Like Cheonggukjang, the more you dig, the deeper the flavor becomes. This is the evaluation among users of 'Imjin War: The Counterattack of Joseon' cited by Producer Kim Tae-gon. It means that they started thinking it was ordinary, but the more they delved into it, the more they discovered a depth with no bottom in sight. There is no flashy marketing, nor are there any new products flooding the market immediately after launch. Nevertheless, the app market rankings are slowly rising.

The career of Kim Tae-gon, Head of Development at Red Ginkgo Games, which began with 'Chungmugongjeon' and continued through the 'Imjinrok' series, 'Merchant', 'Atlantica', and 'Embrace the Three Kingdoms', runs parallel to the chronicle of Korean historical games. In 2024, he left the fold of a large corporation and invested his own money to establish an independent development company. The catalyst was a sense of crisis that "if I don't do it now, I will never be able to." Kim Tae-gon, Head of Development at Red Ginkgo Games ©INVEN Reporter Lee Doo-hyun Business indicators are just as positive as the evaluation of the game's quality. PD Kim Tae-gon assessed, "Our goal was to create a game that is consistently loved for 10, 20 years or more, and we are continuing to see the best indicators among our products." Among the business indicators, the proportion of PC payments stands out. Even without separate PC marketing, approximately 40% of total users access the game via PC, and the proportion of payments is similar. Analysis suggests that despite the game being designed with mobile as the primary platform and offering no inconvenience in use, the preference for PC among users familiar with RPGs is stronger than expected. The aspect that Producer Kim found most unexpected after launch was the "overheating" of users. Considering the characteristics of domestic users, the game heavily supported early combat enthusiasm through events, resulting in combat frequency far exceeding plans. Even though gathering spots were expanded by 50%, they remain saturated. Consequently, balancing the in-game economy has emerged as a key operational challenge. Regarding the fact that he was able to contemplate "how to revitalize the economy" instead of "what to sell," he stated that it was "the part where I was happy as a developer." Producer Kim cited the freedom inherent in historical themes as the core driving force of this work. He introduced, "If you use history as the subject matter rather than a famous IP, you don't need to worry about the original creator's opinion. Since the interpretation of history is up to each individual, there was a sense of freedom where it is difficult to take issue with implementing it exactly as the developer wanted." PD Kim evaluated the fact that he was able to implement his favorite style from start to finish—that is, a format where he raises multiple characters and drives the fun through management utilizing them—as the great significance of this work. Rather than the symbolism of the return of a historical game after 30 years, greater significance was placed on the fact that "we were able to make what we wanted to make exactly as we wanted." Another axis of depth lies in the interpretation of the genre. Producer Kim defines the MMORPG in his own unique way, extending from 'Merchant' to 'Atlantica'. He explains that while typical MMORPGs focus on weapon and hunting ground management, this game focuses on socio-economic roles that encompass higher-level concepts such as resource production and market trading. It is a structure where one manages generals, engages in economic activities, and assumes a role as a member of society. He also has a clear perspective on the homogenization of the current MMORPG market. He argues that differentiation is disappearing because the formula for success has become too obvious. Regarding his reason for not following trends, he used the analogy, "You shouldn't run a Chinese restaurant if you don't eat Jajangmyeon yourself." This stems from his belief that only when the developer himself likes and enjoys the game can he confidently tell users that it is fun as well. This unique depth is also infused into the game structure. He explained, "The overall view of 3,000 versus 30,000 clashing at Haengju Fortress is objective but devoid of emotion. One must have the experience of standing next to those soldiers and shooting arrows to create a sense of presence and emotion." "He added, 'The ability to switch between the macroscopic and on-the-ground perspectives of a strategy simulation within a single game is the result of the development team's ambition to simultaneously convey comprehensive information about the Imjin War and the emotions within it.'" Combat content presented from various perspectives ©Red Ginkgo Games The game captures the progression from the early stages of the Imjin War to the Battle of Noryang as faithfully as possible to its original form. It objectively covers not only the battles that were lost but also the respective viewpoints of the Ming Dynasty and Japan. The approach involves layering a fictional story on top of that foundation, depicting Joseon sending an expedition to Japan after the Imjin War. The explanation is that users accept the fictional narrative without awkwardness thanks to this structure, which adds plausible fiction to historical facts. Underpinning this authenticity is historical verification. The environment today is vastly different from 30 years ago. In the past, there were few relevant books and historical interpretations were rigid, but now, vast