Vortex Gaming

'Dinkum' is a game developed over 5 years by Australian one-man developer James Bendon and released in Early Access in July 2022. It is characterized by a good combination of growth, immersion, sandbox fun, and adventure elements in an Australian setting. To date, it has sold approximately 700,000 copies and has received 'Overwhelmingly Positive' reviews.

Krafton is developing 'Dinkum Mobile' using the 'Dinkum' IP through its development subsidiary 5minlab (CEO Park Moon-hyung). Users who enjoyed the original welcomed the news, but also worried. It is also a desire for Krafton to capture the charm of 'Dinkum' in mobile.

CEO Park Moon-hyung was confident that 'Dinkum Mobile' would be a game that would realize users' dreams. And he stood in front of the camera for the first time with the game for users waiting for 'Dinkum Mobile'. Currently, CEO Park Moon-hyung and 5minlab are focusing on development with plans to release 'Dinkum Mobile' in the fourth quarter of next year.

I'm curious about the background of how Krafton and 5minlab came to develop 'Dinkum Mobile'.

CEO Park Moon-hyung = We think of 'Dinkum' as a pioneering life simulation game full of things to see, play, and create. The life simulation genre is very loved, but I don't think there is anything that satisfies users as a mobile game. That's why we started developing the game to satisfy the dreams of users through 'Dinkum Mobile'.

Krafton is developing games with the direction of 'Scale-up the Creative'. In fact, a creative game is like a miracle in the world. It is very difficult for us to create it artificially. So we want to find and discover creative games, respect and develop them, and present them to gamers around the world. 'Dinkum Mobile' is also a game derived from this direction.

We have maintained a good relationship with James for a long time and have had many conversations. His game development story was similar to that of Eric Barone, a one-man developer famous for 'Stardew Valley'. Right after graduating from college, he developed the game he wanted to make, his girlfriend helped him, and he continued to develop it by funding himself.

Krafton discovered 'Dinkum' around January 2023. From then on, I wanted to work with the original author. Since then, we have invited James to Korea, or we have gone to Australia to talk about the game. I brought Insamju to Australia and drank it with him and talked about 'Dinkum'. And we signed a contract for the mobile version in October last year and started working in earnest.

As a project, 'Dinkum Mobile' is not a plan to import a great game and aggressively service it from the beginning. We have a structure that is well-made and fun, but we have the idea of working directly with the original author to improve the game, which still has many shortcomings. We have built a lot of consensus with James on this direction, and we have developed the theme with his consent. 'Dinkum Mobile' is being created in that process.

'Dinkum Mobile' is being developed separately from the original. I think of it as an independent worldview and IP. It's a kind of spin-off concept. This part was well agreed with James. Because James himself wants to finish the original 'Dinkum' with his own hands until the end. So 'Dinkum Mobile' follows the original, but deals with the worldview assuming that the time in the background has passed.

Since 700,000 people have played the original, there are already 700,000 islands in the world. The mobile version is the story of a user becoming a new pioneer and pioneering a new island. What was special about the original was that it was a life simulation, but it also had good combat. We will make good use of the fun of combat in the mobile version and improve it to a multiplayer version.

What's fun about 'Dinkum' is that since Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere, the concept of 'it's warm when you go south and cold when you go north' that we generally think of is the opposite. I think things that come from this difference are very interesting and fun elements. So we are trying to develop these parts further in the mobile version.

The art is generally cute. The character of the art is to capture the characteristics of Australian minerals, animals, and plants. The art is still in its early stages, but we are preparing to allow users to feel the fun of decorating. We want to make it a game full of fun to decorate my character, my house, and my island. We are trying to create a game where you can enjoy your time leisurely in an environment where the scenery and light change depending on the difference between day and night and the weather.

The multiplayer element will be easier to enjoy than the original. We are trying to expand multiplayer so that you can easily meet friends and other people and enjoy the game. For example, you can easily meet people in town and chat, and go on a motorcycle trip together. Sometimes you can go on dangerous adventures, and sometimes you can invite friends to your house to enjoy home fights. We plan to add various multiplayer elements.

I'm curious about what new charms of the 'Dinkum' IP you felt while developing the game.

