The 'FC Online' community is buzzing these days. The emotions players feel toward the game, now in its 8th year, are complex—a mix of affection and frustration. Over eight long years, many reasons for these feelings have accumulated. Typically, player dissatisfaction is directed at the director, and currently, Park Sang-won, the Group Head, is responsible for 'FC Online'.

Unlike most other titles that Nexon develops and services in-house, 'FC Online' follows a structure where EA handles development and Nexon handles service. This structural separation often leads to concerns in the community that issues are not resolved quickly enough.

We requested an interview with Group Head Park Sang-won and EA to hear their perspectives directly, and they agreed. We met with Park and Lee So-yeon, EA Korea’s Lead Producer, at the Nexon Korea headquarters in Pangyo. It is rare to see the leaders from both Nexon and EA responsible for 'FC Online' sitting together.

Before diving into the interview, Group Head Park Sang-won spoke about his sense of responsibility regarding the game service. "In Korean society, the two hours of leisure time on weekdays and three hours on holidays are precious to the average user," he said. "I believe my job is to make that time truly happy."

He added, "Since 'FC Online' is a PvP game, the frustration of losing is inevitably greater than the pleasure of winning. Ultimately, our goal is to make the game one that players can accept even when they lose."

"I feel a sense of responsibility that comes from walking a path no one has traveled before"

What does the 8th anniversary of FC Online mean to you.

Group Head Park Sang-won = This is the first time I've reached a 8th anniversary with a single title. Previously, games were serviced for about 4–5 years before moving on. We are walking a path we've never been down before. We can provide this service today because of the people who have used it for eight years. I am very grateful, and I feel a sense of responsibility that comes from walking a path no one has traveled before.

However, our homework is to reduce the frustration players feel when they lose, even though they came to have fun. We are preparing an update for the end of May by identifying experiences our game has yet to provide.

Producer Lee So-yeon = Maintaining a single service for eight years is no short amount of time. I am sincerely grateful to the users who have allowed us to continue this service. Our goal is to make them feel that they want to voluntarily invest their time in our game.

As a service grows older, long-time players may feel bored, while newcomers might worry about whether they can catch up in a 8-year-old game. Satisfying both groups is our biggest challenge right now.

What made this 8th anniversary different from previous years.

Group Head Park Sang-won = For the first time, we created content that looks back on records. These are personal records, such as which team gave me the best win rate, which player scored the most goals, and who I played with the most over the last eight years. Seeing users share these records in the community and discuss things like, "This person played this much? And the win rate is only this?" made me realize this was a great tool to evoke memories, not just a simple event.

I am thinking a lot about how we can develop this more meaningfully for the 9th anniversary and find stories that only our game can tell.

Producer Lee So-yeon = The concept for this 8th anniversary is 'Homecoming.' The key is to help not only existing users but also those returning after a long time to adapt more easily. We updated many convenience features like Quick Squad and automatic squad formation. The process of building a team and getting to gameplay was a bit complex in our game. We focused on resolving inconveniences for existing users as well, with a focus on accessibility.

"If you search for 'Sang-won', the complaints are clearly visible"

How does the team view the current community atmosphere.

Group Head Park Sang-won = I spend about an hour every morning checking trends and metrics. There are many harsh reactions, but I read them all. I need to understand what they want.

As I play the game myself at the Challenger tier, I empathize a lot. I believe the core reason users get angry is that we haven't provided a rational reason for their losses. That is why I am focusing on improving the game's completeness. I feel a greater sense of responsibility because of this.

Why did you decide to do this interview.

Group Head Park Sang-won = I felt it was necessary. I wanted to provide answers to things that esports fans and users were curious about. While the Producer and team members will continue to speak out, I wanted to say that we will continue to provide updates beyond short-term responses and create a fun game.

"If necessary, we will change the patch cycle from monthly to weekly"

People keep saying, "Fix one thing, and another breaks." Why is that.

Producer Lee So-yeon = In FC Online, gameplay is complexly interconnected. Offense, defense, player movement, goalkeeper reactions, the physics engine, and AI players all work together organically to run a match. When we adjust the balance of one part, it has a chain reaction on the entire defense or offense. That is why reactions like, "You fixed this, but why is that not working?" can occur.

Sometimes, the reactions we see when users actually play are different from what we planned, tested, and verified internally. When that happens, users provide feedback we hadn't anticipated, so we need to fix it quickly. It is true that our cycle hasn't been as fast as users would like.

Moving forward, instead of making large changes at once, we plan to adjust the balance little by little, observe how users adapt, and make necessary corrections accordingly. While it used to be on a two-month cycle, we will respond quickly when needed without a fixed cycle, making weekly updates possible.

