LogIn"Focusing on user feedback is the most reliable method at the moment."
NEXON
If asked what factors make a game successful, people’s opinions vary and diversify. But so far, we can be sure that the formula that definitely brings success to a game still hasn’t shown up, if there is one. Some might believe that AAA titles, which boast huge development costs, massive teams, and long time spans, could make it easier to achieve success. But we’ve had quite a few recent cases that slapped on the faces of those with such beliefs — money doesn't mean success. There might be something else that matters.
Recently, Yong-Hyun Park, the CEO of Nexon Games, has shed some light on what that matter could be, citing that “user feedback” should not be neglected in games’ development, especially when the costs have been increasing over the years. In a recent interview with 4Gamer, translated by Automaton, Park pointed out:
“Working backwards based on the profit you want to achieve with your game used to work fine in the past, when production costs were low. But with development costs gradually increasing, errors in the numbers can accumulate, and you can find your game falling apart at release. If you think about it that way, focusing on user feedback is the most reliable method at the moment.”
NEXON
How much money a game can make would remain unknown before it goes live and faces players directly. However, it doesn’t mean developers can do nothing about the direction towards a successful game, as Park believes that developers "get a feeling as to what kind of game will make users happy." Therefore, Nexon chooses to “test games even in the middle of development and collect feedback.” Listening to players’ voices helps them figure out if players are willing to play their game, and they “choose to believe in this and run with it.”
We don’t lack negative examples of not listening to players’ feedback — just look at how review bombing, one of the few remaining ways for gamers to make their voices heard, has changed the behaviors of some developers. Earlier this year, Grand Theft Auto and NBA 2K publisher Take-Two Interactive reckoned that review bombing is actually an effective strategy.
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