Taekjin Hyung's Appearance in Commercials Is Because of 'This' [Buaeri's Game Dictionary]

Kim Taek-jin, CEO of NCSoft, appeared in a special makeup in the Lineage 2M special video.

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] Kim Taek-jin, CEO of NCSoft, has transformed into a yellow-haired blacksmith this time. Kim appeared as a surprise in the anniversary advertisement video for 'Lineage 2M'.

"Surprise transformation into a yellow-haired blacksmith"

According to the gaming industry on the 14th, the 'Lineage 2M Special Video' featuring CEO Kim surpassed 830,000 views in just three days.

The video shows a woman named Yoo Da-hee walking down the street, hearing someone shout "Dahee (Die)," and opening a door to reveal blacksmiths. It is a kind of meme content that expresses the in-game death screen 'YOU DIED' as if it were a Korean name. "Die" is also an expression used by Lineage users toward their opponents when they win a battle. CEO Kim appeared as one of these blacksmiths. The yellow-haired Kim, dressed in medieval attire, delivered a passionate performance that brought laughter.

This is not Kim’s first appearance in an advertisement. He also appeared in the 100-day anniversary commercial for 'Lineage M' in 2017, gaining a friendly image among the public. In that ad, a man who failed enhancement at a restaurant curses at Kim, who is sitting next to him, and Kim coughs in response. The commercial ends with Kim searching for a coupon to give to the man as a gift.

In the same year, he appeared in the 'Lineage M' baseball stadium commercial, delivering the line "I’m TJ (Taek-jin)." Last year, he also appeared in an ad where someone asks, "Taek-jin hyung, did you stay up all night?" and he replies, "I woke up early and am working." Because of this, Kim is more frequently called by the nickname 'Taek-jin hyung.'

"Cheerful Taek-jin hyung appears to convey his 'heart' to users"

It is rare for a company CEO to appear directly in advertisements and deliver a passionate performance. Kim’s participation in comedic acting in the ads reflects his desire to convey his feelings to Lineage users. An NCSoft official explained, "We planned these comedic ads to express our gratitude to users, and CEO Kim gladly participated." Kim is generally receptive to employees’ requests for appearances.

In fact, these ads also reflect efforts to communicate directly and cheerfully with users as a developer. Kim is not only NCSoft’s CEO but also holds the position of CCO (Chief Creative Officer), overseeing game development. He appeared in the video with a developer’s mindset. Lee Sung-gu, the general producer who led the development of Lineage 2M, Baek Seung-wook, the head of development, and Kim Nam-joon, the PD, also appeared alongside Kim in this spirit.

The video shows blacksmiths hammering and quenching, symbolizing the meaning of 'crafting the game stitch by stitch.' Kim and the development team wanted to convey this meaning through the video. It is known that the response to this advertisement within the company has been enthusiastic. An NCSoft official said, "Employees found it amusing to see developers even in costume."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.