Kakao Games' CEO apologizes over Uma Musume Pretty Derby controversy

A horse-drawn carriage criticizing Kakao Games' Uma Musume Pretty Derby mobile game takes a spin around the Pangyo neighborhood in Gyeonggi, where Kakao Games is located, on Aug. 29. [YONHAP]

Kakao Games' CEO Cho Kye-hyun officially apologized on Saturday morning after backlash from users regarding the company's latest mobile game Uma Musume Pretty Derby. He promised better communication with users and a change to Kakao's game management strategy.

In a letter posted on the game’s official community site, Cho promised to upgrade its user comment section to facilitate active communication and give benefits to local players to match the level of advantages offered to Japanese players.

“We have disappointed users of Uma Musume Pretty Derby with our poor management,” the letter said. “We deeply apologize with our heads bowed down.”

Last month, Uma Musume users held a series of protests involving horses and LED trucks outside of Kakao Games’ office in Pangyo, Gyeonggi, claiming that Kakao Games managed the game differently than it is serviced in Japan. Users claim that Kakao Games failed to give proper notice on major events that took place within the game and offered fewer benefits to Korean users compared to their Japanese counterparts.

Developed by Japanese company Cygames, Uma Musume Pretty Derby was published in Korea by Kakao Games on June 20. It is a mobile simulation game where players must choose and train their own uma musume — "horse daughters" in Japanese — that have been personified into young girls with horse ears and tails.

“We will reassign problematic staff members to different roles and reeducate all managers to fully restructure our services,” Cho said.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]