Interview: Netmarble Nexus’ CEO and Director of Development discuss how Seven Knights: ReBIRTH expands upon the Seven Knights IP

If you ask a game producer which kind of project poses the most daunting challenge the response will usually be to remake a beloved game; get it right and you’ll breathe new life into your IP for years to come; get it wrong and you might kill it off indefinitely.

As a reimagining of the very first Seven Knights (the hit turn-based RPG that kicked off the franchise), Seven Knights Re:BIRTH is one such game that we hoped and prayed would get it right. And having had the privilege of previewing Re:BIRTH ahead of its global launch on September 18th, we can say that it not only gets it right; it does it better!

That perhaps shouldn’t come as a great surprise as the core team behind Re:BIRTH are the very same people who were there in the beginning, over 11 years ago. We recently had the pleasure of interviewing two key members of that team, Netmarble Nexus' CEO, Jeong-Min Kim, and Netmarble Nexus' Director of Development, Jeonggi Kim, about Seven Knights’ legacy and the efforts made to ensure Re:BIRTH’s success.

Can you tell us a bit about your personal journeys with Seven Knights and what the franchise has meant to you?

Jeong-Min Kim: The Seven Knights IP is like a child to me. I’m actually raising a child myself, and just as I cherish the many memories of my own child—the moment of birth, the trips we’ve taken together, even the times of sickness—the Seven Knights IP holds the same weight in my life. From the very first moment it was created until now, every step of the journey has been filled with memories that I treasure deeply, and with that comes both affection and a strong sense of responsibility. That’s why Seven Knights is not just a game or a business to me—it’s a special IP that feels like a child, one that has grown alongside me and become a part of my life story.

Jeonggi Kim: For me, Seven Knights has never been just a project. It marked the starting point of my career as a developer and has accompanied me through my entire growth journey. I know better than anyone the weight carried by the name Seven Knights and the expectations of its fans, and I constantly reflect on how not to fall short of those memories. In that sense, Seven Knights is both an IP that represents the past and a brand that must continue reaching new generations in the future. My goal is to ensure its value endures for a long time and that it continues to be loved by players, all while developing it with a strong sense of responsibility until the very end.

What motivated the decision to reimagine Seven Knights with Seven Knights: Re:Birth?

Jeong-Min Kim: The original Seven Knights was loved by countless players both in Korea and abroad. Even though a decade has passed, I believed its unique charm could still resonate with gamers today. By carrying forward the core systems and character traits of the original through a remake, while reinterpreting the graphics and user experience with a modern touch, we hoped to evoke nostalgia for longtime fans and at the same time bring something fresh to new players. 

The original Seven Knights was considered quite a difficult game at the time. I remember we rolled out many updates so that even more casual players could adapt. These days, however, most RPGs feel overly complex, challenging, and core-focused. Compared to that, I felt the level of gameplay in the original Seven Knights could strike a good balance—easy to approach, yet still offering depth for those who seek it.

By inheriting the core fun of the original, improving on its inconveniences, and reflecting the latest trends, I believed we could create a game that players would truly enjoy.

Pleasing both new and old fans is never an easy task; how did you go about preserving the nostalgic charm of the original game, and in what ways have you expanded upon it?

Jeonggi Kim: Seven Knights Re:BIRTH is a game that preserves as much of the sentiment and nostalgia of the original Seven Knights as possible, while also making a variety of improvements to fit current trends and player styles.

First, under the classic systems, we’ve carried forward the core structures that fans of the original loved. These include the fun of building strategic hero combinations, the growth method through fodder-leveling, and the real-time turn-based battle style. At the same time, we modernized several systems to better match today’s play environment and player needs. We diversified the routes for acquiring heroes to reduce the burden of collection, greatly enhanced convenience through improved UI/UX, and—most importantly—introduced the grinding play system. With this system, players can continue to enjoy the sense of progression even while offline, and they can also take advantage of conveniences like progressing fodder-leveling while simultaneously playing Arena content.

In addition, to resolve balance issues and fatigue points that were weaknesses of the original, we also redesigned both the pacing of content progression and the reward structures.

