InZOI, Krafton's life simulation game developed as a rival to The Sims, marked its first anniversary since launching in early access. During a recent Q&A at the studio's Seoul headquarters, IGN gained insights into the challenges and achievements of its inaugural year. For Hyungjun 'Kjun' Kim, Head of inZOI Studio, the journey has been particularly enlightening.
'Life simulation games are tough to get right,' Kim remarked. 'If I had the chance to go back and start over, I'd probably think twice.'
Upon its Steam debut, inZOI saw a peak concurrent player count of 87,377. Krafton quickly announced that the game sold 1 million copies within a week, setting a record as the fastest-selling title from the South Korean giant. It topped Steam's Global Top Sellers List by revenue just 40 minutes after release, with Krafton CEO Changhan 'CH' Kim expressing plans to nurture it into a 'long-term franchise IP.' However, player numbers have since declined, with a recent 24-hour peak of 4,196.
'The key lesson I've learned is why The Sims has reigned supreme for three decades,' Kim explained. 'The Sims 3 featured an open world, while The Sims 4 shifted to a more loading-based approach. I get why they made that change—it's incredibly challenging. There might not be another team bold enough to tackle an open-world life sim.'
'To put it bluntly, I've been in game development for nearly 29 years, but after diving into this, I realized I couldn't pull it off perfectly. It was overwhelming. That's why we released a demo—to steer players who might not enjoy the game away from a regrettable purchase.'
In June last year, Krafton addressed concerns over inZOI's falling Steam player counts, emphasizing that sales figures are a more relevant metric for this single-player title. The game has surpassed 1.2 million sales on PC in its first year, with a console version in the works. Kim, however, prioritizes the existing fanbase, continuously updating the early access version to enhance player satisfaction.
'At launch, the game had significant gaps in feeling complete,' Kim admitted. 'We opted for early access because we couldn't fully gauge the outcome on our own. Users are essentially testing it for us, and I always feel a bit guilty about that.'
Kim even questions the pressure to achieve high sales targets, especially given Krafton's financial success with PUBG. 'Do we really need to chase massive profits?' he pondered. 'Companies have diverse futures. While some focus on revenue, others might explore new possibilities for gaming's evolution. Who knows—this could shape the entire industry's future.'
Looking ahead, Kim draws inspiration from personal experiences, noting how life sims have connected him with his son. 'The Sims was a huge help to me growing up,' he shared. 'Now my son plays it too. He's taller than me and talks about becoming a game developer. From my view, he doesn't seem particularly talented, so I worry. Maybe playing InZOI could teach him something about game development.'
Fortunately, there's a silver lining: Kim's son has become an avid modder. 'He creates all sorts of mods now,' Kim said. 'He's building up ideas for how InZOI could be modded in the future.'
For more on inZOI, check out our early access review or read about experiencing a mid-life crisis within the game.