Group Head Park Sang-won = A ball is truly round, isn't it? We need to react quickly to the variables that pop up in the game, but because there are so many, some issues aren't easily solved. In FC Online, every single player on the field is a different entity, and there are 22 of them. However, we are absolutely not sitting idle. We consider this our homework.

Will there be tangible changes to recurring issues like mid-range shots, defense inside the box, and cursor switching.

Producer Lee So-yeon = As part of our strategy to respond quickly, a patch for the goalkeeper reaction issue on close-range shots was released on the 30th of last month. Regarding mid-range shots, we decided to further adjust the balance after monitoring data following the 12th Next Field update, and we are currently working on it. It could be fixed as early as after the upcoming maintenance.

Beyond that, we are internally testing and fixing the 'Adari' (luck-based) issue and the corner kick issue (so-called 'hateful corner kicks'), and we plan to proceed with updates after discussing the dates with Nexon.

Group Head Park Sang-won = We are trying to respond comprehensively by watching many videos, checking logs, and monitoring trends. Because there are so many types of 'Adari' cases, it is difficult to fix each one, and it is not easy to get data on the exact situation in which they occurred. That is why we say it is difficult, but we are not giving up.

Maintenance extensions were frequent early this year. What are the causes and plans for improvement.

Group Head Park Sang-won = First, I apologize, as it is only natural to do so. When a user sets aside time to play and the maintenance is extended, it takes away their day. I take this very seriously, not just as a simple extension.

To explain, there is a lot of maintenance to be done even without updates, such as DB optimization and network optimization. There are also errors that occur during the QA process when there is an update. We are trying to minimize them, but that is just an excuse. I should have spoken after reducing them.

That is why we have been sequentially replacing aging server equipment recently. Since the game is eight years old, some servers were just as old. We are striving for a comfortable play experience, and I will work to reduce the frequency of maintenance extensions, keeping in mind that they are not just simple delays.

Is there anything you want to solve technically but haven't been able to yet.

Producer Lee So-yeon = As a 8-year-old game, a massive amount of data has accumulated. As players, classes, and items are added, every new piece of content must be organically connected to existing content. That is why we pay so much attention to optimization. Ensuring you can enjoy the game stably without latency issues or lag is the most important task we must continue to focus on technically.

Is the game in a state where it can continue to be technically advanced.

Producer Lee So-yeon = We have been servicing the game for eight years while continuously conducting R&D in that area. I believe our path forward is to continue optimizing while adding new features so users can experience new ways to play. We are bringing in and applying new gameplay features from the console version of the EA FC series. We will continue to provide the best content within our existing engine.

What kind of game does 'Next Field' ultimately want to create.

Producer Lee So-yeon = The goal is not to create one perfect play. I don't think such a thing exists. I believe the direction Next Field should take is that there must be 'persuasiveness' when I and my opponent exchange offense and defense. A play that makes you feel, "Yes, this is it. This is what a soccer game is." I think we should go in the direction of adjusting the balance little by little, seeing how users adapt, and making corrections accordingly.

Group Head Park Sang-won = It's in the same vein as what the Producer said. Losing in a PvP game is inevitable, but I think it's important to be convinced during the process. It should be a game where you think, "I see why that happened," rather than "I don't know why I lost." It is also important that the stats and skills of the players I invested a long time to acquire are properly expressed. That is the ideal picture. Soccer games are difficult because there are many variables, but we can't just stop because it's difficult, so we really have to do it.

Producer Lee So-yeon = We are just continuing to try to get as close to that ideal as possible.

How are user requests reflected in a structure where distribution and development are separated.

Producer Lee So-yeon = Since we have worked together for a long time, there was a distinction at first, but now it has diluted so much that we do almost everything together. If I had to divide it, Nexon is responsible for operations, customer service, and events, while we are responsible for gameplay improvements and content development, but the areas aren't strictly divided. We share ideas, discuss them, and work on them together.

We also monitor the community directly to see all the feedback users give us. Based on this feedback, we determine how to fix the game and what new things are needed. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank those who provide their opinions.

Group Head Park Sang-won = We have various departments internally, such as business, marketing, operations, QA, and PR, and when working, there is a tendency to divide responsibilities by saying, "This should be done by the development team" or "This should be done by the operations team."

From the user's perspective, it doesn't matter if Nexon or EA does it. Every experience is within the single product of FC. I keep saying that I want us to work with the mindset that "this problem is not one team's problem, but our problem." It is difficult because words and reality sometimes differ, but I am trying to maintain this direction.

"We acknowledge the inflation"

How do you view the structural problem where the performance of existing cards becomes disappointing when a new class is released.

Group Head Park Sang-won = New classes are an important element in building and playing a team. It is true that the value of existing players drops slightly when a new class is released. To prevent this, we identify which existing players are affected by the new cards and review whether they are overbalanced or underpowered.

It is true that no matter how careful we are, someone will experience this situation. That is our homework, so we are continuing to work on it.