amounts of data can be easily cross-referenced through the internet, YouTube, and wikis. Producer Kim places greater importance on the process of the development team studying and researching directly to fully internalize the material, rather than relying on external consultation. Acknowledging the possibility of errors, a correction system based on user reports is also in operation. Posts from history enthusiasts are consistently uploaded to a separate bulletin board for receiving suggestions on topics that were not covered. "Users are more formidable than experts," is what he said. Will this game appeal to the new generation of users who are unfamiliar with the 'Imjinrok' or 'Geosang' series? Regarding this, Producer Kim expressed confidence, citing several clear reasons. First, unlike the era when one had to sit rigidly in a PC bang, the game is now primarily mobile-based; therefore, it was designed to be managed by logging in briefly, intentionally reducing complexity compared to previous titles. Furthermore, he explained that the current generation has a higher sense of pride in their own history and culture than any other, so historical themes could serve as an attraction rather than a barrier to entry. He also added the expectation that the attempt to discover and introduce lesser-known historical figures—filling the void in history education created by changes in the curriculum—could come across as fresh to the new generation. His goal is to replicate in this game the momentum of the movie 'The Admiral: Roaring Currents,' which expanded to 17 million viewers. The depth of the game is also evident in its economic system. When in-game prices skyrocket or plummet, Producer Kim personally appears on live broadcasts to explain the situation and discuss response strategies. This structure resembles how economic officials step in to address interest rate fluctuations. He described this as feeling like "running a small administration." His stance is that while the basic principle is market autonomy, minimum safeguards are necessary. He has established exchange price limits, similar to the upper and lower limits of the stock market. This decision stems from the judgment that, unlike the real-world economy which operates under a real-name system, tighter checks are required within the game because the identity of the users is unknown. This range was set at a level that does not hinder normal users while keeping a minority exhibiting extreme speculative patterns in check. We plan to gradually expand autonomy based on future user patterns. "The principle of the economic system is a minimum safeguard for market autonomy." For the economic system to survive, developers must not intervene. He stated, "Just as the demand for rice collapses if stores sell food directly, the moment developers directly supply high-value-added finished products, users' basic production activities lose their meaning." Therefore, it is a strict rule not to sell in-game resources as paid products (BM). The issue of botting is also approached in a way that undermines cost-effectiveness rather than blocking it at the source. With the development of AI macros, complete blocking is impossible now. Instead, the structure is being changed to induce a natural exit by shifting from an environment where 10 macros were needed to generate profit to one where 100 are barely enough. The judgment is that protecting the game ecosystem takes precedence over short-term revenue. This philosophy is also reflected in operational decisions. With this week's update, 'Auto-Hunting Scrolls' will be removed. This is the result of the development team deeply agreeing with user criticism that imposing a separate restriction via scrolls constitutes double regulation, given that the number of battles is already controlled by the consumption of 'Stamina' (Action Points). With this patch, users will be able to freely set the number of auto-hunting attempts within the range of stamina consumption. However, this measure is not welcomed by everyone. For users who used to craft Auto-Hunting Scrolls themselves and sell them on the exchange, it effectively means the loss of one of their means of income. Producer Kim stated, "We acknowledge that in economy-centric games, it is difficult for any measure to satisfy all users simultaneously. However, we determined that eliminating double regulation was reasonable for the convenience of the majority of users." Another mechanism for protecting the economic ecosystem lies in the design of goods. The key is to create a structure where basic goods remain necessary even for high-level users. In typical games, the demand for basic goods disappears as a character grows. However, this game is designed so that the consumption of basic goods, such as rice and iron, actually increases as top-tier users focus on high-value-added activities. As a result, products produced by new users hold real value even for high-level users, forming a virtuous cycle economic structure where beginners are welcomed. The background of this principle is an anecdote about how he bitterly regretted designing a past work so that basic resources became useless as the level increased. PD Kim Tae-gon, who continues consistent communication through 'Imjin Live' ©Red Ginkgo Games PD Kim conducts live broadcasts once or twice a week and directly manages the game. He said, "As I communicate directly with users, I came to consider what gift I could give them today before making business judgments." He cited being able to confidently say that they fix features to resolve user