Behind the scenes of the Lotte World attraction collaboration
This Children’s Day will be extra special because a PUBG-themed attraction will open at Lotte World! Named “PUBG: World Agent,” the attraction is a walk-through motion shooting ride. The story begins as the riders board a C-130 transport plane that crashes on its way to Erangel. The KRAFTON Blog met with the people who planned the concept for this special attraction and led the project. Could there be any interesting behind-the-scenes stories from this collaboration?
Nice to meet you. Can you please briefly introduce yourself?
Oh Se Hyung: Nice to meet you. I’m Oh Se Hyung. I lead the Brand Marketing Cell at KRAFTON HQ’s Marketing Department.
Jung So Young: Hello. I’m Jung So Young. I’m in charge of PUBG Mobile marketing at the Brand Marketing Cell.
Please tell us about your work and your roles in the collaboration.
Oh Se Hyung: The Brand Marketing Cell serves as a brand HQ that handles the brand marketing for PUBG, PUBG Mobile, New State Mobile, and other PUBG IPs. I started incubating this Lotte World collaboration project and led the project with other team leaders.
Jung So Young: I’m in charge of PUBG Mobile marketing in South Korea. I work to ensure that users have a more positive view of PUBG Mobile, leading them to play it more often. I was the main PM (Project Manager) for the Lotte World collaboration.
How did the collaboration between PUBG and Lotte World start?
Oh Se Hyung: Actually, this collaboration started quite a while ago. We have been preparing it since 2020. Since it would be vague to name an attraction just “PUBG,” we needed to develop a new story, and that’s how “PUBG: World Agent” was created. We prepared the attraction by modifying the storytelling to place a greater emphasis on “survival.”
Jung So Young: I think the project is very meaningful as Lotte World doesn’t introduce new attractions very often. KRAFTON and Lotte World also worked with Triotech, a Canadian attraction manufacturer, for this project. We were primarily responsible for the attraction’s overall concept and story and the project’s direction.
What was KRAFTON’s key takeaway from the collaboration with Lotte World?
Oh Se Hyung: We hoped that this project would be more than a one-time attraction event and that it would spark additional action. For example, by creating a photo zone with large sculptures and giving out goods and game item coupons to maximize the connection with the game, thereby positively affecting the brand image. Fortunately, our wishes were well reflected, and we look forward to seeing the results.
What type of attraction is it? We’d love to hear you introduce it to us.
Jung So Young: The attraction is divided into three zones. So you will be able to walk through it and experience these three different zones. You can call it a “walk-through attraction” (laughs). Aside from the format, what’s interesting and important about this attraction is that the content, such as the weapons available, changes slightly depending on the user’s experience.
Can you give us a hint about the story?
Jung So Young: People board a plane heading to Erangel, but the plane crashes. The passengers are attacked by the enemies, and the goal is to survive. During this process, they receive training, choose weapons, and engage in combat while riding a combat vehicle. These situations are realistically implemented, so you can have high expectations for the attraction.
Oh Se Hyung: The quality of rifles and shooting recoils is very realistic. Even though the attraction is offline, PUBG users may be surprised by the incredible realism of the experience.
heard there are several events prepared as well. Can you tell us more about what you have prepared?
Jung So Young: First of all, we prepared videos that can be seen on the “Magic Circle,” the special big screen in Lotte World, and trailer videos to catch people’s attention. Thanks to the overwhelmingly positive response from Lotte World, the trailer videos will also be played in other high-traffic areas, such as the Lotte World Observatory, to promote the attraction even further.
We prepared a four-line acrostic poem event and content with influencers online. As for offline, we will display a big airdrop box in Lotte World, and those who finish the attraction will receive item coupons and special goods.
Can you tell us more about what PUBG fans can expect from the collaboration and what the major goal is?
Oh Se Hyung: The unique aspect of the collaboration for PUBG fans is the ability to experience the massive PUBG IP offline. We’re working hard to ensure that offline experiences aren’t just a one-time thing but that they lead people to the game.
