Nexon’s been making big moves in the U.S. market recently, with investments in Cliff Bleszinski’s studio Boss Key Productions, Big Huge Games, and more. Nexon’s also showing the new team-based FPS Dirty Bomb, which began a closed beta last week on Steam. The biggest news this week is the advent of Neople’s Ghost in the Shell Online, which will ship first in Western markets with beta sign-ups beginning in Q2 2015. The [a]listdaily spoke with Nexon regarding these developments.
Ghost in the Shell Online releasing first in the Western market rather than other regions. Nexon America is expanding its presence in the West, both by publishing new Western-developed titles and bringing appropriate titles from other regions to North America, LatAm, Europe and Australia/New Zealand. Since Ghost in the Shell is a popular IP and the first-person shooter genre is also hugely popular, we felt it was a great fit for the Nexon America portfolio.
Nexon’s calling this part of its “free-to-win” games strategy. How are these games different from free-to-play games?
We realize the need to evolve to suit the market. As part of our ongoing strategy to expand in the West, we’re working with developers to ensure that the monetization models in our upcoming games are fair to the players and in-line with expectations of the Western audience. Monetization will vary from game to game, but the intention with our new titles is to offer cosmetic and convenience items only, rather than things that offer a competitive advantage.
Will Project Bluestreak and Dirty Bomb also be arriving this year?
Dirty Bomb is currently in closed beta exclusively on Steam, and we are accepting sign-ups at www.dirtybomb.com. Open Beta will launch later this year. We have not yet announced dates or details for Project BlueStreak.
What sort of marketing plans does Nexon have for Ghost in the Shell Online?
We are currently working on announcement timings & marketing plans for Ghost in the Shell Online. It will definitely kick off this year, but still a bit early to know exactly when.
Will YouTube and Twitch be a major part of the marketing strategy? Will players be allowed to stream the beta action from these games?
Moving forward, YouTube and Twitch streaming and player-created content will be part of our strategy for all games. Both platforms have a huge influence on the industry and offer the ability to talk directly with our fans and potential players.
Website: www.nexon.net
Twitter: @Nexon_America