CEO Park Moon-hyung = The first thing I felt when I opened the game was that it was very detailed. There are various life simulation games, from light to core, but 'Dinkum' has a light appearance. But when I opened the game, it was very detailed. For example, the world was running in detail, such as how crops would change depending on the temperature and how the environment would change depending on luck. Also, the change in the sun was not just an external display, but the way light was expressed differently depending on the location. The shape of the shadow changes. From a developer's point of view, I was surprised that the game was not created assuming a certain situation, but rather a simulation that added detail to casualness.

While watching 'Dinkum', I realized once again that detail is a very important element in creating a life simulation game. I thought it was simple, but it was actually very complicated. I felt that James had put in a lot of effort. If we had tried to develop this game from scratch, it would have been much more difficult. I think we are lucky to be able to develop 'Dinkum Mobile' on the basis of a great creator named James.

The original author has a deep affection for the IP, so how is the coordination proceeding?

CEO Park Moon-hyung = James wants to play his 'Dinkum' in a completely different version made by someone else. So he agreed to put all of 5minlab's ideas into the mobile version. I stayed in Australia for 2 nights and 3 days and had a lot of conversations, and James said, "Don't do it!" Rather than saying, "I think your direction is also interesting, and I'm looking forward to it." So 'Dinkum Mobile' is a different work from 'Dinkum', but it is being developed in a way that respects the original.

If it is developed as a spin-off and a separate game, users who liked the original may have a negative reaction to 'Dinkum Mobile'.

CEO Park Moon-hyung = How we should treat the original fans is an important task. 5minlab's basic goal is to create a global IP. So, we are thinking very carefully about how the original fans treat the IP and how 'Dinkum Mobile' should be remembered by them.

First of all, we value James's opinion the most. And satisfying users who want to enjoy the game on mobile and fulfilling their dreams is our important task. So we approach it from the perspective of considering the important points of the original as heritage and saving what we can.

At the same time, James sometimes jokingly says that he doesn't like the art of the original. In that respect, we designed it in our own way rather than following the original. In that way, we share the roots but also show what we can show our own colors.

The characteristics of NPCs and animals and plants are based on Australia. So there are many users who strongly argue that the characteristics of NPCs and animals and plants should not deviate from Australia. For example, the appearance of the Arctic should not appear in the game. However, there are also users who want Arctic elements. We can't satisfy everyone, but we are basically developing 'Dinkum Mobile' with respect for the original.

How did you approach the art?

Lee Yoon-jae AD = James said about the art of 'Dinkum Mobile', "Spread your dreams." So when we drew the art we thought of and showed it to him, he said it was good. The most important part of the art was diversity. Our task was to lead users to empathize as much as possible with emotional expressions and clothing. Because it is important for users to feel that it is really theirs when decorating their characters.

The art is basically 3D, but we plan to make use of a 2D-like feel when developing the keywords of narrative and record. What is important in the game is the 'Pioneer's Journal'. It's a concept of recording the island, and this process has created expandability to add 2D-like directing.

Looking at the games developed by 5minlab in the past, I wonder if you can make a life simulation well.

CEO Park Moon-hyung = If I say it badly myself, you might think that 5minlab makes games of all genres without any principles, but our development philosophy and direction are clear. Our goal is to create an IP based on a unique game experience. So if our direction is right, we don't care much about the genre. So we tend to take on a lot of challenges. We started developing because we thought that the core fun of 'Dinkum' matched our direction.

Due to the nature of life games, 'repetitive play' is involved. It was easy to do repetitive play on PC even if it was annoying, but wouldn't it be difficult on mobile?

CEO Park Moon-hyung = How to move repetitive play, also known as 'grinding', to mobile is also a topic that I have a lot of concerns about. Personally, I think that if you completely remove this play from life games, the fun will disappear. Repetitive play can be painful, but the results can also be valuable.

We are researching how to make repetitive play comfortable on mobile while leaving it behind. Reducing the number of operations is also a method. It was easy to do on PC with a keyboard and mouse, but these processes can be uncomfortable on mobile. So we are thinking of a way to simplify it so that users touch the screen as little as possible on mobile. For example, what used to take 4 clicks with a mouse can now be done with 2 touches. Some people may find the reduced operation uncomfortable, but personally, I think at least that much should be included.