PUBG recently celebrated its sixth anniversary and has become a game that has been around for a while. To maintain a stable game service, we must continue to attract a young target audience. Although many teenagers are aware of PUBG, many of them have not played it properly. They simply recognize it as a brand. Our ultimate goal is to turn these young target audiences, who only know it as a brand, into actual users. The big picture is to raise our brand awareness among young and new audiences by appearing in front of them more often so that they become fans and settle into the game.
Jung So Young: We hope that “PUBG: World Agent” will create an upward cycle and enhance loyalty among existing fans. For people who know what PUBG is but never played it, the attraction will pique their interest in the game. We also hope that PUBG players will visit and enjoy the attraction. That is the upward cycle we’d like to see.
What were some of the challenges you faced while working on the project?
Oh Se Hyung: I had some regrets rather than challenges for this project. We originally planned a massive-scale attraction and related activities. The attraction is still a large-scale one, but the one we initially discussed was of unprecedented size. However, due to COVID-19, some things were cut, there were organizational changes, and we were forced to scale back from what we had originally planned.
Jung So Young: The challenging part for me was that I had to work with many different departments. As I was the main PM, I had to represent and lead communication when there were about 20 related departments in KRAFTON and Lotte World. Departments are divided very specifically according to their purposes, such as attraction and marketing departments. It was not easy to talk with these departments frequently and adjust the project’s direction (laughs).
What was the most important part for you during the project?
Oh Se Hyung: For me, the most important thing was to make the most of it in terms of marketing. Actually, marketing the attraction was not really our job. It was supposed to be Lotte World’s responsibility. However, we chose to participate in the marketing effort rather than leave it to Lotte World. Our goal is to raise PUBG brand awareness among a young target audience. To that end, we are planning various marketing and PR activities.
Were there any concerns about meeting fans through a PUBG-themed attraction?
Oh Se Hyung: We were really worried about the risk from the start. We had a lot of concerns, like whether we would gain more or lose more through this collaboration. In the end, we decided that we had more to gain. It’s important to show gameplay to our target audience, but it’s also essential to deliver content in their preferred formats.
Previously, we followed a strategy of showing the game’s original sources, trailers, and high-quality gameplay. However, we have recently implemented a new strategy of creating different types of content for separate target consumer groups. We don’t believe in using a one-size-fits-all marketing strategy for a game played by people ranging in age from teenagers to their 40s. People in their 30s and 40s may dislike the collaboration because it is far from the originality and seriousness of PUBG. However, from the perspective of teenagers and young adults, the attraction means that PUBG can appeal to them in a familiar way. That’s why we decided to leverage a wide range of marketing methods based on the perspective of the target audience.
What was your proudest moment during the project?
Jung So Young: Even though we are here for the interview, the attraction has not yet opened, and we haven’t started doing any official marketing yet from either company. The entrance to the attraction is also blocked by a “Coming Soon” sign. Despite this, several people have shared photos of the sign on social media, and it’s becoming increasingly popular. I was very proud to see so many people showing interest even before the doors opened.
Oh Se Hyung: We didn’t even start doing any marketing, but there are posts on social media platforms like TikTok saying that a PUBG attraction is on the way. And these posts got quite a lot of views.
I’m proud to see that the reactions are positive, despite the concerns I mentioned earlier.
Jung So Young: While the moment has not yet arrived, I am proud that the attraction will be opening on Children’s Day, when many people visit the amusement park (laughs).
What did you learn from this project?
Oh Se Hyung: We’ve done a lot of collaboration projects. I’ve been here for five years, and I think I have done more than 100 collaborations. But this was the first medium to long-term collaboration project. As it’s the first time, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve especially learned how to successfully lead a project while working with multiple teams simultaneously. We have a collaboration with a global megabrand planned for the end of the year, and I’m confident that the experience I gained from this project will lead to more successful collaborations in the future.
Do you have any last comments for this interview?
Oh Se Hyung: I’d like to thank everyone who participated in this project. And I hope that everyone coming to the attraction will have fun and a great time. But, of course, it would be even better if you played the game (laughs).
Jung So Young: Meet your battleground at Lotte World! Make sure to check out the attraction and enjoy PUBG in a new way!
