An Interview with KartRider Rush+ Producer, Dennis Bernardo

But how could Nexon make KartRider better? By bringing it to our fingertips & adding even more features.

The KartRider IP has a special place in my heart. I spent 12 months, 5 days a week playing this game with a Korean Chef, I used to work with. We would spend hours playing in between shifts, though it was all in Korea, I loved it. The customisation, the gameplay, the different modes & just the unbridled fun. KartRider Rush+ is set to deliver even more!

Nexon recently announced their newest mobile game, KartRider Rush+, has hit 3 million global pre-registrations within one week of starting its initial pre-registration period. And I’m not surprised at all, as this game is a Legend in Asia! Soon they will be bringing it to an app store near you.

But before they do, I sat down with Nexon America’s KartRider Rush+ Producer, Dennis Bernardo. To chat all things KartRider!

Dennis, Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, what your role is and what you do for Nexon America?

I’m one of the producers over here at Nexon America for Kartrider Rush+. Basically, I interface with our devolvement teams in Korea and I try to connect with them and facilitate all the marketing that’s done here at Nexon America, for the global version of the game. It’s all the marketing, interface with the PR folks here and Community. Basically, managing all the global and Western activities that we do. That’s what I do.

I can imagine it’s quite a big job dealing with different languages and the different ways that people receive things all over the global markets. As the Asian market is very different from other western markets? Its certain tough job.

Absolutely. You know Kartrider the IP, is obviously huge in Korea. We’re definitely doing all we can to try to make it just as successful here.

It’s been nine years since the original KartRider Rush was first released. What can we expect from the new one?

Oh, lots! *laughs*

I mean, the first thing you’ll notice about the game when you see it is updated graphics. Obviously, we have a bunch of the same modes that are similar to the PC version. But we have added a bunch of mobile-specific modes like Relay Race.

The controls have been improved and optimized for mobile. There are actually specific features, specific things you can do on the mobile version that you can’t do on the PC version or previous versions of Kartrider. A lot of updates on the gameplay to make it more accessible, more fun and more casual. But also, keep that competitive aspect for sure.

A lot has changed in the mobile market over the last nine to ten years since Kartrider Rush was originally released. What has been the biggest challenge you or your team have faced, bringing it to the new global world?

Mm-hmm. I mean, so like I said, tons.

It is a huge question. You know tons of things that change in the mobile market, from monetization plans to better devices, different genres on the mobile market.

It’s us basically trying to see, how the cart rider & the racing genre can fit and can succeed against all these other games. So, it’s adapting the controls, it’s updating graphics, It’s trying to figure out what is that right business model. KartRider has always been free to play. But in terms of the things that you can buy both in-game and with hard currency, how do we balance that to basically cater to what mobile gamers are used to now and what they can or will tolerate now vs what they tolerate five or six years ago.

Have you been able to utilize the previous builds or the builds of KartRider Drift allowed to assist in the build or have you had to rebuild this app from the ground up?

We took a lot from the original PC game, that’s what this game is based on and we’ve updated the graphics. You mentioned drift. That’s actually a separate project that’s built from the ground up for consoles.

This one. It’s built specifically for mobile. But we took a lot of the competitive aspect, a lot of the customization, car customization, character customization. You can now have pets, you could have a home and decorate that out, invite your friends. We’ve added a lot of social elements. We’ve optimized this to be an all-encompassing mobile experience.

That’s one thing I did love about this game, is that the personalization & customisation is next level. Where you can show your personal style & you can customize everything in the game. So, with game purchases, the game purchasing audience becoming a lot broader over the years and the app market growing daily. What made Nexon decide to bring KartRider Rush+ to mobile & the app market?

Well, I mean. Wow. So that might be a question above my pay grade. *Laughs*.

I mean, KartRider has always been a huge IP in Asia. The PC version has always had a huge presence, both now and in e-sports. And KartRider Rush+ was actually released last year in China because they wanted to expand and test that mobile market. It did phenomenally well there.

So, that’s one of the reasons why we decided to and we were like, OK, let’s expand that. Let’s bring that mobile experience that did so well over there to Korea, to Taiwan, to the US and other global markets, because we think now is the right time for this IP & kart racing genre to expand.

Not to mention, other games out there in the genre that just released recently and are doing phenomenally well. We want to be a part of that as well.