I am curious why the transfer market inflation occurred and how you plan to control it.

Group Head Park Sang-won = There has been inflation recently. There were cases where players wouldn't sell because they were too expensive, and the base prices were distorted. We have been responding at the service level, but there were cases where we couldn't respond preemptively and only reacted after the issue occurred. So, we have recently lowered the inflation moderately by controlling supply.

In relation to this, the currency unit itself has become too large over eight years, so we are preparing an adjustment. We will announce the detailed schedule separately later. We are also continuously discussing and reviewing measures from a mid-to-long-term service perspective and will announce them separately soon.

What are your thoughts and direction for retaining light users.

Group Head Park Sang-won = I think the competitors for our game these days are not games in the same genre, but Reels and Shorts. Reels and Shorts provide a dopamine hit without any effort. Modern people end up spending their two hours of leisure time watching them. Our game has a relatively high barrier to entry. It's not easy to control, you have to compete with highly skilled users who have been playing for eight years, and it's a game where you have to win, so there is pressure.

So we are preparing two things. One is the Kick-off mode. At the end of May, lightweight content that can be enjoyed more casually within FC Online will be released. We plan to operate it on a trial basis, see the reaction, and then strengthen our actions.

Another is to provide rewards that allow you to build a team just by participating during the global big soccer event season. We are preparing with the direction of "rewards that allow you to build your team, not just giving you good players." Features like Quick Squad were also born from this perspective, but I think the awareness and promotion were a bit lacking, so I think we need to make it better known.

"A service that makes the user's time a happy experience"

What is the big picture for the second-half update.

Producer Lee So-yeon = We plan to improve two things, focusing on our game's main mode, 1v1 ranked matches. One is the convenience of the matching system, and the other is a system that alleviates the feeling of defeat when you lose. In the transfer market, we will also proceed with updates to reinforce convenience features for parts that were inconvenient in the process of building a team.

In addition, customization elements that allow you to show off your in-game achievements to friends will be added. It's a feature that lets you show others what you've achieved. For the global season, we are preparing to help new and returning users settle in without difficulty, and to provide existing users with new experiences they haven't tried yet in FC Online.

What preparations are you making ahead of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup.

Group Head Park Sang-won = We are preparing a 'Team Korea (TK)' class that is larger in scale than the 'Korea Heroes Debut (KHD)' class released in April, and we have secured as many national team licenses as possible individually. So you will be able to feel the atmosphere of a global soccer tournament within the game. We have prepared it so that you can play as national team players from various countries around the world in a new mode.

Starting May 28, we will create a separate hub page on the FC Online website and hold an event where you can meet players from classes you used a lot in '22-'23 based on your play history. Fortunately, the Korean team's matches are in the 10-11 PM range, not 4 AM. On days when the Korean team plays, we plan to hold a burning event so that those who cheer for the Korean team and log into the game can catch that vibe and get good rewards. We are also preparing a narrative event that highlights veteran players for whom this tournament might be their last.

Producer Lee So-yeon = Technically, we are collaborating with Nexon to prepare servers in anticipation of a large increase in users. In terms of content, we intend to allow users to enjoy a light match using national team players in Kick-off mode. We have individually acquired licenses for almost all national teams, so you will be able to use national teams in the game according to the real-world tournament. In addition, we have also acquired the AFC license for the end of the year. We plan to prepare new content using that license as well.

I am also curious about the current status and mid-to-long-term goals of the 'FC Online' esports ecosystem, including the FSL.

Group Head Park Sang-won = It is the second year since the FSL Pro League was launched. I think it is developing in a very positive direction. There is interesting data: if you compare the in-game engagement and LTV of those who watch esports and those who don't, the viewers are much higher. Watching esports itself has the effect of increasing loyalty to the game. There is also a phenomenon where actual users follow the tactics or players that pro players use in the game. I don't want the meta to become fixed, but it is a positive connection that pro players' play influences my play. I hope more people watch the FSL summer season this year, and we are preparing to make it more fun.

We hope that the FSL will expand not only in Korea but also to EA's entire global tournament, and that the ecosystem will expand to the National Youth Sports Festival or the National Sports Festival. The investment scale is unimaginably high. We are spending the largest budget in the history of esports within Nexon on the FSL. We are also internally checking various things such as treatment for new players or club salaries, and while there may be disappointing parts, there are also positive parts, so we need to do better. We will do well.

If there is one thing you can promise today, what would it be.

Producer Lee So-yeon = We will continue to make improvements so that the satisfaction you feel after every match can keep getting better.

Group Head Park Sang-won = I want to add to what the Producer said. Making the feeling of losing a good one is a really difficult task. I think we need to keep thinking about how to provide greater enjoyment while acknowledging and understanding that environment. My goal is truly to provide a service that makes those two hours a happy experience.