Anders Interactive: "If You Create a Good Game, We Take Care of the Rest for Success"

Interview with CEO Shinkwon Kim: Embracing New Services as AI Transforms Development
Supporting Indie Game Success with 20+ Years of Expertise and Networks [NE Coffee Chat]

Artificial intelligence (AI) has completely transformed the game development environment. Now, even those without specialized backgrounds can create games, and development timelines have been dramatically shortened. Naturally, the number of indie developers has increased, as has the volume of games being supplied to the market. However, the path to success has become even narrower. There are countless cases in which high-quality games never see the light of day and fade into obscurity. Anders Interactive is a game company that has stepped up to solve this issue. Their service, "Indicator," is a culmination of over 20 years of know-how and networks in developing and servicing games, guiding them to success.

On June 25, Shinkwon Kim, CEO of Anders Interactive, stated, "With this quantitative expansion among developers, I saw the need for a service that could help with the next stages." He added, "Indicator takes responsibility for all the remaining steps needed for success once a good game is created." Anders Interactive was founded by members with extensive experience at companies such as NC, Nexon, and Krafton. Kim himself is a veteran who spent over 20 years developing games at NC and Nexon. Even after founding Anders, he continued to develop and service blockchain games up until last year.

Shinkwon Kim, CEO of Anders Interactive

The reason Kim and Anders, both well-established in the Korean gaming industry, decided to launch the new "Indicator" service this year is the change brought about by AI. He explained, "AI is driving explosive supply in the indie game market. Whereas in the past, around 55 to 60 games were released daily on the 'Steam' platform, now that number has more than tripled." Kim was concerned that many of these games disappear without ever receiving proper exposure. "Many indie developers, or small teams formed by people who left major development studios, often have no experience in securing investment, launching on platforms, or handling marketing and service operations," he elaborated.

Indicator aims to discover and support these indie developers. The foundation is the know-how and network of Kim and the other members of Anders Interactive. Anders has built its team with members who have served hit games at large companies, including those who worked on the hugely successful indie game "Dave the Diver." "We have both development capabilities and service competency," he said. "Our strategy is to provide support based on our experience servicing games across various platforms, all to help indie developers succeed."

Anders' Indicator signs contracts with developers, not with specific games. With AI shortening development cycles, Kim believes that lightweight games could become as easy to produce as uploading a video to YouTube. The goal is not to nurture a single game, but to build developers into brands. The business model for Indicator has been defined as MDN (Multi Developer Network), the game developer version of a creator agency MCN (Multi Channel Network). Kim explained, "One team directly supports global PR, community management, platform launches, and investment attraction, providing an environment in which developers can protect their IP and grow together."

Indicator has already signed contracts with two teams this year. The goal is to contract with five teams by the end of the year and expand to 50 teams next year. Currently, three in-house development projects are also underway. Building trust by creating success stories with these games is another of Kim's goals for this year. He said, "We will continue to discuss with the many talented developers who will emerge in the future about the path to success together."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.