Krafton made a significant impact at Gamescom 2024 — the world's largest gaming convention, held in Cologne, Germany — by revealing exciting updates on their latest title, inZOI.

At Gamescom's Koelnmesse BTC exhibition center, Krafton hosted an impressive booth showcasing inZOI, alongside Dark and Darker Mobile and PUBG. The booth featured the global debut demo of inZOI, offering attendees a hands-on experience with the game. Participants who tried the demo received a special employee badge featuring their custom avatars, and a social media event allowed visitors to share photos of their badges using specific hashtags for a chance to win extra prizes. Additionally, a quiz show at the booth provided various giveaways to lucky participants.

The inZOI booth also highlighted a unique collaboration with Samsung Display, giving visitors a sneak peek at cutting-edge technology integrated into the game. The booth showcased 13 next-generation products from Samsung Display, including circular displays, foldable screens, and expanding displays, all featured within inZOI. This setup allowed visitors to explore the latest advancements in gaming technology and electronics, creating a dynamic and innovative experience.

We also spoke with Kjun, the Lead Producer of inZOI, who was on-site at Gamescom to introduce the title to the global audience. He shared insights on the event's preparation and his vision for the future of the game.

How do you feel about hosting the first global demo for inZOI?

It’s a mix of excitement and nervousness. After the overwhelming response we received at G-Star last year, the expectations have definitely grown. There’s some anxiety about competing on the global stage with other fantastic titles, but I’m thrilled that our team’s hard work is finally being showcased worldwide. While inZOI is still rough around the edges and has areas that need improvement, I hope players see its potential and remember it as a project worth following.

For fans who couldn’t attend Gamescom, can you describe how the booth was set up?

The centerpiece of our booth features Psycat, an important character in inZOI, descending from the sky. The entire booth is designed to reflect the AR Company, a key setting in the game. In inZOI, players take on the role of a new employee at AR Company, tasked with managing the virtual world referred to as the game's namesake. Psycat, overseeing the work, is depicted so vividly that it feels as if this giant cat could step right onto the event stage. Visitors to the booth can also receive a personalized employee badge featuring an image of their customized avatars from the demo.

You’ve emphasized communication with players in the past. How have you incorporated feedback from the G-Star demo into the current build?

From a content perspective, there’s been a significant expansion since G-Star last year. For instance, Bliss Bay, inspired by American Santa Monica., is 2-3 times larger than Dowon, which was based on Korea. We’ve also greatly enhanced character customization features and added new content like city-building, AI-integrated object and texture creation, and AI-driven story dialogues.

Are there any new cities or content being unveiled at Gamescom, perhaps inspired by Germany or Europe?

Last year, we introduced Dowon, inspired by Korea, and this year we’ve added Bliss Bay, based on the U.S. We’re certainly considering creating a city inspired by Europe in the future. When developing Bliss Bay, we focused on accurately reflecting the culture and lifestyle of the region. We conducted extensive research, consulted with Krafton’s overseas offices, and even hired locals to ensure authenticity. Google Maps was an invaluable tool in this process. It was particularly rewarding to hear from a YouTuber living in the region that served as a model for Bliss Bay, who said the city felt spot-on.

Could you update us on the development of features like cars, group activities, reputation systems, city editing, and photo modes that were previously teased?

Most of these features, including the car and city traffic systems, group activities, reputation (karma), photo studio, and photo mode, are nearly complete and are currently undergoing final polishing.

On the official inZOI Discord, we've been running a segment called Kjun’s Concerns, where I engage with global fans eagerly awaiting the game's release. Through this platform, we've received a wide range of feedback, and I’ve been deeply moved by the many supportive messages that have given both me and the development team a lot of encouragement. This is the first time we’ve worked so closely with our players during development, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the quality of feedback and the creative ideas that players have shared—ideas that even we, as developers, hadn’t considered. It’s been a joy to exchange thoughts and develop the game together with our community.

We’ve recently wrapped up the first phase of this segment, but we're actively working on incorporating the feedback we've received and preparing to showcase the results. Moving forward, we plan to continue and expand this level of communication with our players.

What are your goals for Gamescom, and what do you hope to achieve with this showcase?

