“We are trying to bring more titles from NCSOFT, and one of the goals is also a diversified portfolio. And that’s the same with the headquarters because we’re so well known for the MMORPG genre, I think that was a little like a double-edged sword for us.” However, while diversifying the portfolio here is a good thing, it’s not going to stop NCSOFT and NC America from doubling down on what it does great: MMOs. As such, this year we’ll see the release of a remastered version of Blade and Soul NEO Classic Divine Gems, called Blade and Soul Neo. Launched in Korea a few months back, the remaster has seen quite a bit of adoption since its release, according to JJ, and part of announcing this release was to start to bring something to the West that they could do rather quickly.

Blade and Soul Neo was actually launched a couple of months ago in Korea first. And actually, the Blade and Soul Neo fans in Korea are loving it, and we also play Blade and Soul Neo here at NC America. We also love it. So we wanted to work as fast as we can to bring the title to our audience as well.

One of the challenges facing many Korean MMOs here in the West is the just sheer difference in consumer expectations when it comes to microtransactions and what those microtransactions can provide. We generally abhor anything here in the West that feels even borderline what is perceived to be pay-to-win, while there are some elements that are just normal and expected in Asian markets. Balancing the two has always been a tough assignment, though it should be noted that JJ has a history of helping a large company navigate such struggles.

Black Desert Online was accused heavily of being overly microtransaction-heavy and leaning almost headfirst into pay-to-win territory when it first launched in the West eight years ago. However, over those years, I noticed the pay-to-win elements here in the West were slowly reduced, with those microtransactions often being cosmetic or simply convenience items. It’s hard to say it’s completely gone, and the amount of microtransactions available in Black Desert has certainly not gone down over the years. Still, one thing JJ’s team at Pearl Abyss America did, in my view, was help headquarters better understand what the audience here wanted out of its in-game store.

She has the same task ahead of her here at NC America, especially as more titles are being published in Korea first. While NCSOFT’s most recent MMORPG, Throne and Liberty, is being published by Amazon here in the West, with that team taking the lead at formulating the microtransactions to be more akin to what we’d expect out here, JJ’s team had to do this with BnS NEO Classic Divine Gems for sale. For gameplay, JJ says there isn’t much being changed in Neo from its Korean version. However, she does tell me that her team is paying close attention to the business model, especially whether it’ll be accepted here in the West.