'Hit2' Enters Japanese Market, Tops Sales with User Communication and Localization Strategy
August National Server Update... Korean and Taiwan Users Can Play Together
Hardcore Server Also Planned
‘Hit 2,’ a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) by Nexon’s subsidiary Nexon Games, has ranked among the top in the Japanese market following its success in Taiwan. This achievement is considered a surprise given Japan’s reputation as a graveyard for MMORPGs.
Kim Dohyun, Head of Overseas Development for Nexon Games’ ‘Hit 2,’ stated in an interview with Asia Economy on the 5th, “‘Hit: The World’ (the Japanese service name for Hit 2) is showing the highest-ranking indicators among Korean MMORPGs released in Japan,” adding, “It ranked number one in popularity on the Japanese App Store immediately after launch.”
Japan’s gaming market is the third largest in the world, but MMORPGs are nearly barren there. Subcultures and casual genres based on Japan’s unique ‘otaku culture’ dominate the mainstream, and these genres also lead in revenue. This is why Hit 2’s strong performance is drawing attention.
Hit 2 recorded the number one spot among popular games on the Japanese Apple App Store about six hours after pre-download began, and within a day of release, it reached ninth place in App Store sales, attracting significant interest. Kim explained, “Such results in the Japanese market, known as the graveyard of MMORPGs, can be considered a rare occurrence.”
Hit 2’s success is particularly meaningful as it is the company’s original IP. Park Youngsik, the lead producer of Hit 2, said, “Hit was NetGames’ first game and remains one of the foundational IPs of Nexon Games after the merger. Because it is a beloved IP, preparing Hit 2 as an MMORPG was a decision filled with pressure, but now we feel relieved having achieved various successes.”
Active communication with users also played a major role in Hit 2’s strong performance. Kim said, “While preparing for the Japanese service, we held offline events even before the launch to actively engage with users, and positive responses from users have continued after the release.”
Park also noted, “Since services are running simultaneously in three countries (Korea, Taiwan, and Japan), I don’t travel frequently, but when I do visit local sites, I feel that direct communication with users on-site is the most effective and provides the highest user satisfaction. Our goal this year is to dedicate as much time as possible to increasing the number of direct meetings with users in Korea, Taiwan, and Japan.”
Localization strategies also contributed. Park explained, “In Japan, users have a high entry barrier for the genre and tend to prefer cooperative play over competition. We converted some competitive content into cooperative content and strengthened idle mode rewards that allow growth even when not logged in.”
Hit 2 will reach a major milestone in August, its second anniversary. Nexon Games plans to implement a national server update allowing Korean and Taiwanese users to play together on the same server. Until now, Korean users could only play on Korean servers, and Taiwanese users only on Taiwanese servers. Park said, “Since the development phase planned for separate services by country, restructuring was not an easy task, but as users from both countries have high expectations for the national server, we are working hard to meet those expectations.”
A hardcore server will also be officially introduced. Hardcore gameplay means that a character is permanently deleted upon death. This mode is usually seen in action RPGs or hack-and-slash genres that emphasize action and control more than typical MMORPGs. Park said, “We ran a pilot hardcore server in Korea earlier this year, which received strong positive feedback from users. We plan to officially introduce it in the second half of the year to enhance Hit 2’s uniqueness.”
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