No, I’m not complaining. I have a 35-minute tram ride into work, so I know what I’m playing. With the whole global situation of the Coronavirus, has that affected or delayed you build in any way or has it actually helped your team?

I think what’s unique about the video game industry, is a lot of the things that we can do is conducive to being able to work from home.

We already have to talk remotely to our teams and Korea and coordinate with them. So, it’s already sort of a remote experience the way work. I think for this game, it didn’t really affect anything at all. We kept the same dates, we kept the same sort of schedule and all the things that we’re doing. Nothing was really affected.

One of the elements that I actually got really excited from the media release was the Mentorship program. Can you tell me a little bit more about that and what makes, for example, an “amazing player like myself,” want to become a mentor to these young kids or young people that are playing?

Well, I think, just from me, from my personal experience. When you have a very competitive game, it’s hard to get new people into it. You think about the most competitive games out there, like fighting games, League of Legends, and other MOBA games.

People get stomped off pretty easily if there’s nobody there to really teach them. And I think a lot of games don’t really do a very good job of teaching you what you need to do to be successful. What you need to be to do to be competitive. They teach you the controls. They teach you how you do. This is how you boost. This is how you shoot a weapon. But how do I beat this guy who’s running laps around me every day?

I think that’s where the Mentorship system is something that was introduced to sort of increase that sense camaraderie and sense of community. I think the only way you get better is having somebody show you, or you watch YouTube videos, or you play with people that are better than you and willing to teach you. And that’s what really the mentorship system is all about.

The mentor gets bonuses for playing with you, for helping you. It only helps to increase the number of people that are playing your game and the amount of competition that you have. It’s just seemed to make sense.

You know exactly what I wanted to do hear because it makes that learning curve a lot less sharp.

Plus, with a game like this, there’s a lot of little nuances to be competitive. A lot of things that the game teaches you are the basics. This is how you do things. But it doesn’t give you the proper context of, OK, where at the tracks do I do this. What line should I be taking on this corner? that type of stuff.

KartRider Rush+ is due to deliver nonstop fun and several game mode. What’s your personal favourite game mode?

Oh god, that’s a hard one.

I told you the questions were about to get hard, now you got to pick between your babies!

I mean, just to give you a little bit of background about myself, I am an avid gamer. I play a lot of games. But I wouldn’t really consider myself good at any *laughs* because I play so many different types of games. I think, as there are so many more people in the office that run laps around me. So, my personal favourite is Item Mode. It’s sort of equalizes the playing field.

I can catch people with missiles. I can rubber band them with my magnets. They’re all those different things that are super fun. Where it creates these moments of like, oh my God, last-minute comebacks, which I personally love.

I think it adds the excitement of the game as well when things like that happen. When I used to play with multiplayer and you can pip someone right at the post or you hit him with a missile just as they’re about to cross the line, & you just drive past them, just wave and take the win. That’s the best feeling.

We previously touched on customization. Customization is a massive part of this game. What’s your favourited car in the game?

Oh God! I’m trying to be careful here not to spoil things. There’s a lot of karts that I’ve seen that I’m not sure if they’re going to be in at launch. Like I said before, my favourite sort of mode is Item Mode. I sort of like that, more fun, more wacky aspects of the game. There is a kart that we call the Deuce Coupe. Maybe you can imagine what that’s like.

Yeah. And I’m definitely not Googling that just in case.

 *laughs* So that’s sort of the light-hearted side of KartRider Rush+ that we want to promote alongside the competitive. It’s a fun game. It’s great for all ages. But it allows that sort of depth if you want it.

That was one thing I liked about it. You had a more competitive Esports style way to play the game, but then you also have more fun-filled way to play as well. You’ve done such beautiful job of walking that line, allowing players to choose to bring silly and just having a ball playing or letting them learn all the lines & take a more competitive approach to it. That versatility allows all players to get the most out of the game and allows development in the way they play and enjoy KartRider Rush+.  All I know for sure is. I’m extremely excited for this game.

We’ll have to run some races together once it launches if you want?

I’d definitely be up for that, but we’re probably both going to suck at it & be racing to see who doesn’t come last! *we both laugh*

 Thank you so much for sitting down with me & It’s really been an amazing opportunity. I’m going to definitely be getting KartRider Rush+ for my tram rides into work.