It was possible on PC, but there seem to be hardware limitations on mobile.

CEO Park Moon-hyung = As someone who was born a programmer, I have the idea that optimization is necessary when needed. First of all, the priority is to make a fun game rather than optimization. I think that we should make the most of the fun parts of the original, but fix the parts that were dizzying from my point of view. For example, simplifying the part where the harvest changes depending on the temperature. It's a kind of systematization. So I'm developing the game from a perspective of organization rather than optimization. And the company itself is confident in engineering, so it doesn't consider optimization a big problem.

I know you are actively recruiting. I'm curious about the type of talent you are looking for related to 'Dinkum Mobile'.

CEO Park Moon-hyung = First of all, we want developers who have made life simulations. And I think people who have made quests or content for PC MMORPGs or have done level design will be a good fit for us. We also want people with experience in combat because we need to develop it further. The most difficult part is that there are very few developers who have experience in each of these areas and have made them comprehensively.

Separately, 5minlab greatly prefers people with indie game development experience. It would be great if they have developed and released original ideas. 5minlab's game development is not a top-down method. It's a format where the game is divided and each part works proactively, like a director. We hope that developers who want this method will join 'Dinkum Mobile'.

If you briefly introduce the atmosphere of what kind of company 5minlab is?

CEO Park Moon-hyung = We value transparent communication very much. And it is also a game company with very active open feedback. We develop noisily, and we are looking for self-directed people in the process. I think that if you have proactively developed a game, you will be a good fit for us. In the case of other game companies, you often have to go through the team leader to talk to other parts, but we do it directly. It's not strange at 5minlab for a planning team member to communicate directly with a programming team member.

Lee Yoon-jae AD = From an art perspective, it is not easy to communicate actively with other occupations in the case of general game companies. If you join 5minlab, I think you will be able to expand your related knowledge by communicating with all occupations.

How will combat play be applied? It's combat play in a life simulation, so adjustment is needed.

CEO Park Moon-hyung = Basically, we will not deviate from the casual line. However, the original also has quite good action. The grammar of basic action games is applied. James originally wanted to make such a game. The underground dungeon in the game also provides a raid-like experience. In 'Dinkum Mobile', we are thinking of combat to the extent that users can distribute roles. At the same time, we are in the stage of continuing to create combat prototypes to see how we can avoid deviating from the casual line.

I can't imagine the concept of 'tank, dealer, healer' in the 'Dinkum' IP

CEO Park Moon-hyung = Personally, I don't think that's bad either. Since the concept of 'tank, dealer, healer' is easy, we are experimenting with it as a concept that can be added. Of course, the important thing is whether that method is casual. As a result, we want many users around the world to play 'Dinkum Mobile'. We are dreaming of more than 100 million users. We are thinking that broadly, so we are developing combat with that goal in mind.

How are you thinking about the multiplayer structure of 'Dinkum Mobile'?

CEO Park Moon-hyung = Basically, the structure of 'playing on my island' is maintained. We plan to develop it so that you can play the game in single player, but when you leave for an adventure, it turns into a space where you can meet other people. It's a way to meet people naturally and go on raids.

In the past, there were restrictions such as having to create a separate server, enter an IP, or be a Steam friend. In the mobile version, anyone can easily enjoy multiplayer. You can also invite friends to your island just by applying. Furthermore, I am imagining a structure where friends eat the food I made.

I'm curious about how you will take the billing structure.

CEO Park Moon-hyung = There are still many concerns because it is in the early stages. The important thing is that we will not separate content according to billing. For example, there will be no business model that requires you to invest money to do a specific play. First of all, we are thinking of decorating elements in the game as a business model. Or we are considering products that save time.

In the past, a large domestic game company released a mobile life simulation game, but it ultimately failed. Are there any improvements that 'Dinkum Mobile' has made from past games?

CEO Park Moon-hyung = There is a lot to learn from the good points of successful games such as 'Animal Crossing' and 'Stardew Valley', but there is also a lot to learn from failed games. I thought about the reasons for the games that were terminated, and I think the reason is that they solved the life simulation too much like an MMORPG. Life simulation and MMORPG are inherently different. Self-realization is important in games like 'Dinkum', and competition is the basis of the MMORPG genre.

