — Marvel Future Combat is an action-RPG, however we have to put a variety of content material in there. It’s exhausting to say which one is the largest effort. It is determined by the style.

GamesBeat: I do know you place precise funding into BTS. That appeared very uncommon, and really sophisticated.

Sim: Sure, we invested in 25 p.c of Huge Hit Leisure. We predict there’s alternative to diversify our sport genres and attain a broader viewers that method. That was the considering behind that funding. We’re trying for lots of synergy there.

GamesBeat: You profit each time they do a live performance.

Sim: [laughs] It’s the identical with the Marvel video games. Marvel Future Combat, at any time when Marvel brings one other film out, we've got a chance for synergy between Marvel and us. We do a variety of content material updates alongside the flicks. BTS is identical. We replace with a variety of new content material. We anticipate an analogous synergy sooner or later between the actions of BTS as a bunch and our sport.

GamesBeat: There are a variety of Okay-pop teams which have change into very talked-about. Did you catch BTS as they had been going international, or earlier than that? Was it already apparent that they had been going to be a worldwide phenomenon?

Sim: After we began work on the BTS sport, that was greater than two years in the past. It wasn’t simple. On the time BTS had already change into in style. We anticipated them to change into extra in style, however we didn’t anticipate the sort of scale they’ve reached. It’s exhausting to foretell. However once more, it’s the identical after we method different style. We watch the tendencies and we've got a spotlight crew that develops expectations so far as which IP and genres we should always work in.

GamesBeat: Was there something you may evaluate BTS to? Did you take a look at issues like Kim Kardashian’s Hollywood and different movie star video games?

Sim: We positively checked out that style, at different video games that includes celebrities. We performed a variety of video games and benchmarked their efficiency. On the similar time, the followers are completely different. BTS is extra about music. A giant chunk of their followers aren’t avid gamers. We referenced current video games, however on the similar time, we knew we wanted to ship the precise model and mechanics to satisfy these followers’ expectations.

Above: A pleasant Orc in Lineage 2: Revolution.

Picture Credit score: Netmarble

GamesBeat: It’s a giant alternative. They simply appear to be getting larger and larger.

Sim: Daily, they’re rising in popularity. We’re very enthusiastic about it.

GamesBeat: I’ve change into extra conscious of them these days. One in all my daughters is a giant fan. She performs the sport.

Sim: As I say, we tried to make BTS World a really informal sport. We went for a beneficiant mannequin of monetization. Additionally, we make a variety of content material. We've greater than 10,000 photographs and greater than 100 movies. You'll be able to inform your daughter there’s extra coming. [laughs]

GamesBeat: While you’re updating BTS World or doing reside operations, is it very completely different from if you do this with Marvel and different video games?

Sim: The method is comparable. Every time a Marvel film is coming, we do content material updates and new character releases or costume releases. We attempt to discover synergy and market alternatives between what Marvel’s doing and what we do. That’s how we’ve saved Marvel Future Combat in style around the globe. In our expertise with BTS World, we've got an analogous method. We attempt to discover synergy in our updates and advertising and marketing exercise. The IP holders are very completely different, although. In some respects we expect in another way.

GamesBeat: A deal between Netmarble and Nexon by no means occurred. Had been some folks dissatisfied?

Sim: I can’t discuss that. [laughs]

GamesBeat: It appeared like a giant false alarm. “We’re going to promote… No, we’re not going to promote.”

Sim: I don’t know. I don’t assume our firm has any remark about that.

GamesBeat: It does really feel just like the deal-making area could be very energetic in gaming.

Sim: True. Nowadays there’s a variety of funding happening. We’ve seen that too.

GamesBeat: Eric Goldberg says there’s one thing like 17 game-focused VCs working proper now. You've gotten Apple, Google, and Amazon. There’s more cash than ever being invested in video games.

Sim: We predict so too. We’re proactively searching for funding alternatives. We’ve change into the biggest shareholder in Jam Metropolis, and we acquired Kabam. Huge Hit was one other case. We’ve invested in some studios that we’re going to announce later. We’re additionally trying within the western marketplace for potential investments, to increase our style portfolio and our presence on a bigger scale.

GamesBeat: Is cell nonetheless going to be your important market?

