GamesBeat Summit 2025: The East-West connection with NC America’s Jeonghee “JJ” Jin
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Summary
Jeonghee “JJ” Jin is COO of NCSoft West and CEO of NC America and shared some tips for smaller studios trying to break into the west during a GamesBeat Summit in LA earlier this year.
Her advice centres on finding the right publisher, one that is passionate about the game and knowledgeable about the genre in question, rather than simply the one that can make the biggest business deal.
When choosing who to work with, she also emphasised the importance of knowing who you are dealing with and having a personal connection, rather than simply being handed off to a random team.
When it comes to the “next era of gaming”, Jin is most interested in what she refers to as “soft side issues”, revolving around connection, emotion, community and fandom, and believes companies need to be focusing on creating emotional connections with gamers.
She highlights the importance of understanding gamers’ feelings and sentiments, as well as spending time to get to know the target audience.
Ultimately, Jin believes games are about emotion, and that this is what companies should be focusing on to build thriving communities around their products.