Interview with the KartRider: Drift Development Team

Never heard of KartRider since it was revealed recently at X019? I wouldn’t be surprised! What if I told you it was a 15 year old & the best kart racer game you’ve never heard of?

So a little backstory on Kart Rider, It was originally released in 2004 under the name ‘Crazy KartRider.’ It is an online multiplayer racing game developed by the team at Nexon Korea Corporation. ‘Crazy KartRider’ features a mixture of customisable fictitious fantasy vehicles & characters but in the past, it has also worked with and used branded models of real-life cars, such as BMW.

The original ‘Crazy KartRider’ game actually has a special place in my heart. I spend 18 months playing this game with a Korean Chef on our split shifts. It became our ritual for 5 days a week; we’d eat our lunch and then from 3 pm to 5 pm we’d get out his laptop and play ‘Crazy KartRider’. We used to have so much fun playing it and after I left that job, it is what I missed most. I tried to find a way to play ‘Crazy KartRider’ again a few months after I left that job but was unable buy or download it, but while trying to find it, I learnt this insane fact: ‘About 25% of South Koreans have played the game at least once.‘ That is insane! Especially when you think, as of 2017, the population of South Korea was 51.47 million (Sources include: World Bank).

KartRider: Drift is the next-generation version of the original franchise that has optimized and expanded for consoles & PC. That features multiple game modes, endless customisation and global matchmaking. Yet, that is what their website told me. So I reached out to the development team and asked them a few questions about their new game.

 

 

It’s been fifteen years since KartRider was released. What can we expect from the new KartRider: Drift?

KartRider: Drift is the next-generation version from the original franchise that has optimized, expanded, and constantly updated features for consoles + PC. While players of the original will, of course, recognize gameplay elements and several franchise icons, there will be plenty of new elements to discover as well, including new characters, skins, roster of new karts, and more.

How has the experience you’ve gained making, developing and evolving KartRider over the years; changed the way you’ve developed KartRider: Drift? What’s different about the way you work on something in 2019 compared to back in 2004 when you were just getting started?

We’ve advanced and developed the 15-year-old drift system that’s unique to KartRider. We also have many professional players through more than 10 years of experience in the KartRider esports league. This impressive fandom was very helpful in setting the standard for KartRider: Drift as a game. Built on top of KartRider’s traditions, we worked hard for KartRider: Drift to provide the best experience to players regardless of their age or language. To do this, we’ve borrowed from modern technology such as improved graphics, skill-based matchmaking, cross-platform play, limitless customization, and more. We plan to actively apply modern functionalities in the future as well.

What has the most challenging part of bringing a game so popular and beloved in Asia, to the US markets and other western markets?

For newcomers to the franchise, it can be hard to explain the elements that make the franchise stand out from other kart racing games. It thus became important to find a way to take what made the franchise so successful and then build upon that to create a truly unique play experience for KartRider: Drift. Because the franchise was so popular and successful, there was also the need to do any launch for Western audiences “right.” Both of these things take time.

KartRider: Drift will have Global matchmaking. What’s to stop your relatively new western market being matched with battle-hardened KartRider veterans?

Our goal will be to for match-making to be balanced based on skill- level. As far as skill-based matchmaking goes, this will be something that we will work on constantly tweaking based on player feedback. The feedback from our testing period will allow us to calibrate and improve our systems further.

With esports exploding around the world and KartRider already having experience in league play. Would you like to see a global KartRider: Drift league? And are there any plans in place to start one?

We obviously see the potential for an esports scene around KartRider: Drift, however part of why the scene around KartRider in Korea is so successful is that it grew organically around the game. In our opinion, successful scenes only develop in this way. As such, we’ll support any esports growth around the game, there will be ranked matches for example, but we aren’t looking to try and artificially build any esports scene around this new game.

Lastly, customisation has always been a major part of KartRider and possibly my favourite part of the game. Can you let me in on some of the new or secret skins you have planned for the new release?

We’re very happy you enjoy the customization and while we can’t share any secrets, there are many easter eggs throughout the announcement trailer where you can find many fun and familiar surprises.

Did you see the easter eggs in the above trailer? If you did, reach out to me on social media, as I didn’t see any!