NVmax.com has posted an interview with Sumeet Maniar of K2Network.net, the
North American managers of Knight
Online. Below is a short excerpt, be sure to check out the full interview here.
The Korean/Asian market is very different compared to the United
States/North American market when it comes to MMORPG's. What do you attribute
this to?
SM - We believe it has to do with the broadband penetration. The internet
has become a necessity in Korea just like a electricity and phone. Almost 80%
of the population has access to broadband connection with an average of 15-25
mbps and a medium spec PC. The online gaming aspect has become a natural
nation wide sensation with the rise of broadband. We believe North America
will eventually reach that status. We are still in a very early stage. As far
as game design, we are seeing an evolution into universal playing formats.
Arguably, KOL is the first MMORPG, designed in Korea with input taken from
American developers. Initially the game took some time to gain momentum in
Korea due to a playing style that is more Western than Eastern. Going forward
in the future, we will be seeing more and more titles that will be adopted and
modified for universal appeal. We are starting to see some casual Western
near-MMOGs penetrate the Chinese and other markets (e.g., Puzzle Pirates).
