Krafton introduced a new player vs player strategy game, Road To Valor: Empires, in India earlier this year. As their maiden casual Indian game, the South Korean video game holding company localized it with a Hindi interface, curated rewards, and now, an Indian Faction. This faction integrates characters inspired by Indian myths, solidifying the brand’s commitment to creating a locally tailored experience.
“We do see a large appetite for local content, especially from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities,” Sean Hyunil Sohn, CEO, Krafton India
They see ample opportunity in providing content or services for Tier 2 users with global players not being able to access this audience very easily.
According to Sohn, this is where collaboration with local players becomes very important and there is a chance to create new, engaging IPs
In a chat with Storyboard18, Sohn, talks about the Indian Faction, the gaming market in India, need for localisation, demand from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and more.
Excerpts
What motivated the introduction of the Indian faction in the game, and what were the core objectives behind this addition?
The decision to introduce an Indian Faction came about quite organically. The game already featured Roman, Persian, Japanese, and Norman Factions, and to connect with our audience, and provide them more engaging gameplay, we wanted to bring about an Indian Faction. The inclusion of Hindi-language support was the first step in the process.
We strongly believe in the power of Indian content and the potential of Indian IPs. We believe there is a lot to showcase from within India to the world and we apply our development teams to collaborate and bring forward more context-driven storylines and local characters and experiences. It is a first-of-its-kind initiative for a global company and its team to bring this specific user experience on mobile. With the launch of the Indian Faction, we are excited for our community to be better able to relate to, and enjoy an immersive gameplay experience within Road To Valor: Empires.
Could you elaborate on the design elements integrated into the game to create a more localized experience? Is the decision to localize games primarily driven by demand, and could you shed light on the factors influencing this demand?
Designing the Indian Faction was a largely collaborative, creative process. Inspiration was taken from across India be it the Chekhavar warriors of Kerala, respected female figures, aspects from ancient ghosts, and more, all of which came together to shape the Faction’s unique guardians and units.
Elements such as wind, water, fire and earth were tapped into to assign powers to the units, and the characters were balanced with their key mechanics to add more depth and complexity to the Faction. The two formidable guardians of the faction are Amaira and Ageera. The Mythical Unit features Zorawar, the great elephant whereas the Elite unit features Royal Dancers inspired by Indian mythology and culture.
To bring in authenticity, we focused on details such as sound effects and dialogues. Our Indian team led the conceptualization of the visuals, writing the dialogues, and recording catchphrases. This contributed towards making the Faction more relatable.
Our intent was to create a faction with a pan-India resonance, while also ensuring a global appeal. We do see a large appetite for local content, especially from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. We have always been committed to bringing a fun and differentiated gameplay experience to users in India, and wanted to represent the rich culture, and showcase it to the world.
Could you provide a sneak peek into the upcoming events or features that players can eagerly anticipate? How do these additions contribute to enhancing the overall gaming journey?
We have brought in several new updates to the game, in addition to the launch of the Faction itself. This includes an Indian Faction Attendance Event where cards and gold is provided to help new players in on-boarding. The event assists players in lower-level battlefields to get accustomed to the game.
We are also bringing in the Indian Faction Level Boost Event where players can use newly earned cards despite being at a low level. For the duration of the event, the newly earned India Faction card is adjusted to the player’s account level. The adjusted level will be reset to the original level when the event ends.
Moreover, a special shop for the India Faction where players can level up their cards through actively purchasing special offers has also been introduced. We will continue working towards localizing Road To Valor: Empires for our audience in India and deliver fresh and immersive experiences.
Can you share insights into the game’s performance within the Indian market to date? Furthermore, what does the game’s roadmap for the rest of 2023 look like? Can we expect significant updates or expansions?
Having launched earlier in March this year, we’re thrilled by the response that we have received from the gaming community. We amassed promising pre-registration numbers, and the player base has been steadily increasing since then, having crossed 4 lakh downloads now.
In looking at curating a one-of-a-kind gameplay experience for our audience, we have introduced several exciting in-game updates, and even a Voice Chat feature, enabling players to engage in real-time communication with their allies and opponents.
We had recently announced a Road To Valor: Empires Open Championship on our KRAFTON INDIA ESPORTS channel, as a strategy-based Esports tournament. In the coming year, we are focused on providing players from various backgrounds, including both professional-level competitors and gaming enthusiasts, a variety of tournaments and curated events.
Tell us more about your $150 million investment in the space in India. What are the plans around it and why is this a good time to invest in the Indian gaming market?
KRAFTON is committed to fostering growth within the Indian gaming and tech ecosystem. We have already invested approximately $140 million in 11 Indian-startups over the last two years, and we believe it to be the right time to evaluate, and announce our commitment of investing an additional $150 million in the Indian startup ecosystem over the next 2-3 years.
In addition to game streaming publishing, developing, and esports, we are also looking at finding startups and companies with a deep tech capacity, which can change how content creation and content platforms work for Indian consumers.
We see ample opportunity in providing content or services for Tier 2 users with global players not being able to access this audience very easily. This is where collaboration with local players becomes very important and there is a chance to create new, engaging IPs. While there are many players and companies operating in this space already, we are optimistic that Indian consumers will pay for content that is valuable to them, and believe that there are monetization opportunities that are as yet to be explored.