Post #3173423

@Curvin@poa.st @Immahnoob@detroitriotcity.com @Spooke@detroitriotcity.com @Suzu@detroitriotcity.com @Tamamo@detroitriotcity.com @Yako@detroitriotcity.com @hellhammer@detroitriotcity.com @ninja8tyu@detroitriotcity.com @rlier23@detroitriotcity.com @zeroraining107@detroitriotcity.com @Cocoa@nekosat.work @KurokoHeadpatter@okamimimiwoods.net @bronze@pl.kitsunemimi.club @Kyonko802@detroitriotcity.com New thread edition New interview with Kim Yongha https://m.inven.co.kr/webzine/wznews.php?idx=316991 Gonna paste some of the questions below >Despite Blue Archive being around for nearly five years, there's still a relatively low sense of individual character importance or any particular character being neglected. However, as new characters are introduced one after another, the dilemma of balancing the importance of existing characters with that of new ones seems to be deepening. >Kim Young-ha, PD in Charge: "In reality, the number of characters we can show in a single story is limited. Showing dozens of characters at once in an event is difficult in many ways, including the sheer volume of text. However, the number of students is still increasing. This means that the cycle in which a particular character receives attention is relatively narrowing, which is also a concern. Even if we wanted to increase the number of events, there are physical limitations. Therefore, we are thinking of broadening the scope of showcasing the IP from outside the game. We are planning measures to cover neglected characters through media mix and other channels, and to support this, we will continue to recruit scenario writers and formulate various other measures." > Q. I'd like to know if there are any "in-game" collaborations with other IPs currently being prepared. I'm also curious if there are any IPs that you personally would like to collaborate with. > A. Kim Yong-ha EPD: The right time to do it is approaching, so even if we say we won't do it this year, we are proceeding with preparations and discussions. However, I cannot say specifically which IPs we will collaborate with. We are thinking that it would be good to have an element of surprise. We regularly gather ideas and make contact with various companies, and even if the right time to do it is not this year, we believe we should do it at some point, and we are discussing it. >Q. Compared to when it was first released, the number of competing titles has increased and the market environment has changed, so I imagine you have many concerns regarding the expansion of the IP. >A. Kim Yong-ha, EPD: Of course, we believe that Blue Archive can be further expanded in the future. In the game, we are always trying new things, and we hope you understand that continuously conducting various new offline campaigns both domestically and internationally is one aspect of this. However, despite that, there are some things that should not change. We should continue to try new things and develop, but these are still the good points and core concepts that make Blue Archive unique. And we believe that the "originality" that should be preserved must be protected. For example, we believe that we must continue to protect our unique "healthy and bright" worldview and the image of multiple students. >Q.4. You are planning to hold the "Kibotos Run" as a 5th anniversary event, and you will also be holding a blood donation event. It seems quite different from existing subculture game events. >A. Kim Young-ha EPD: Actually, from the time when started service, we thought that "offline events" were barren in Korean subculture games. So, it's not that we haven't taken the lead in pioneering various events. You can think of this "Kibotos Run" and blood donation event as one of the pioneering efforts to try out new events that other games haven't done. In the case of "Kibotos Run," we have done a lot of collaborations with food franchises. As a result, there were many comments about it being "fattening," but this time we promoted it with the idea of "we want people to take care of their health." is a game that depicts a healthy image of youth. >Q. Will the development team also be participating in this 'Kibotos Run' event? >A. Kim Young-ha EPD: For now, we will be participating. Many people at headquarters enjoy running and exercise, but due to the participant limit, it will be difficult for the entire development team to participate. > Q. You mentioned "IP expansion" earlier, but I'm wondering if you'll continue your efforts to "adapt it into an anime." >A. Kim Young-ha EPD: I really want to make an anime. There's been a lot of talk internally about wanting an anime adaptation of , and I want to do it too. However, as a game development company, there are many things that are really difficult for us to cover on our own. Anime production, like game production, requires a lot of manpower and the cooperation of multiple related companies, so it realistically takes time and requires a lot of preparation... Therefore, we want to approach it from a long-term perspective. What I can say for sure is that it's difficult to say anything about an anime adaptation right now, but I can say that we are definitely continuing our efforts in the long term. > Q. Are you considering reviving past collaboration events? In particular, characters like Hatsune Miku haven't been reproduced after the collaboration, so there are many users who want to get them but can't. > A. Kim Yong-ha EPD: We have heard that there is indeed such a need. If there is a lot of user demand, then we can certainly consider it. > A. Lee Jun-ho Deputy PD: If many users want it, then of course we should prepare for a revival. However, in reality, reviving existing collaborations is just as difficult as creating new collaborations, as there are many things that need to be discussed. Therefore, nothing has been decided yet, but we can explain to the extent that it is something that can be discussed depending on the situation in the future. >You mentioned changes in the gaming industry since the launch of Blue Archive. I think one of the biggest changes is AI. What is your perspective on this? >Executive Producer Kim