Jeonghee “JJ” Jin has spent her profession serving to Asian studios increase within the west. She grew to become the CEO of NC America lower than a 12 months 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 an important enterprise — we actually wish 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 likewise 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 making an attempt 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 onerous to champion it.
She remembered that when she was in an identical place earlier in her profession, she didn’t like how generally her group would speak to a writer that sounded actually obsessed 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 wish to advise you to discover a accomplice who has a group that’s actually obsessed 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 carried out.”
Regarding the subsequent period of gaming — equivalent to new AI applied sciences and tapping into rising markets — Jin stated she likes to concentrate to what she known as “mushy facet points.” To her this implies connection, emotion, neighborhood, and fandom.
She believes that since video games have gotten extra necessary as a passion (not simply via taking part in but in addition via extra folks watching streams and movies), connections amongst followers is one thing corporations ought to give attention to each with social options inside video games and outdoors of it. It’s additionally very important for corporations to have relationship with its neighborhood, and that’s the place emotion comes into play — she’s at all times telling her group to look rigorously at what participant sentiment is like.
“Nowadays feelings are so necessary. You actually wish to perceive how your gamers really feel as a result of I feel there are such a lot of good video games on the market which have nice options, mechanics, and recreation modes which can be virtually good,” 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 corporations should additionally spend time to know the particular viewers they’re concentrating on and learn how to cater to them, which might help them construct a thriving neighborhood round their recreation.
“So I feel all these parts are actually necessary after I see the latest traits and the way, particularly the youthful era, truly play their video games,” stated Jin.
Make certain to take a look at the total video for extra insights from the GamesBeat Summit panel.
