We interview Taehoon Kim, the co-founder and CEO of nWay, the successful multiplayer fighting games company behind Chrono Blades and Power Rangers: Legacy Wars, acquired by Animoca Brands in 2020. TK shares his journey into the gaming industry as a serial entrepreneur, including his experience at Samsung, Real Time Worlds, and founding Nurian Software which was later acquired by Netmarble.
TK shares the journey of nWay, a gaming company focused on delivering the best fighting multiplayer games with various IPs across multiple platforms. We delve into the 10-year evolution of the company, from initially creating games for Facebook, then expanding to mobile, console, and PC, all the way to collaborating with renowned IPs like Power Rangers and WWE.
For the funny anecdote, find out how Street Fighter characters made it into the Power Rangers universe! Disclaimer: The fans were very upset at first! Luckily it has been deescalated with humour!
Key points:
- Key business insights on the challenges and rewards of building and selling companies such as Nway and Nurian Software.
- Discussion on the significance of teamwork, passion, and pioneering new game experiences.
- TK's take on the importance of an idea-driven company culture and avoiding the hiring of people with big egos.
- Exploration of the ideal team size for innovative game development and the critical evaluation of culture fit during hiring process.
- Insights into the funding and success milestones of Nway's popular games like Power Rangers and WWE.
- Discussion about strategic partnerships with IP holders resulting from Nway's success.
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96. Power Rangers and Beyond: 10 Years Pivoting Product To Finding Success at nWay