Nexon CEO Owen Mahoney: Fun should matter above all else in the free-to-play market

SAN FRANCISCO — According to game publisher Nexon CEO Owen Mahoney, a game lives and dies by its “fun factor.”

It’s an obvious point to make, but as Mahoney sees it, this is a point that developer cannot overemphasize, given — as he sees it — the lack of creativity from 2009 to early 2014. It was an unfortunate period where the main topic of discussion was the business of games, where knowing about MAU (monthly active users) and ARPU (average revenue per user) was more important than simply asking, “What have you been playing?”