During the last gaming exhibition Tokyo Game Show 2024, the Level Infinite booth presented the game Goddess of Victory: NIKKE, available on PC and mobile devices. This year, character designer Kim Hyun Tae and project director Yoo Hyun Suk attended the event. A journalist from the Japanese portal 4gamer.com talked with the developers and interviewed them, in which they talked about celebrating the second anniversary of the game and future plans.
4Gamer: Thank you for your time. Very soon, on November 4, it will be two years since the game launched. What are your impressions of the response to it in Japan and in the global market?
Yoo Hyun Suk: For every anniversary, we try to prepare special updates and content. Players have become accustomed to expecting something big, and this year they are also hoping for something big. Online communities often discuss what the new story, characters, and mini-games will be like. This motivates us to prepare something really interesting to meet their expectations.
Kim Hyun Tae: Until recently, I could only evaluate the players’ response by numbers and statistics. But in June, Yu and I attended a fan meeting, and I was amazed by the energy I felt from the players. It was an incredible experience. Now I look at reviews not as dry numbers, but as real emotions that we must take into in the future.
4Gamer: Are you going to continue doing fan meetings like this?
Yoo Hyun Suk: Yes, we want to organize them as often as possible.
4Gamer: Tell us what is planned for the second anniversary of the game?
Yoo Hyun Suk: Every time we prepare anniversary events, we feel pressure to meet the players’ high expectations (laughs). But it also motivates us to work even harder. I can’t reveal all the details yet, so as not to spoil the surprise, but the scale of the event will be the largest in the history of the game. We’ve also put a lot of effort into creating mini-games that will be even more fun than in previous anniversaries. You can also expect some impressive new character designs.
4Gamer: What are your long-term plans after the second anniversary?
Yoo Hyun Suk: We are not going to change direction radically. The core of the game remains its story, and this will continue to be the case for the next two, three, or more years. A lot of material has already been prepared for the coming years. As for other aspects – mini-games, shooting and boss fights, we will try to improve these elements based on player .
4Gamer: So the script for two years in advance is already ready? How are things going with the new characters?
Yoo Hyun Suk: The main points have already been determined, but we will adjust the details based on player . The designs of the key characters are already ready, but some heroes may still change.
4Gamer: How do you approach character balancing?
Yoo Hyun Suk: We plan to diversify the ways to improve characters, perhaps adding new versions of heroes tied to the plot. It’s important to find a balance: if updates are too infrequent, players may become tired of waiting, but too frequent changes can speed up character usage cycles. We carefully monitor the to find the right pace.
4Gamer: Are there any plans to improve controls on smartphones to level out the differences with the PC version?
Yoo Hyun Suk: We are aware of this issue, especially in boss content, and are already discussing possible improvements. For example, we plan to place some interface elements closer to the center of the screen so that they are visible even in vertical mode. We’re also looking at notification options that would alert you if something important is off-screen.
4Gamer: Sounds encouraging!
Yoo Hyun Suk: Yes, I often play on my smartphone myself and I understand how important it is. We will definitely fix this.
4Gamer: Do you play on a smartphone? Personally, I would like to see the characters’ backs on a larger screen. Well, I’m so busy fighting that I don’t have time to watch…
Yoo Hyun Suk: Yes, many players complain that during battles they “don’t have time to look at the characters’ backs” (laughs). To do this, you can use automatic mode.
Kim Hyun Tae: True, the automatic mode makes the movements more mechanical, so it’s not exactly what you want to see.
4Gamer: A unique approach! Of all the characters you’ve designed over these two years, are there any that were particularly memorable or challenging?
Kim Hyun Tae: It’s hard to choose just one because each character has their own story. But to single one out, I really enjoyed working on Sakura and Roseanne from the summer event. By the way, speaking of backs, I would like to see Shifty again, although now she can no longer be seen (looks at Yu).
Yoo Hyun Suk: We’ll figure something out (laughs).
Yoo Hyun Suk: In of difficulties, the main problem is related to crossover characters. We need to be faithful to the original images, and this is not easy – finding the right balance is quite a challenge.
4Gamer: Yes, it can be difficult. After all, the characters used in collaborations were not originally designed to highlight their backs.
Yoo Hyun Suk: We will try to convey their images as best as possible, trust us (laughs). But most of all I working on Marianne. She is the first character that players meet, and she plays an important role in forming the first impression of our project. It was difficult to convey her character and numerous traits through her appearance.
4Gamer: Marianne is truly unique to players. The script in which she appears impressed me greatly and left an emotional mark.
Yoo Hyun Suk: We aimed to show the darker side of the post-apocalyptic world. This was important, because it was necessary to immediately make it clear what kind of game was in front of the players. In addition, it helped reveal the atmosphere and world of the game.
4Gamer: You mentioned earlier that story is a key element of the game, and it really shows.
Kim Hyun Tae: During the initial stages of development, I also participated in creating the script. We wanted to make something that would immediately grab attention. Then I had to step away from this process for a while for other reasons, and when I returned, the game had already acquired its current form, and this was unexpected for me. It’s really tough.
4Gamer: (laughs) I think a lot of players felt the same way.
Yoo Hyun Suk: But this is what makes NIKKE what it is!
4Gamer: By the way, since we are talking about collaborations: you have previously collaborated with Japanese projects. Are there any plans for collaborations with franchises from other countries?
Kim Hyun Tae: Yes, they are planning! We will soon announce a collaboration with the major Korean game Stellar Blade (laughs).
Note: Stellar Blade is a game developed by SHIFT UP under the direction of Kim.
4Gamer: This is a really big collaboration (laughs). How much time does it take to prepare for events such as collaborations? They seem to require a lot of effort.
Yoo Hyun Suk: It depends on the situation, but usually it takes about a year to prepare.
4Gamer: By what criteria do you choose franchises for collaborations?
Yoo Hyun Suk: Previously, we chose popular IPs that do not overlap with our audience in order to attract new players. But recently our thinking has changed. We are now looking for projects that can create an interesting interaction with NIKKE, create a unique synthesis of the two worlds, or have an unexpected effect.
Kim Hyun Tae: We want to create synergy and not just chase numbers.
4Gamer: Finally, what would you like to say to the Japanese NIKKE players?
Kim Hyun Tae: This is my first trip to Tokyo Game Show in two years. Last time I presented the game, and now I have the opportunity to meet our fans. This is a rare and valuable moment for us, and I hope that such meetings will happen more often. We’ve received incredible over these two years, and I want to thank everyone for that – for loving us, loving the game, and loving our characters. We will do everything possible to ensure that the game continues to delight you.
Yoo Hyun Suk: Thanks to you, we have continued to exist for two years now. The most important thing I want to say is “thank you.” We will work to ensure that you continue to enjoy the game. Stay tuned for content for the second anniversary! We will try to the game for another three, four, maybe ten years. I hope you stay with us for a long time.
