Games

INTERVIEW – Inside NC America: CEO Jeonghee Jin talks Leadership, Strategy, and Mobile Gaming’s future

BBG News

Story Highlights

  • Jeonghee Jin emphasized NC America’s role as a publishing entity focused on live-service games, managing operations across multiple regions.
  • JJ discussed the ongoing efforts to introduce mobile adaptations of Lineage and Blade & Soul to Western audiences.
  • NC America is actively working on multiple mobile projects, with an official announcement expected in the coming months.

At GamingonPhone, we got the chance to have an enlightening chat with Jeonghee Jin, CEO of NC America. With a 20-year career under her belt, including stints at Pearl Abyss and Kakao Games before moving to NCSOFT, JJ is currently dedicated to expanding popular titles such as Lineage 2, Aion, and Blade & Soul to a wider Western market. During our conversation, she expressed her perspectives on the changing gaming world, the hurdles of adjusting strategies for different regions, and NC America’s aspirations for the future.

Leadership Approach to Leading NC America in 2025

Initially, we inquired about her strategy for leading in the upcoming year. JJ highlighted that passion serves as the cornerstone of her leadership style, expressing it as, “Passion is what you need to focus on first.” She reinforces this sentiment to her team.

As a dedicated gamer, I can’t stress enough the importance I place on authenticity, open dialogue, and a robust gaming community. In my book, clear and honest communication is non-negotiable, whether it’s among team members or with fellow gamers, especially when it comes to live service games. After all, we’re all in this virtual world together!

JJ emphasizes that he deeply values his team, colleagues, and community. He believes that caring isn’t just a personal belief, but a core shared value among his team,”

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“JJ expresses that he holds great importance for his people, his workmates, and the community. To him, caring goes beyond being a personal principle, it is a fundamental value he shares with his team.

JJ emphasizes the significance of lifelong learning and personal development, as well as adapting to the constantly shifting gaming industry. In summary, she states that if one is driven and open to learning, they will ultimately succeed in any aspect of business.

The difference in strategies and cultural adaptations

In response to a question about how NC America’s strategy sets it apart from companies like NCSOFT or other established regions, JJ clarified that NC America operates as a publishing company, prioritizing live-service games while collaborating strategically with NCSOFT’s headquarters. The team is tasked with managing live operations, technical aspects, localization of games, marketing efforts, community engagement, public relations, business development, customer support, and more.

She went on to say: “We’re collaborating with NCSOFT on self-produced games. The majority of our upcoming projects will be NCSOFT-made titles, so we’ll be working closely with the developers based in South Korea. Our main aim is to ensure our games thrive in our intended markets and provide top-notch gameplay tailored for local communities. In this regard, our objectives are consistent with those of NCSOFT, as well as regions such as Taiwan and Japan.

Unlike the NCSOFT offices located in Taiwan or Japan, JJ points out that NC America encounters distinctive difficulties due to its wide geographical span, which includes North and South America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The multitude of languages and cultures creates intricacy, making it a formidable task to accommodate diverse users spread across various regions.

As a gamer, here’s my take: “Over the coming years, my gaming squad aims to enhance our skills significantly. We’re committed to providing a better experience for more players, understanding their actions and viewpoints more deeply, and adapting to the ever-changing gaming market. Crafting a solid strategy within our team structure and focusing on our objectives is essential if we want to come out on top.

In discussing cross-cultural adaptability in gaming, JJ conceded that cultural disparities in preferred games have diminished noticeably thanks to widespread internet connectivity and data exchange. Nevertheless, she emphasized that certain factors like monetary strategies and user behavior patterns warrant special attention.

John mentioned that during the product’s development phase, we assess its performance and provide comments on whether it aligns with the market demands. Additionally, since cultural nuances can vary among regions, we aim to address these differences by collaborating closely with our developers.

Given its extensive experience in creating multiplayer online role-playing games with a live service, NCSOFT possesses a deep insight into worldwide players’ tastes. However, fine-tuning monetization strategies and tailoring design aspects to cater to the Western market continues to be crucial focal points, as she emphasizes.

Lineage and Blade & Soul for mobile adaptation

The Lineage and Blade & Soul series have seen substantial success on mobile devices, particularly in Asia. Games like Lineage M, Lineage2M, and Lineage W are still thriving in countries such as South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. Yet, not every game from these series has been globally released, and while some mobile versions have been created, many titles from the franchise are yet to reach a broader market.

Although Lineage2M was introduced with limited promotion, it’s accessible now, but I wouldn’t call it highly successful in these areas so far. However, we managed to sell quite a lot.” Regarding NCSOFT, they are still pondering over the optimal approach for introducing their mobile MMORPGs to Western markets, as it continues to be a complex task.

NC America and the saturated Western mobile games market

As a dedicated follower, I’ve been pondering over the question of NC America’s strategy for standing out in the crowded Western mobile gaming market. JJ openly admitted the stiff competition we’re facing, yet he maintains a positive outlook, seeing untapped possibilities for growth in this dynamic landscape.

There’s no magic formula at play here. Many people comment that the mobile gaming market is becoming increasingly congested, and they’re right – the competition is intensifying, and growth is decelerating. However, there will still be numerous chances for expansion in this field.

In simpler terms, JJ is saying that easy-to-play games, such as casual genres, are popular on mobile devices because they’re simple to create and play. She suggests that improvements in mobile technology will allow for more diverse game types, especially Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs).

As a passionate gamer, I firmly believe that the boom in mobile gaming isn’t just a fad; it’s here to stay as our reliance on mobile devices continues to deepen in our day-to-day lives. I’ve noticed that market trends can differ by genre, but even with some apprehensions, mobile remains a robust platform for future expansion, particularly within the realms of mobile MMOs.

JJ asserts that by addressing challenges over the next few years, we’ll be able to enhance player care on mobile gaming platforms even further. He believes there are greater possibilities for expansion rather than confronting obstacles or negativities.

Global launch criteria and future plans

We’re wondering about the criteria used by NCSOFT when choosing which games become available globally. JJ mentioned that there may be adjustments in their selection process for global releases, but she didn’t provide specifics. However, she emphasized that NC America is diligently working to bring more PC and mobile games to a wider audience.

When inquired about the possibility of this pattern shifting this year, she expressed optimism, stating that there would indeed be a change, although she couldn’t specify exactly what alterations might occur, whether they’d happen this year or the next.

In the unveiling of NC America’s upcoming mobile service offerings, it was disclosed that they have numerous mobile game projects in development, with anticipation for announcements coming up soon. JJ didn’t share many specifics, but she suggested that their first mobile project announcement is likely within the next two months.

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2025-02-08 07:12

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