[Tokyo (Japan) = E-Daily Reporter An Yu-ri ] “Korea is characterized by a ‘hurry, hurry’ mentality, while Japan is characterized by a ‘make it even more fun’ mentality. The Japanese side often ponders how to further improve quality, which sometimes takes time and results in keeping the Korean members waiting.”

Haruki Murakami, Director and Executive Producer at NHN PlayArt, explained the characteristics of Korea-Japan joint development in this way during a meeting with South Korean media on the morning of the 18th at the “Tokyo Game Show (TGS) 2026” in Japan. NHN(181710)has been collaborating closely with its Japanese mobile game subsidiary, NHN PlayArt, over the past few years, combining the strengths of both companies’ organizations.

The process of aligning the respective strengths of Korea and Japan was not entirely smooth. Kim Sang-ho, Head of NHN’s Game Business Division, said, “In fact, Korea and Japan had many differences in work styles and organizational culture, and in the early stages, it took quite a long time to bridge those gaps.”

Since establishing HanGame Japan in 2000, NHN has accumulated extensive expertise in the gaming industry by operating in both the Korean and Japanese markets. The company demonstrated its success in the Japanese mobile gaming market with titles such as “LINE POP,” and in 2013, it established NHN PlayArt, its Japanese gaming subsidiary.

He elaborated, “I believe that as we’ve accumulated experience understanding each other’s cultures and work styles since we were new hires, our ability to collaborate at the organizational level has naturally strengthened,” adding, “Through ongoing exchanges between Korea and Japan—regardless of job title—we are forming a unified organizational culture where we learn together.”

The two companies will unveil their first collaborative project this winter with the new mobile game *Puchi Poyong in the Fantasy World*. This marks the first joint project developed by NHN PlayArt and NHN. It is a merge-style puzzle game where players drop identical characters to combine them into larger ones. The game features intuitive gameplay that allows players to merge blocks with simple controls, while incorporating various entertaining elements such as hammers, skills, “fever” modes, characters, and out-of-game features.

Executive Director Murakami stated, “We are pursuing gameplay that even a young child can intuitively grasp without any prior knowledge.”

CEO Kim explained, “NHN PlayArt’s strength and role lie in never compromising until we find the game’s intrinsic fun,” adding, “On the other hand, NHN focuses on implementing and validating finalized concepts in a playable form at an early stage.”

“Building a repeatable standard collaboration model between Korea and Japan that goes beyond a single game”

Mechanisms were also put in place to bridge differences in language and organizational culture. A dedicated organization responsible for the group’s Japanese business and Korea-Japan exchanges was established. Collaborative project managers (PMs) proficient in Japanese were also assigned. The collaboration tool Durey was utilized to centralize video conferencing, translation, and task management.

The benefits of rapid prototyping became apparent from the early stages of development. According to Executive Director Murakami, a playable prototype of the game was available less than a month after development began. He said, “I was particularly impressed that the Korean team members unanimously agreed it was the most fun game they had ever created.”

The two companies plan to expand IP awareness through a cross-media strategy that integrates games, animation, comics, and merchandise. Even before launch, they plan to sequentially release illustrations, four-panel comics, and short animations to introduce the characters. Subsequently, they intend to increase the focus on the story and incorporate the same narrative into the game itself. They also expect social media to help spread the content and for merchandise to foster greater attachment to the characters.

NHN plans to expand this joint development experience into future projects. The goal is to establish a repeatable, standard collaboration model that goes beyond a single hit. The strategy for new titles will also prioritize the puzzle genre, which is one of the company’s strengths.

CEO Kim stated, “Internally, we’ve determined that focusing on the areas where we excel at this juncture is the path to increasing our chances of success in today’s challenging gaming business environment,” adding, “Moving forward, we intend to focus our new game development efforts on the areas where we excel.”