Since inZOI is still in development, we recognize there are many foundational elements that need to be reinforced. However, our main focus for this showcase has been to assess the differentiation of our content. With few games for reference in this genre, it’s crucial to ensure we’re heading in the right direction. Through Gamescom, we aim to ensure that the path we’re taking resonates with our future players.

The collaboration with Samsung Display is certainly eye-catching. The ability to showcase real-life products within the simulation game using photorealistic graphics seems like a strong advantage. Can we expect other types of integrations or player events tied to these displays in the future?

At this time, we don't have any specific plans set for future collaborations with Samsung Display. However, we are in discussions to explore how we can create a meaningful partnership. Once any collaboration details are finalized, we'll be sure to provide more information and keep our community updated.

Will the build showcased at Gamescom be available for Korean players to experience at future offline events like G-Star?

From August 21 to 26, we'll be releasing the inZOI: Character Studio build on Steam for free. This build is a surprise gift for players around the world who are eagerly awaiting the game's release. In inZOI: Character Studio, players will have full access to the character customization features, including AI-driven image generation and outfit combinations.

The build also includes a studio feature where you can adjust various settings like lighting and stage design to take photos of your characters. Creations made in inZOI: Character Studio can be uploaded directly to our in-game UGC (User-Generated Content) platform, Canvas. Once uploaded, these characters will be playable when inZOI launches in Early Access. We hope this gives players the chance to enjoy character customization and explore the creations shared by other users.

With the scheduled release date approaching, can you confirm if everything is on track to launch as planned?

Developing a new genre of game comes with its challenges, and while delays in hiring developers could have affected our timeline, we’ve been fortunate to bring on talented team members, and things are progressing smoothly. However, because this genre is quite niche, finding developers with relevant experience has been difficult, and predicting market demands and player expectations has proven to be a significant challenge. That’s why we’ve decided to release the game in Early Access, even if it’s not fully polished, and then continue refining it over time. We’re currently targeting a late 2024 Early Access launch, and the development team is working tirelessly to meet that goal.

There's a lot of buzz around whether inZOI will support mods. Can you share any details on what you're planning in this area?

We understand the importance of modding in the simulation genre, so we've been considering it from the early stages of development. While it’s challenging to make every aspect of the game moddable, we’re working to open up as many features as possible for customization. There may be some limitations in the initial Early Access phase, but we're committed to continuously developing the game to allow for more extensive modding options over time.

Recently, inZOI received a 12+ rating in Korea. Some players are concerned that this rating might limit certain expressions or depictions typical of the life simulation genre. How does the development team view these concerns?

The game's emphasis on freedom remains unchanged. During the rating process, inZOI received either lower or no age restrictions in Western regions. This highlighted the differences in perception and standards across regions. It seems that each country views these criteria differently. Our development team aimed to ensure that inZOI would be suitable for players as young as 12.

We've heard that some players are already considering upgrading their PCs just to dive into the world of inZOI as soon as possible. It’s clear that the game will require high specs, but can you share what the minimum system requirements might be?

It's true that inZOI currently requires high specs, but we're working hard on optimization. We're downgrading certain features of Unreal Engine 5 to ensure the game runs smoothly and looks great even on lower-end systems. While Unreal Engine 5 delivers top-notch graphics quality, by lowering the quality of certain key rendering functions, we can make the game playable on specs lower than initially expected. Additionally, we’re developing options that allow players to adjust elements like population density and vehicle count in-game, so they can tailor the experience to their PC’s capabilities.

Finally, as we approach the Early Access launch of inZOI, could you share your hopes for the game and any message you'd like to convey to the players?

inZOI is just taking its first steps in creating a vast, immersive world. As a newcomer to developing in this genre, and given the relatively short development period, there are still many areas that need improvement. However, I’m genuinely passionate about this genre and feel fortunate to be on this journey. Even if it takes a bit more time, I’m confident that we will deliver a polished and high-quality game in the end. Developing inZOI has led me to reflect deeply on life, drawing great comfort from the process. I hope that when you play inZOI, you’ll be able to share in some of these experiences and find your own sense of connection and meaning within the game.