Those who have ever enjoyed an exuberant dance time as soon as arriving at the starting island, or after killing the last enemy might be curious: “How is a victory dance made?” We met with the production manager of PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Emotes and asked him about how he makes them and what kind of new Emotes will be released in the future.
Hi. Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Kyunghwa Kim and I am the production manager of Emotes at PUBG STUDIOS Premium Design Team.
What are your duties at the Premium Design Team?
I’ve directed every Emote that is made since I joined this team in 2018. The collaborated Emote with BLACKPINK, which was very popular in 2021, was also my work. I oversee production and system design related to Emotes in general.
You are like a father of PUBG: BATTLEGROUDNS Emotes! Among all those Emotes you’ve worked on, what was the most popular one?
The “Zero Two Dance,” which was released in 2021, left me the strongest impression since it has generated the best results. Also, the “Chicken Dance Emote,” which was launched to celebrate the 4th anniversary of PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, received favorable responses from the users and I personally satisfied with it either. The “chicken” contains a symbolic meaning in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS. I think the “Chicken Dance Emote” expressed that meaning in dance very well.
Did you find out when are the Emotes used the most?
I personally expect the users to use the Emotes when they provoke their enemies. There are some people who want to dance in front of the dead after they defeated their opponent in an one-on-one showdown. (Laughter) But, I also know that not many users actually do that during a match because they could be shot while dancing. They usually use Emotes at the starting island before the match starts.
Tell us about the process you produce a dance Emote.
First of all, we decide the theme of the Emote we want to make and then cast the dancer who is suitable for the theme. We choreograph motions with the dancer, researching many references. When every choreography is created, we do motion capturing and release it as an Emote item. The whole process usually takes about a month, though the duration may vary case by case.
From the behind-the-scene videos of dance Emotes, dancers were wearing skintight suits. Why do they need such suits?
If you look closely, you can see many dots on the clothing. They are called markers. When we do motion capture, we detect movements of dancers and make them as data through those markers. Dancers have to wear those skintight suits so that we can accurately capture their motions. The skintight suits are essential for motion capture. (Laughter).
How did you feel when you first realized you’re in charge of Emote?
I was at a loss because I have never learned dancing and didn’t have any knowledge about it. I asked around and found someone who knew things about dance and helped me very much. When I was making Emotes, the colleague took part in the rehearsals, helped me communicate with the dancers and make directions in the field. And that gave me a strong impression.
You must have accumulated much knowledge about dancing while working on Emotes for the last three years.
You are right. I worked in many Emotes so now I grew a sharp eye that finds out mistakes. If we miss mistakes made during motion capturing, we have to work even more to correct those motions. Sometimes we cannot even use captured data at all. Some dancers were surprised and asked me, “How could you catch such a subtle mistake?” Well, I just did my job (Laughter).
The visual identity of PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS is being realistic. What is the most important thing in your mind when you create Emotes?
The importance of realism came so natural to me in my work and I believe motion capturing is one of the best ways to express it. Another factor that I believe is important in producing Emotes is to give fresh pleasure. PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS is a battle royale happens between life and death, so I thought it would be good to find some fun elements in the middle of the fight. Emotes give some relax to the users. I want to deliver diverse experiences to them.
Emote was not that popular when it’s first introduced in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS. But, now it is one of the very crucial features. What do you think made Emote so popular?
In the spring of 2021, we launched a new feature called “Team Emote,” which allows the users to enjoy Emote dancing together. I think Emote has gained more popularity since then. Dancing with other users makes the game even more exciting. And I think those who found dancing with other users exciting started to look for more diverse Emotes.
While working on Emotes so far, did you have any special memory?
When the K-pop group “Brave Girls” gained an unexpected popularity from the public, we tried to make a new Emote with their song “Rollin’”. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it, which I still regret to this day. To get more popularity from the users, we need to seek for more widely-known dances for our Emotes. But we don’t get such dances all the time. I think the timing is important.
Recently, dancers have attracted much public attention after the TV show “Street Woman Fighter” was aired in Korea last year. Didn’t you have any target to collaborate with?
There is a clause in advertising contracts, which states that you cannot be a model of multiple companies at the same time in the same industry. If the celebrity makes a contract with another game corporation already, then we cannot work with him or her. After the show, those dancers became so popular and busy that we couldn’t have a chance for collaboration. I regret that very much.
In particular, dancer Aiki, who gained even greater popularity after the show, was who we were trying to contact for collaboration even before she was working on a choreography for “Refund Sisters” in 2020. We couldn’t work with her because we couldn’t reach an agreement in terms of schedule at that time. Now that she’s well recognized from the public both in terms of her personality and competence as a dancer, I felt even more regrettable about the chance to work with her.
KRAFTON has opened its own Motion Capture Studio recently. How did you feel about this facility?
It was a great experience. The studio was just opened, so it needs more time to be perfect in operation, of course. I expect that the studio would get better because all the motion capture team members are trying their best to run the studio very enthusiastically and actively.
What kinds of new Emotes will be released this year?
We are preparing for new Emotes that we believe will attract more popularity from the users this year. I cannot tell you in detail, but we are preparing diverse collaborated Emotes. So please keep your eyes on our new Emotes.
What do you want Emote to mean in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS?
Weapons skins and costumes are among the typical and the most popular premium goods in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS. I hope Emote become like one of them.
Lastly, is there anything you want to comment?
I check every feedback from the users in online communities and social networking services. I welcome even harsh comments. (Laughter)
When we make an Emote, we have to work together with many people from KRAFTON’s animation, sound, user interface teams to our subcontractors. Without their help, it is impossible to create Emotes. I deeply appreciate all their supports!