Sim: Sure, cell remains to be our important market. On the similar time, we’re additionally making an attempt to increase our video games. A few weeks in the past we introduced a publishing cope with an HTML5-based MMORPG. We maintain watching the tendencies. We’ll strive different approaches past cell.

Above: Blade & Soul is one in every of Netmarble’s hits.

Picture Credit score: Netmarble

GamesBeat: Does esports really feel like a chance for you?

Sim: Sure, esports is a crucial matter for gaming typically. We’ve already launched King of Fighters: All Star in Korea and Japan. It’s a well-liked preventing IP, and we’ve made a beat-em-up with RPG options. We’ve had tournaments in Japan and Korea. Lineage II: Revolution additionally has realtime PvP options, and we’ve held large tournaments in Korea. A few of our video games, we’ve tried to experiment with esports options. We maintain searching for the precise genres and the precise video games which can be extra esports-friendly. We’ll maintain making an attempt.

GamesBeat: So far as rising extra within the west, what does that imply for you?

Sim: We just lately introduced our earnings for the second quarter, the place 40 p.c of our revenues got here from North America and Europe, together with income from Jam Metropolis and Kabam collectively. The west is already a giant marketplace for Netmarble. We’ll maintain bringing sturdy IP, extra western-friendly IP, like King of Fighters, inside this 12 months. We’ll additionally maintain searching for funding alternatives.

Our method to the western market is essential, by way of each funding and launching our personal IP to western audiences. We've a really sturdy lineup for the remainder of this 12 months and early subsequent 12 months. We’ll be displaying you extra video games as soon as we’re prepared.

GamesBeat: I acquired take a look at Black Desert on cell at Gamescom. That they had an attention-grabbing resolution to make about taking a very lovely PC sport to cell and optimizing it for cell {hardware}, versus bringing one thing like Black Desert On-line to Google Stadia after which having or not it's playable on cell gadgets that method. Each approaches would work, however they determined that optimization for cell would work lots higher. One of the best ways to play that sort of sport was with a construct that was made for that platform.

Sim: We’ve had an analogous expertise already with Lineage II: Revolution. We custom-made a variety of options from the Asian model after we developed the western model. An Asian-friendly male warrior, for instance, isn’t as in style with western avid gamers. We modified a variety of issues concerning the visuals, UI, and UX. The content material steadiness and playtime per day is completely different between Asian avid gamers and western avid gamers, too. With only one construct it’s exhausting to match completely different behaviors. That’s why we made the choice to separate the builds.

Content material consumption-wise, the Asian market could be very focused on rising towards the purpose of endgame content material. In Lineage II: Revolution, the top content material is realtime massive-scale battles. Western avid gamers, although, they don’t as typically get to the endgame content material with out dropping partway by way of. We put in a variety of smaller-scale PvP content material in the course of the journey to the endgame. We’ve discovered lots doing culturalization, studying methods to match the 2 markets. The consumer habits could be very completely different, particularly in MMORPGs, which name for a lot effort and time.

Above: Simon Sim is head of Netmarble US

Picture Credit score: Dean Takahashi

GamesBeat: If Stadia comes alongside, do you assume you’d need to construct one thing only for Stadia, if you happen to wished to work with Stadia?

Sim: We haven’t talked about our technique with Stadia or different cloud-based platforms but. However we’ll maintain discussing and fascinated about what would be the proper solution to go. As soon as we’ve decided, we are able to share extra with you. However we've got a few choices we are able to take into account.

GamesBeat: Is there anything you’ve been paying shut consideration to?

Sim: King of Fighters: All Star is coming quickly. We’re making an attempt to make a extra western-friendly sport. The IP is already in style throughout North America, and even Latin America. We’re very enthusiastic about that.

One other matter I talked about throughout a earlier session, we’re making an attempt to embrace video games primarily based on our personal IP. All people’s Marble has been very profitable throughout Asia, and so has Seven Knights. We’re making an attempt to construct franchises round them, to increase that IP throughout an even bigger fanbase. There are two approaches we’re engaged on now. Keep tuned and we’ll maintain you up to date.

Disclosure: The organizers of GameDaily Join paid my solution to Anaheim. Our protection stays goal.