Kakao Games Faces 'Umamusume' Users... "We Will Respond Swiftly"

Company-User 'Final Talk'
YouTube Live Broadcast Nears 20,000 Real-Time Viewers

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Mobile game 'Uma Musume Pretty Derby' (hereafter Uma Musume) users and the operator Kakao Games management sat down together. Kakao Games apologized for various controversies and promised to prevent recurrence.

At 10 a.m. on the 17th, Kakao Games held a user meeting for Uma Musume at its headquarters in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, aiming to improve services through active communication with customers. The meeting was attended by seven user representatives, five Kakao Games executives, and one legal expert. It was conducted in a Q&A format and was live-streamed on YouTube at the users' request.

"We will respond quickly with a 'prior action, post-report' system"

Lee Si-woo, Head of Kakao Games Business Division, said in his opening remarks, "As the person in charge, I deeply regret losing customers' trust and sincerely apologize. Through this meeting, I will specifically explain how we plan to improve and restore the lost trust."

The developer Cygames also conveyed its position through a letter. Cygames explained, "In providing game services, the Cygames 'Uma Musume Pretty Derby' operations team and Kakao Games have proceeded with game policies and promotions through consultation."

However, they apologized, stating, "Despite Cygames' supervision system, there were shortcomings, and there were deficiencies in coordination with Kakao Games, which led to insufficient update information and delays in posting notices."

This meeting began as users pointed out Kakao Games' operational shortcomings. The Korean service operation differed from Japan's in aspects such as in-game currency provision, translation, and delays in major event announcements. In particular, regarding this, Kakao Games issued an apology statement, but users continued rating attacks and 'carriage protests' citing the late and inadequate apology post.

In response, Kakao Games explained, "We consult with Cygames on all operations including apology statements, various notices, operation schedules, community responses, currency distribution plans, and marketing materials." They added, "Through this, Cygames has come to understand the Korean market, and for urgent matters that need to be communicated quickly, we promise a 'prior action, post-report' process. We have secured a certain degree of autonomy."

On this day, users questioned the sincerity of the apology and demanded that the responsible person's real name be posted on important future notices. Regarding this, Head Lee Si-woo responded, "From now on, I will personally explain. I believe that communication desired by customers is when a responsible person explains, so I will prepare thoroughly."

On the 17th, a representative from the 'Game Users' Autonomous Council,' composed of users, is speaking at a meeting held at Kakao Games in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do.

Consensus reached but compensation issue remains at an impasse

During the meeting, users somewhat agreed with Kakao Games' explanations, maintaining a positive atmosphere initially.

Users initially questioned whether consultation with the developer Cygames was necessary before posting the apology, but Kakao Games provided detailed explanations, which users accepted. Kakao Games also agreed to users' requests to post update notices well in advance in the future.

However, as users claimed damages and demanded compensation, both sides engaged in a tense standoff. Users argued that they suffered damages due to the support card 'Kitasan Black,' considered an essential card because of its high performance, with the pickup period ending three hours earlier than usual due to an early maintenance.

Kakao Games explained, "The schedule was not shortened to reduce the pickup period. It was for service stabilization, and we plan to proceed without maintenance in the future to minimize such inconveniences." They added, "We provided prior notice and also informed users through in-game pop-ups," but avoided giving a definite answer regarding compensation demanded by users.

After a one-hour break, the meeting resumed with users continuing to criticize regarding 'Kitasan Black,' and Kakao Games repeatedly responded with "We apologize," resulting in a stalemate.

Meanwhile, the meeting live-streamed on YouTube attracted nearly 20,000 real-time viewers, reflecting high user interest.