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PLAYING FOR KEEPS
Jeremy Gaffney Says NCsoft's Here to Stay
Despite only recently migrating to America in 2000, NCsoft isn't exactly what you'd call an upstart publisher. Korea's largest provider of massively multiplayer online games (its biggest blockbuster, Lineage, boasts 3.5 million subscribers alone), the company has slowly, but surely continued to rack up hit after hit. Lineage II, Guild Wars, City of Heroes, City of Villains. From titles which have broken the curse surrounding superhero-themed games to those that eliminate the subscription model most MMOs operate under, the chart-topping smashes just keep on coming.
Never mind strategic alliances with Richard "Lord British" Garriott (creator of Ultima and Ultima Online) plus leading developers like Cryptic Studios, ArenaNet and Net Devil. The outfit's greatest strength lies in its ability to capitalize upon innovative ideas and successfully market new concepts, whether they're based around vehicular combat or simply dressing up in a cape and tights. And with a spate of high-profile new offerings planned for the coming year - Tabula Rasa, Auto Assault, etc. - the future looks bright for the Asian giant indeed. (Not to mention gamers, who'll soon be treated to some of the most exciting broadband-only action titles and RPGs anyone's ever seen.)
As vice president of product development, Jeremy Gaffney's directly responsible for the shape of the business today. We sit down with the forward-thinking executive to discuss NCsoft's current strategy, outlook on the massively multiplayer market, and just how sorry some of the ideas he's pitched on any given week really are:
LQGaming Services:: Please describe NCSoft in your words and vision...
Jeremy Gaffney: NCsoft is a company that really believes in online games as not only the Next Big Thing, but the Current Big Thing as well. We believe that one of the great things in the online games genre is that quality products are absolutely the way to win - because people need to want to play for a lot longer as opposed to just buying a box. To own the online game space down the road, we need to make the best possible games - it's a win/win situation for us and our customers!
LQGaming Services:: When NCSoft first came to America, Lineage didn't fare particularly well - why do you think this was the case?
JF: There are some basic cultural differences in game play and delivery. First, Lineage is a 2D game and most of the players in North America were moving to more 3D games. Also, North American consumers were only familiar with a retail presence and Lineage was offered as a download and pay-for-play - not something that readily accepted in this market.
LQGaming Services:: How did the company rise from the ashes to become one of the premiere publishers of MMOs?
JF: We are following basic precepts of business. Make the customer happy. We really believe that we have to make high-quality games that are fun - and a little bit different and innovative. Also customer support and responsiveness is a major priority for us. which, of course, helps keep customer dissatisfaction to pretty low levels.
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