And in what ways does Seven Knights: Re:Birth expand upon the IP as a whole?

Jeong-Min Kim: Seven Knights Re:BIRTH is not simply a new title—it is a remake that reinterprets Seven Knights 1, the starting point of the franchise, in a modern way. While respecting the fun and sentiment of the original that players loved for so long, we have reborn the game by incorporating today’s trends and advancements in technology.

The meaning of this project lies not only in preserving the legacy of the past, but in reviving it in a form that both current and future generations can connect with. We believe this represents an important attempt to show that the Seven Knights IP can continue to live and breathe across time and generations.

Ultimately, Seven Knights Re:BIRTH serves as a symbolic milestone in the history of the franchise, one that looks back on the roots of Seven Knights while also laying the foundation for its future growth and expansion.

What were the biggest challenges faced with its development and how did you overcome them?

Jeonggi Kim: The greatest challenge in developing Seven Knights Re:BIRTH was: “How can we preserve the memories of longtime fans while also delivering fun that fits today’s trends?”

If we had kept the original exactly as it was, new players might have felt it was outdated. On the other hand, if we had completely rebuilt it to match modern trends, original fans might have felt that the unique sentiment of Seven Knights had been lost. Striking the right balance between these two was truly difficult. To overcome this, we chose to retain as much of the core fun and emotional elements that fans loved from the original, while modernizing systems that felt inconvenient or lacking.

We also redesigned battle tempo, convenience features, and overall content flow so that new players could easily adapt and immerse themselves in the game.

 In summary, preserving the essence of Seven Knights while adding new layers of fun—this was the biggest challenge, and ultimately the goal, of  Seven Knights Re:BIRTH. In what ways has fan feedback helped shape the game during its development and after its release?

Jeonggi Kim: We have taken to heart the wide range of feedback from Korean server players—particularly concerns about resource acquisition and PvP balance—and have been continuously making adjustments. For example, we expanded the ways players can obtain key growth resources so that early progression doesn’t stall, and we also refined PvP balance to prevent over-reliance on certain characters. In addition, we’ve implemented several improvements to help players adapt more smoothly in the early stages, such as enhancing the tutorial and strengthening free reward systems.

All of these adjustments, which have already been applied on the Korean server, will be provided to global players under the same conditions. Moving forward, we plan to carefully listen not only to feedback from Korean players but also from our global audience, and reflect it in further improvements.

Our operating philosophy is to ensure that, regardless of region, the player experience remains as fair and satisfying as possible.

What aspects of Seven Knights: Re:Birth are you personally most proud of?

Jeonggi Kim: From a design perspective, what we are most proud of in developing Seven Knights Re:BIRTH is how we reinterpreted the sentiment of the original in a modern way.

In particular, we put great effort into character design—maintaining the identity of the original while updating the visuals to match today’s trends. For players familiar with the original, we carried over design elements that feel instantly recognizable, while at the same time enhancing detail and expressiveness so that new players could also find them appealing.

We also focused on enriching the overall visual experience, from cutscenes and direction to UI and CG cinematics. Through these efforts, we upgraded the graphics and visual presentation in ways that allow players to enjoy the characters and the world with even deeper immersion. This is something the entire development team takes great pride in.

Jeong-Min Kim: Since the launch of Seven Knights 1, we have developed and serviced multiple titles in the series, including Seven Knights 2 and Seven Knights Idle Adventure. Even so, we felt that many players still missed and longed for the original title. That is why we began a remake project that could preserve the fun of the original while also keeping up with the latest trends. It turned out to be a more difficult journey than expected.

The unique direction of the original and the trends of today had diverged significantly, and reconciling the two was a constant challenge. However, in every situation, our decisions were guided by the principle that we must preserve and respect the original’s unique appeal. In hindsight, we believe it was the right choice.

For this project, more than any other in the series, we approached it with the intention of creating a gift for the fans of the original. We are confident that it is a complete version of Seven Knights, retaining the core fun of the original while supplementing its shortcomings and reflecting the latest trends. Furthermore, we plan to treat not only the game itself but also the feedback from players as a guide for the future of our service.

We sincerely hope you will play and share your thoughts with us. Thank you.