Jeonghee “JJ” Jin has spent her profession serving to Asian studios broaden within the west. She turned the CEO of NC America lower than a yr in the past, and most just lately added a brand new position to her resume: COO of NCSoft West, which is accountable for the corporate’s initiatives within the western market.
At GamesBeat Summit 2025 in Los Angeles, Jin spoke with Niko Companions CEO Lisa Cosmas Hanson about her new initiative and the challenges of bringing video games from the East to West and vice-versa.
“NC West is the holding firm of ArenaNet, and to NC West, ArenaNet and the Guild Wars franchise is crucial enterprise — we actually need to develop it additional,” stated Jin. “So just lately, headquarters needed to make it extra official and gave me one other hat to put on in order that I can do extra work formally for NC West and ArenaNet, working extra throughout the board for all of the Western subsidiaries.
“So with this new position, I imagine I can work extra strategically throughout the board and create extra synergies and construct up our model energy globally and in addition discover extra enterprise alternatives for NCSoft within the West.”
Her expertise working each in Korea and the U.S. has given her a novel perspective on localizing video games for various markets. When requested what sort of recommendation she’d give to smaller studios who’re attempting to navigate these cross-border challenges, she stated that above all, it’s necessary to discover a writer who believes in your recreation and can work exhausting to champion it.
She remembered that when she was in the same place earlier in her profession, she didn’t like how typically her group would discuss to a writer that sounded actually captivated with their recreation, however then after signing a deal, they ended up working with “somebody random” they’d by no means met earlier than. She stated it’s necessary to know who you’re working with and have a private reference to that individual or group.
“For those who’re searching for a writer, I need to advise you to discover a associate who has a group that’s actually captivated with your recreation, who is aware of about [your] style, who actually simply needs to have it,” stated Jin. “Not only a enterprise group or licensing group who has to get some offers achieved.”
Regarding the subsequent period of gaming — resembling new AI applied sciences and tapping into rising markets — Jin stated she likes to concentrate to what she referred to as “delicate facet points.” To her this implies connection, emotion, group, and fandom.
She believes that since video games have gotten extra necessary as a pastime (not simply by means of taking part in but in addition by means of extra folks watching streams and movies), connections amongst followers is one thing firms ought to deal with each with social options inside video games and out of doors of it. It’s additionally very important for firms to have an excellent relationship with its group, and that’s the place emotion comes into play — she’s all the time telling her group to look fastidiously at what participant sentiment is like.
“Lately feelings are so necessary. You actually need to perceive how your gamers really feel as a result of I believe there are such a lot of good video games on the market which have nice options, mechanics, and recreation modes which might be virtually excellent,” she stated, highlighting how robust the competitors is.
Listening to your gamers and really speaking to them could make a giant distinction on this market. She stated firms should additionally spend time to know the particular viewers they’re concentrating on and the right way to cater to them, which can assist them construct a thriving group round their recreation.
“So I believe all these parts are actually necessary once I see the current traits and the way, particularly the youthful era, truly play their video games,” stated Jin.
Be certain to take a look at the total video for extra insights from the GamesBeat Summit panel.