Yong-ha = I believe the path Blue Archive is taking is at the opposite end of the spectrum from AI. >On a personal note, I majored in AI during my school days. So, I see it as very supportive in development, especially in programming. I want to reiterate that this is a strictly personal view, but I do see it as valid for developmental assistance, such as coding or process automation, and we are internally studying and researching the latest AI technologies. >However, in terms of the actual resources that go into the game, there are far more losses than gains for Blue Archive, and the direction is misaligned. The images, character designs, illustrations, and art within Blue Archive are centered on the sensibility of being crafted with craftsmanship, stitch by stitch. It is our internal guideline and philosophy that the touch of the creator must be felt. At this stage, we are thinking about how to best preserve this and how to maximize quality in the human domain that AI cannot touch. >In past interviews, you always said you had about a year's worth of content left when asked about it. How is it at this point? >Associate Producer Lee Jun-ho = We are preparing emotional content that interacts with students, but there is a lot to prepare for it to be completed. We are also developing combat content in parallel, so we are building the roadmap while considering the timing of when it will be completed and implemented. >Executive Producer Kim Yong-ha = We still have more than a year's worth of content piled up. That's because there's so much we really want to do. Because there's so much, when we strategically think about what to prioritize, it actually takes time due to various issues, even if we want to do it faster. As we do that, we set work priorities, like 'this can be done next year' or 'this can't be done next year. >Even if we can't plan exactly which month of which year it will be implemented, just outlining the framework has allowed us to establish a long-term plan for several years. We are preparing a vast amount of content, including story and character appearance plans, step-by-step and long-term, and we intend to implement and show that large volume at the right time. >Erika, who has been around since the CBT, has finally been released early on the JP server. There is even talk among users that she was "hated internally." Is there a special reason why she is appearing now? >Associate Producer Lee Jun-ho = It's definitely not that we didn't want to release her. We always wanted to, but we couldn't find the right timing. We just found the timing now. >Executive Producer Kim Yong-ha = It might be a spoiler for the KR server, but Erika is indeed a student who was revealed in the very first PV. However, we had many concerns about when and how to release her, considering the story and other aspects. As that continued, she ended up being pushed back this much. We don't hate any specific student or have any intention of not taking care of them. It's just that the timing was delayed for various reasons, and I only feel sorry for Erika. Still, I'm glad we were able to reveal her this time and include her without passing the point of Part 2. >After the final chapter of Part 1 ended, people usually thought of the next main story as Part 2, but users seem confused because you called the recently added main story on the JP server the 'introduction to Part 2. >Associate Producer Lee Jun-ho = The story updated after the final chapter of Part 1 is an epilogue and after-story to Part 1, and you can consider some of the stories as foreshadowing for Part 2. >Executive Producer Kim Yong-ha = Besides this, there is the Decagrammaton story that is flowing on a different trajectory. We originally thought of it as an event story, but as we incorporated it into the main story, we had to prepare a proper conclusion. So, since it's the point where we can start Part 2 in earnest after finishing this, that's why I called it the introduction to Part 2. >Looking at the main story interface, it's quite confusing. Do you have any plans to improve this? Also, now that you are starting Part 2, what kind of story do you want to tell? >Associate Producer Lee Jun-ho = Since Part 2 hasn't been revealed in Korea yet, I can't say much as it could be a spoiler. We plan to reveal this later through live broadcasts or developer commentaries. >Executive Producer Kim Yong-ha = Since we can't tell the same story as Part 1, we are thinking of showing a different side of Kivotos. We are focusing on telling the stories and activities of new academies and new students. >There are cases where users feel disappointed because they get spoiled by seeing news from the JP server, which is ahead, or because they can't enjoy it at the same time. I'd like to ask if you plan to shorten the 'future sight' or keep it as is. >Executive Producer Kim Yong-ha = We've currently reduced it to about 3 months, but there is still a gap of several months. Honestly, the process of reducing this is physically difficult. It's because the process is set up to prepare the preceding build first and then refine it to release it as another build. To integrate the builds, there are many things to consider, not to mention tearing down various things internally, and the fact that the publishers are also separate. >Of course, I have a desire to synchronize them. If conditions allow, we intend to shorten the gap, and ultimately, we have a very long-term goal of unification. However, as mentioned earlier, there are many mountains to climb, so it's hard to say what we will do in the short term. But we do have the hope of shortening it as much as possible so that it can be enjoyed at the same time. >It is true that the current situation where you have to pretend you don't know even though you do is very awkward. In fact, some contests and fan events have requested that people refrain from using this 'future sight.' In the case of the Kivotos Run, there isn't a 'no spoilers' item attached, but anyway, since various situations are intertwined, it's difficult to do it immediately in the short term, but we are thinking about it from a very long-term perspective.