Ragnarok ©\ the most internationalized game ©\ exported to 17 countries
▶IT KOREA Journal: Gravity has sold the online game "Ragnarok" to more than 17countries. Can you tell us the secret know-how of your success?
I have been in this game business for more than 25yearsand I have become familiar with variousas pectsoflicensing. Such experience has helped me a lot. And, to beable to cover the whole world simultaneously, I organizedan overseass upport team from the beginning of thisenterprise.Therefore, we were ahead of others.
▶IT KOREA Journal: "Ragnarok" is very popular, not only in Korea, but also overseas. Any particular reasons?
We were there first and that made the difference.Considering the characteristics of the online game market,prior occupation isvery important. In addition, mostonline gamesare about brutal and immoral siege warfare,whereasRagnarok isa humane community game.Overseas users love it without reservation.
▶IT KOREA Journal: Recently, some server programs have been leaked to Taiwan and China, where illegal game servers are in operation. What do you think of illegal servers?
It istrue that the number of simultaneoususers decreases when an illegal server operationisnot allowed. Therefore, some companieswillinglytolerate illegal serversbecause that considerably helps to attractusers. However, the effect is just temporary.We, though, were more long-termminded and decided not to allow such a situationto exist. Now, there aren 't anyillegal servers for Ragnarok. At first, whenillegal servers in China were closed down,simultaneous access suddenly dropped by50%. Yet, it didn 't take long for the number of users tobeing back to normal. My recommendation for other companiesisthatthey should approach the problem with along-term perspective. They should not be tempted byimmediate gains.
▶IT KOREA Journal: Recently, Ragnarok festivals were successfully held in five cities in Thailand. Are you planning for some more in other countries?
The first Ragnarok festival was held in Japan. We gotvery positive inputs and we decided to have similar onesthroughout Southeast Asian countries including Thailandand the Philippines. In July of this year, there will be aRagnarok festival Korea. Gamers from the whole world¡ª the Americas, Europe, etc. ¡ª will be invited. Thisevent will become an international festival and Ragnarokwill become a world-famousgame.
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▶IT KOREA Journal: You expect sales this year to be more than twice that of last year. And, the overseas sales will become more than 70% of the total. What are the countries that will help you to realize this goal?
In March, we will add Brazil and India to our internationalfamily. By the end of thisyear, Eastern Europe,Oceania, Mexico, etc will join the Ragnarok family. Weexpect 30 new countriesthisyear. We will localize itsservice and independent servers will be installed in allthese areas and countries. We have already signed contractswith most of the countries under consideration andif all the contractsbecome effective, then we would havemore than 30 countries. Consequently, we expect the salesto increase by at least 100% this year.
▶IT KOREA Journal: What should the government do for companies like yours that explore game business opportunities overseas?
I would like to cite capital and marketing.First of all, because the gameengine is expensive, most underfundedcompaniesdevelop enginesby themselves.Unfortunately, the quality of their enginesisnot very high and thisharmstheir competitiveness,as might be expected.Government support will greatly help suchbusinesses. Furthermore, the government should conductmarket surveys and organize overseas exhibitions. Suchsupport should be unevenly distributed to all companies.
▶IT KOREA Journal: What is the future shape of Gravity that you would like to realize?
I want it to be a global entertainment company. Now, inaddition to games, we have invested 10 billion KRW toproduce a Ragnarok animation in Japan. There will be aworldwide release this year including Korea and Japan.We are also implementing a character business in Taiwan.About 20 mobile gamesincluding "Ragnarok AnotherStory" were already released. In the future, we will participatein movie production. Through such efforts, Gravitywill be recognized by the world asa company specializingin entertainment.
▶IT KOREA Journal: Finally, would you like to share your wisdom with other Korean companies that are interested in overseas ventures?
Above all, finding the right local partner isa must. Inparticular, it is necessary to find partners equipped withall the aspects of business competence ¡ª capital, distributionchannelsand technology. To have a discerning eye,you need an exhaustive market survey. As soon as youchoose a country, don 't try to save labor and marketingcosts. Exporting online games is to sell culture, notproduct. Other costs are not involved. Labor and marketingcosts necessary for game development and operationare all that it takes. Don 't try to save money. Whatyou need, among other things, is a bold and appropriatemove based on marketing knowledge.
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