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Exclusive Q&A with IGG's COO

posted by: Serpentius Thu 25th Feb 2010

Q&A with Kevin Xu, Chief Operating Officer, IGG Inc.

IGG has been growing like crazy over the last few years, and we wondered about what goes on behind the doors of this very popular gaming publisher.

Special thanks to Cody Hargreaves for putting together our questions and Kevin Xu from IGG for answering them!

Q: To begin let me just say thank you, Kevin, for joining us here today. It sounds as though you have a busy job on your hands, and we appreciate you taking the time to speak with us. Could you tell us a little about the history of IGG, and your role within the company?

A: Thank you for having me! IGG started in 2005 as a Free2Play MMORPG game publisher, operator and developer. Today, we have a total of 14 games in operation and over 700 employees worldwide. IGG also owns 14 game development studios, with 18 MMORPGs in our development pipeline, which will gradually be released within the next 12 months or so. The majority of our players come from the U.S. and Europe, and I primarily work to make sure that our games are designed according to our players’ preferences and that they can reach millions of users around the world.

Q: IGG have grown considerably over the past few years, beginning first with MMORPG titles, and now, exploring the browser and social game realms, too. What were some of the reasons behind making the jump to new game types?

A: Well, the market is always changing, and our users are changing too. Social networking platforms and casual gaming have been taking leaps and bounds into the industry, and we’re excited to step up to the challenge to help meet this new demand for soft-core gaming. Of course, we will continue to develop and operate MMORPGs that will continue to satisfy and entertain our hardcore players as well.

Q: In your opinion, what are some of the areas IGG can improve most on in the future, to attract a larger audience and offer more players the gaming experience they’re looking for?

A: As far as our MMORPG’s go, our experiences over the past few years have allowed us to come to understand what our players want much more clearly. We know what appeals to them and make their gaming experience fun and enjoyable. Today, we are learning to adapt to the Social game industry. We want to bring all of our users the best experience possible, and so the challenge now is how to bring the same level of enjoyment to our casual gamers as our more hardcore, MMORPG players.

Q: What were some of the things that inspired you to join the game development industry? Was it a simple love for playing games, the desire to improve quality and standards, or something more?

A: Amongst the three founders, I am actually the one with the least experience with the video game market. I used to be a Nanotechnology scientist who grew Carbon Nanotubes all the time! Luckily, I met my two other partners who had tremendous experience in the gaming industry, Duke Cai (Former CEO of 17173.com, the largest game information site in China.) and Edmond Chi (Former VP of Game Development at Netdragon.). The gaming industry in China is very strong, and we wanted to take that strength and bring it to the players in the U.S. and Europe. Now, I’m starting to become quite the gaming enthusiast myself!

Q: There are many players out there with aspirations above simply playing games, that would one day like to join the development industry and help make games themselves. What advice would you give the budding gamer wanting to join the industry?

A: The gaming industry is very fast paced and requires a lot of creativity and hard work. It is one of those industries that actually welcome young people because they are full of fresh ideas. For budding professionals or students who want to get their foot in the door, they should keep an open mind and become as well acquainted with all the various types of games that exist in the market as possible and pay attention to where the industry is headed and what it needs to grow.

Q: And finally, IGG has become a name many gamers trust, and I’d bet that all of them are wondering what’s in store next. Is there anything you can tell us about some of the upcoming titles in 2010?

A: Sure. IGG has several new titles this year. We kicked off 2010 with a brand new MMOSLG called Lords Online (lo.igg.com). What really sets this game apart from the rest is the fact that we combined SLG and RPG elements into one to create a highly versatile environment for the players; and so far it has been very well received. For the MMORPG fans, we have a game called Altis Gates (ag.igg.com) that just finished Closed Beta testing, which was very popular and received much applause from the community. The Open Beta will begin within the next few weeks and we’re very excited about that.

March is going to be a great month because on top of AG entering Open Beta, Tales of Fantasy (tof.igg.com) will also be opening its doors for its Alpha Test. By far, this is IGG’s most beautiful game – and unlike many of our existing titles, the graphic style is more realistic. Visual effects aside, there are also a lot of cool features, such as wings and a variety of mounts that players can take into battle and switch between at will in mid-combat.

Late on in the year, IGG will also be releasing two additional games. The first is Dreamland Online. It’s a cute, fun packed side-scrolling 3D MMORPG with a robust PvP system, personal Homestead system, pets and more. We worked very hard on this piece and it’s came out exactly the way we wanted: a highly polished and personable game that players will just fall in love with. The second is Mythcraft Online, which is a 2D browser game that has one of the most intricate and diverse character customization and combat systems out of all of our games. For instance, there is a unique Spirit Contract system that allows players to physically merge their characters with defeated foes to alter their appearances and equipment, gain stat boosts, and essentially alter the builds of their characters. Couple that with a duo-build system that lets players simultaneously create two builds at once, the possibilities are endless.