'Dinkum Mobile' has a structure centered on self-realization. If you actually play the game, you will feel a strong sense of single player. In a way, it can be a sense like 'Genshin Impact'. The multiplayer element is an element that leads you to play the game for a long time. The natural connection between single player and multiplayer is an important design framework.

In addition, users who play life simulations basically want a different amount of content than other genres. If you look at users who say "There's nothing to do", it's common for them to have already played for over 100 hours. If you service such a game, the company has to consider server costs. You have to keep server costs low to make the game sustainable. If you think about server costs, you have to consider strong billing, but you can't do that in the life simulation genre. I think server costs are one of the main reasons for the games that have been terminated.

I'm curious about how the overall cycle of 'Dinkum Mobile' flows.

CEO Park Moon-hyung = In the beginning, I'm thinking of the feeling of decorating my island and then leaving for an adventure and pioneering. In the game, it is applied as a 'license' system, and the higher the license level, the more places you can go. It's a structure where you fill out the encyclopedia without knowing what dangers there are on the new island. You solve this process with other people in multiplayer, not alone. There are many islands at launch, and we plan to continue to increase the number of islands as we continue to service.

Is there PVP like 'Longvinter'?

CEO Park Moon-hyung = It's an area that needs to be developed further, but I will never go to a PVP game like 'Longvinter'. (laughs) The main goal is to exclude PVP elements as much as possible and create a game with a cooperative atmosphere. However, competition elements are a concern. Depending on how you distribute the items you get from hunting together, you can go to a competitive atmosphere or a cooperative atmosphere. There are concerns, but the basic direction is cooperation.

How are you planning the building construction and background atmosphere?

CEO Park Moon-hyung = Buildings are placed in a completed form like in the original. It's not a form where you have to build doors, walls, and ceilings separately in other life games. We are thinking about how to strengthen the decorating elements here. The original author, James, is also concerned about the same thing. There is a lot of user feedback on building decoration.

Lee Yoon-jae AD = The scenery is basically based on Australia between 1950 and 1970. It's not heavy, but I'm thinking of a warm village with slightly more vivid colors than American retro pop. In conclusion, we are drawing a warm landscape that blends well with the Australian nature that will be the main stage of the game.

Many users like the taming of 'Dinkum'.

Lee Yoon-jae AD = There are animals that can be tamed in the game, and animals that cannot be tamed. Basically, they can attack enemies instead of characters or provide other help. We haven't made all the distinctions clear yet, but we are planning in this direction. We also think that communication with the animals that go with us is important, so we are preparing cute appearances such as sleeping next to the character or swimming. We also thought that detailed expressions were important in the game, so the appearance changes slightly, such as the eyes becoming gentle or the tail curling up.

CEO Park Moon-hyung = The original author, James, also wanted to develop taming further. He wanted to ride a crocodile... Taming will probably be the most developed element in the original.

Are there any plans for UGC, such as users designing clothes directly?

CEO Park Moon-hyung = I want to apply it someday. However, I'm not confident that I can put it in the release version. Still, I think it's an element that should be included in 'Dinkum Mobile' someday. Furthermore, I want users to be able to create underground dungeons themselves like 'Mario Maker'. It's not an easy topic, so it probably won't be included at the time of launch due to priority.

I'm curious about what users can enjoy together besides combat.

CEO Park Moon-hyung = I think interaction between users is important in multiplayer. So... I want to create a lot of social actions. If I put the food I made somewhere and another user eats it, only that much of the piece disappears. While I'm looking at the map, other users see me holding the map. At night, people gather around the bonfire, and we are reviewing various actions such as being able to play music together. I want to make use of those details and create a lot of things that we can do together.

There are many users waiting for 'Dinkum Mobile'. It may be an existing 'Dinkum' fan. What would you like to say to users who will welcome the development news?

CEO Park Moon-hyung = We are making the game while thinking about how much we can realize the dreams of users. We will definitely give a good experience to users who wanted to play a game like 'Dinkum' on mobile. We will repay you by making a very enjoyable game as much as you wait.

Webzine InvenLee Doo-hyun Reporter
2024-03-15