Nexon is perhaps best known as the successful online company that runs MapleStory. The publisher is one of the pioneers in the free-to-play space, but Nexon believes it’s just scratching the surface with free-to-play games currently. Thus, Nexon is appearing at E3 for the first time this year as part of the group’s continued expansion. We spoke to Min Kim, VP Marketing at Nexon, about his company’s initiative at E3.
[a]list: Tell me about why Nexon is exhibiting this year at E3.
Min Kim: A lot of people have been asking me that. We brought our company to the U.S. in 2005, but we didn’t really launch until 2006. Since then, we’ve seen a really good pickup in consumer interest, but haven’t gotten as much mainstream coverage. MapleStory has the equivalent of 120,000 subscribers a month and that’s pretty big, but from the press side there hasn’t been a ton of coverage.
We’ve been expanding every month with our free-to play titles. While in the past people might introduce our games as ‘Hey I have this friend and she has a great personality’ but now some of the games we have been coming out with this year are like ‘Hey we have this friend and she’s hot… and she has a good personality!’ We have Vindictus, which was built with the Source Engine and is a sexy RPG, then we have Dungeon Fighter which is a very retro, button mashing action fighter. So in terms of products, the timing is just great for E3. Big console companies aren’t doing so well but online is doing great. You look at what kids are playing now, what they’re getting used to, and I think that’s a great sign for our long term business.
Right now, for us we have a branding issue – we’re just not recognized enough among the gaming press. Of course, I can’t blame them for not knowing us; they’re not mandated to cover our products. At GDC, before an interview, they explained why they don’t interview game makers like us, but we kind of already understand why. We kind of feel like coming out to E3 helps them better understand us.
[a]list: Do you think that Nexon at E3 is a sign of the maturation of free-to-play in America?
MK: I still feel like we’re on the ground floor. It hasn’t been a experienced widely yet, but that’s coming as the Club Penguin generation grows up. Back in the ’90s, people didn’t look at the PC as a gaming platform in the same way, and that’s part of the reason why certain consumers aren’t as aware about us.
[a]list: Yeah, we tend to use the analog ‘MapleStory is the future of PC games’ to those old school PC gamers that grew up with DOS; we’re being facetious but serious at the same time.
MK: Fortunately, delivery to retail is not something we’re worried about . It’s hard to be excited about PC the way the market is. When you see the PC section, the section is two feet wide or behind glass if it’s there at all. Plus, many PC titles are on consoles and don’t do a good job standing out and taking full advantage of the platform.
It’s funny, because while there’s the Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft party, there’s no PC or online party. We’re looking to change that; we’re doing something at a place called the Colony, and we’ll have a lot of industry luminaries there.
[a]list: You see a lot of shift now in the online space to the free-to-play model.
Min KimMK: Yeah, I mean, a lot of games are successful in getting people to buy those boxes, like Age of Conan. But a lot of people thought it was weird that Lord of the Rings Online went free-to-play, like, ‘whoa can you make more money with a free-to-play title?’ [laughs]
[a]list: The main advantage in getting customers in, or getting them back, is not having that pay barrier.
MK: There’s no pressure to pay. You might want to pay, but your friends may not, but both of you can play.
[a]list: Will E3 be an important event for Nexon not only for displaying its products, but also for business contacts?
MK: On the business side, we’ve never had a problem. Whomever we deal with, they know what we do – even the VCs understand our company. It’s reaching the consumer with advertising that’s the hard part. The press tells people what they want to be excited about it, so that’s why we need to reach out to them. But we launched pre-paid cards, had them in 7-Elevens and the like, and now everyone is doing it. But maybe on a branding side, this will help us unlock an advertising opportunity. Like with Coke, we have a deal with them in South Korea but not here, but a lot of it may just be awareness about our brand in North America.
[a]list: What are some of Nexon’s goals for E3?
MK: Number one goal is up our brand, and that’s all about making relationships, whether that’s a better image, with our consumers or with the press. We want to show that free-to-play is a place to play, that our new games are the “future of free” and what better place than E3?
[a]list: Well, the future of free-to-play looks pretty bright, on PC and emerging platforms like smart TVs and mobile.
MK: Right now we’re a client-side PC company, but you want to have experiences that reach the users where they are. And that’s why we’re going to E3, because that’s where the attention is! [laughs]
