Details on what happened to Smilegate North America and what it means for the game and our future.

Summary

The video discusses the recent closure of Smilegate's North American branch for Epic 7 and Outer Plane, resulting in the layoff of key community management personnel. The loss of this team significantly weakens the connection between the game's community and Smilegate Korea. The video explores the consequences for the Epic 7 community, including the disappearance of livestreams, events, and player support. It raises concerns about the game's future and the lack of meaningful updates, especially for long-term players. Despite this, the speaker reassures viewers that Epic 7 remains a great game for newcomers, even as endgame players may struggle with stagnation.

Takeaways

• 😀 Smilegate has shut down its North American branch for Epic 7, with almost all team members being laid off, leaving only one community manager.
• 😀 The closure of the North American team has severely weakened communication between the Epic 7 community and Smilegate Korea.
• 😀 Community managers used to be the key link for gathering player feedback and concerns, which are now harder to communicate directly to Smilegate.
• 😀 With the community manager team gone, important player-facing services like support and events, including live streams and giveaways, are no longer available.
• 😀 Players will now face greater difficulties when seeking support, with responses mainly limited to the stove ticket system, which may lead to delays and impersonal replies.
• 😀 Issues like the recent patch that caused problems with the PC client reveal the lack of an active support system and rapid response from Smilegate.
• 😀 The end of the North American team may signal a shift towards Smilegate focusing more on short-term profits rather than long-term community engagement.
• 😀 The game will likely remain stagnant, with no significant changes to mechanics or new content beyond seasonal updates and new units.
• 😀 Despite being a great game with an excellent new player experience, Epic 7's endgame lacks exciting updates, with no new systems added in over a year.
• 😀 Many content creators and players are concerned about the future of the game and community, as Smilegate's focus on profits over player engagement grows more evident.

Q & A

What happened to Smilegate's North American branch for *Epic Seven*?

Smilegate shut down its North American branch for *Epic Seven*, resulting in the termination of nearly all staff members, except for one community manager.

Why is the closure of Smilegate's North American team significant for *Epic Seven* players?

The closure weakens the connection between the *Epic Seven* community, influencers, and Smilegate Korea, leaving a void in customer support, community engagement, and event organization.

What role did the community manager team play in *Epic Seven*?

The community manager team served as a bridge between the players and Smilegate, collecting feedback, organizing events, and addressing player concerns, thereby ensuring that the game remained balanced and engaging.

What impact does the loss of the community manager team have on the game?

The absence of the community manager team means players will likely face slower responses to issues and a lack of direct communication with Smilegate. There will also be fewer events and giveaways for the community.

What example was given to demonstrate the importance of the community manager team?

The community managers prevented a potentially disastrous change to Angel of Light Angelica’s skill, where her skill nullifier was initially intended to be a multi-turn effect, which would have negatively impacted the game.

What changes can players expect in terms of content and communication?

Players can expect less engagement from Smilegate and fewer updates or changes to the game's systems. The focus seems to be on monetizing new players rather than maintaining long-term content for existing players.

How has the game’s monetization strategy shifted?

Smilegate is focusing more on low-cost packs aimed at new players, encouraging them to spend money and transition from free-to-play to casual spenders, rather than catering to long-term players.

What does the speaker predict about the future of *Epic Seven*?

The speaker predicts that while the game will continue to attract new players, its end-game content will remain stagnant, with few significant updates, new systems, or challenges, leading to player frustration over time.

What is the likely future of *Epic Seven* in terms of content updates?

The game is unlikely to see major new systems or updates. Instead, existing systems may be re-skinned or reused, and content updates will focus on monetization rather than engaging the community.

How should players respond to the current situation with Smilegate?

Players are encouraged to continue playing the game, enjoy the current content, but also look for other games to stay engaged with once they reach the end-game. They should also use the ticket system to report issues, though responses may be slow.