inconveniences rather than for the sake of revenue as the most meaningful change. Positive effects were also observed at the organizational level. Since they must anticipate what questions will be asked during live broadcasts and prepare countermeasures, a healthy sense of tension permeates the entire development team, determined not to lose sight of the user's perspective. This is why he repeatedly described the process of sharing response policies regarding price fluctuations with users as feeling like "running a small administration." For him, this communication process itself is essentially another game. Red Ginkgo Games intentionally reduced development and marketing costs. This decision was based on the judgment that investing massive marketing expenses would lead to a vicious cycle where those costs would eventually have to be recouped by inducing first-month payments. The company PD Kim cited as a benchmark is Daiso. It is a model where word-of-mouth continues thanks to reasonable prices and quality, even without separate advertising. The fact that 'Merchant,' which has been in service for over 20 years, continues to show growth in metrics recently serves as strong grounds for this strategy. His cool-headed diagnosis is also that "I have seen too many cases where the pressure to maximize short-term revenue ruins games that have been painstakingly developed over a long period of time." Currently, naval battles are handled directly on the field without switching to a separate encounter screen. This is because, during the initial planning stage, it was determined that there was no reason to use a screen transition method for small-scale engagements, as the variety of ships was limited compared to the number of generals. However, as the importance of naval battles far exceeded expectations, the developers faced the pleasant dilemma of having to enhance the appeal of land-based content to naturally encourage users to disperse. 'Imjin War: The Counterattack of Joseon' Naval Battle ©Red Ginkgo Games At the same time, there is a growing demand from multiple users to gather ships and engage in large-scale naval battles. Producer Kim stated, "We are planning raid content where multiple users lead ships to fight large-scale fleet battles against AI or other users, but a specific schedule has not yet been determined." The direction of updates for the time being is also focused on depth. The focus is on refining existing elements rather than blindly piling up new ones. Given the significant number of users complaining that "there is too much content and it is overwhelming," improving convenience and supplementing the safeguards of the economic system are the immediate top priorities. The addition of generals, dungeon expansions, and the latter half of the virtual historical story will be released sequentially according to a roadmap prepared prior to launch. Regarding concerns that the subject matter of the Imjin War might run dry, Producer Kim presented various avenues for expansion. Beyond the overall flow of the war, it is possible to include episodes that focus on specific events such as the Battle of Haengju Fortress or the Battle of Myeongnyang, utilize detailed themes like the Porcelain War or prisoner stories, and even expand the era to the Manchu Invasion of Korea. The myths, legends, and folktales of Joseon, Japan, and the Ming Dynasty can be naturally integrated into the worldview, and elements of international trade, such as exchanges with the Ryukyu Kingdom (Okinawa) or European merchants, are also being prepared. They are also actively utilizing fictional history. They are adding plausible fiction, such as a story where the Japanese army lands directly on the southern coast of the Ming Dynasty instead of Joseon, or a scenario where Joseon receives a request for reinforcements from the Ming Dynasty. Producer Kim predicted, "If we use this MMORPG as a platform and continue to incorporate stories that could have happened at the time, there will be no limits." The reason such a substantial game is needed can be found outside the game industry as well. Production conditions for epic dramas have significantly deteriorated due to rising labor costs, increased costs for historical verification, and historical sensitivity. The environment makes it difficult to produce authentic historical dramas like 'Taejo Wang Geon' or 'Immortal Yi Sun-sin' anymore. Producer Kim emphasized that companies like Red Ginkgo Games can fill the void left by the disappearance of authentic historical content. This is why Red Ginkgo calls itself a workshop for historical game development. "If we use MMORPGs as a platform, there will be no limits to historical games" Meanwhile, the upcoming title 'Jindallae' is an RTS spin-off game derived from the Imjin War worldview and is currently in the research and development (R&D) stage. We aim to release an official version supporting multiplayer sometime next year, and we are developing it exclusively for PC, given the nature of RTS games where the true enjoyment comes from busily manipulating both the mouse and hotkeys with both hands. The difficulties in monetization and securing a user base inherent to the RTS genre are realistic challenges. However, Producer Kim explained, "The recent advancements in learning AI technology, which allow AI players to excellently compensate for the lack of users, have served as a solid foundation for this endeavor." We plan to further accelerate the development of 'Jindallae' once the service for 'Imjin War: Counterattack of Joseon' is on track and stabilized.