[Interview] "Victory Goddess: NIKKE": What Do the Director and Scenario Director Think About This Year, the Future, and Leviathan?
Note: the original Japanese article can be found at:
https://www.4gamer.net/games/456/G045622/20250930011/
Editorial Department: Instruments | 2025/10/12 00:00 (UTC)
At the Tokyo Game Show 2025 (TGS 2025), we conducted an interview with Shift Up’s “Nike: Goddess of Victory” (iOS / Android / PC).
This time, our interview partners were Director Yu Hyun-sok and Scenario Director Chung Jae-song. In addition to sharing their thoughts on this year’s collaboration events and story missions, they each provided a one-word summary of the game’s future narrative.
And what do the development team think about Leviathan?
From left: Scenario Director Chung Jae-song, Director Yu Hyun-sok Thumbnail image No.001 / Interview with “Goddess of Victory: NIKKE” – What do the director and scenario director think about this year, the future, and Leviathan?
Official Website for “Goddess of Victory: NIKKE”
Download Page for “Goddess of Victory: NIKKE”
Download Page for “Goddess of Victory: NIKKE”
2026: “Goddess of Victory”
4Gamer:
This year saw a rich variety of in-game collaborations, including our own original title Stellar Blade. How do you feel about the outcomes?
Yu Hyun-sok:
We’ve managed to carry out numerous collaborations this year. However, we’re currently re-evaluating aspects like collaboration characters and event durations, so we’re still organizing everything at present. We plan to share specific feedback with everyone around the time of our third anniversary, so please do tune in for our official livestreams as well.(Link)
4Gamer:
So there’ll be a lot of announcements coming at the third anniversary?
Yu Hyun-sok:
We have plenty of topics prepared. However, since we’re also planning ongoing projects and new initiatives starting now—plus those that will kick off next year—we’ll gradually announce what we’re doing and when.
At TGS venue, they held their annual live 10-pull gacha event Thumbnail image No.002 / Interview with “Goddess of Victory: NIKKE” – What do the director and scenario director think about this year, the future, and Leviathan? Thumbnail image No.003 / Interview with “Goddess of Victory: NIKKE” – What do the director and scenario director think about this year, the future, and Leviathan? Thumbnail image No.004 / Interview with “Goddess of Victory: NIKKE” – What do the director and scenario director think about this year, the future, and Leviathan?
4Gamer:
How was your team’s enthusiasm for the recent BIOHAZARD collaboration?
Yu Hyun-sok:
In a way, BIOHAZARD is like an elder sibling in the shooting genre. As younger developers working on girls’ shooters, we deeply respect this iconic series. Naturally, many members of our development team are fans too, so for this collaboration, we made sure to pour that admiration into the content—focusing on faithfully recreating the original game’s atmosphere and tone.
Chung Jae-song:
For example, in field design, we used lighting where characters were highlighted while surroundings remained dark. We also implemented unique transition effects during screen changes, paying homage to the camera work from BIOHAZARD 1 through 3. The “Green Herb” placed throughout fields doesn’t restore health but features original visual effects true to the source material. Even small details like chandeliers falling were included as nods to the original series.
4Gamer:
How did the off-game collaborations with Kyoto City and JR Central go?
Yu Hyun-sok:
When approaching Japanese companies for collaboration, we always have discussions beforehand—and it’s been surprising how deeply they understand our characters. Because of that profound understanding, the quality of each collaboration is consistently high, which makes us very satisfied every time. Going forward, we’ll keep creating projects that delight people across various regions and even globally—making sure to deliver results as meaningful as those with Kyoto City and JR Central.
Thumbnail image No.011 / Interview with “Goddess of Victory: NIKKE” – What do the director and scenario director think about this year, the future, and Leviathan? Thumbnail image No.012 / Interview with “Goddess of Victory: NIKKE” – What do the director and scenario director think about this year, the future, and Leviathan?
4Gamer:
Which story event this year left the strongest impression on you? Events like “COINS IN RUSH” (the thief chaos), “Eleg: Boom & Shock” (summer swimwear event), and “FINAL BATTLE,” which depicted a movie-style showdown with Lighthouse, were all notable.
Yu Hyun-sok:
You want just one?
4Gamer:
Then please pick one specifically.
Yu Hyun-sok:
Hmm… Jae-song, what about you?
Chung Jae-song:
The Stellar Blade collaboration story “MEMORIES TELLER” was extremely meaningful to me. It felt like we finally managed to express everything we wanted to say within NIKKE’s narrative. In fact, “MEMORIES TELLER” set a new benchmark for our collaboration stories—making it a truly significant initiative.
Yu Hyun-sok:
In that case, I’d say “FOOTSTEP, WALK, RUN.”
Chung Jae-song:
Wait—wasn’t that from last year?
Yu Hyun-sok:
Nope, it was in the New Year event (laughing).
That story moved me the most. I cried while working on it—and then watched influencers play through it and cried again. I just kept crying and crying. It’s definitely the most emotional narrative I’ve experienced so far.
But here’s a secret: the peak of this year’s stories hasn’t even arrived yet. Why? Because in our January developer note, I explicitly stated that 2025 will feature “the story we release at the third anniversary” as our best. So much so that I’m personally very excited—and I believe it’ll be an amazing storytelling experience for all commanders too. Please keep looking forward to what’s next this year.
4Gamer:
And weren’t events like the Absolute Squad’s story also very well received?
Yu Hyun-sok:
Yes, creating large-scale events with deep connections to main storyline and full voice acting has always been something we wanted to do. For the Absolute Squad specifically, we practically begged internally—“Please let us make this!”—and managed to push it through despite challenges. The response exceeded our expectations. Previously, big events were limited to anniversaries or New Year celebrations, but now that we’ve seen such strong reception, we plan to offer more of these formats in the future.
4Gamer:
By the way, did you ever struggle with deciding whether to include the Absolute Squad’s story in the main narrative or keep it as an event?
Chung Jae-song:
We definitely wrestled with that. But ultimately, their story unfolds in a situation where commanders aren’t present—since they’ll be taking different paths going forward. That’s why we chose to make it an event story. Ironically, event stories are perfect for showcasing protagonists beyond the commander. We wanted to give the Absolute Squad members their own spotlight and let them truly shine as main characters.
4Gamer:
I see. That makes perfect sense.
Now, regarding the scenario team—has there been any change in the past year?
Chung Jae-song:
Let me compare it with last year: nothing has changed at all. The number of people and workload remain exactly as they were—everyone’s still sweating hard and working relentlessly. So when others ask me “How’s your team doing lately?”, I’m often at a loss for words (laughing). If there were even small stories or anecdotes, it’d be easier—but since everyone just keeps working nonstop, nothing really comes to mind.
Yu Hyun-sok:
It’s not just the scenario team. The entire development staff is in the same boat. We all genuinely feel happy and fulfilled creating NIKKE—and I’m no different. For me personally, my life has become synonymous with building NIKKE. That’s why we don’t have much to talk about during interviews (laughing).
Chung Jae-song:
Exactly. It’s like the company is our most comfortable place.
Yu Hyun-sok:
And at the end of the day, my closest friends are still coworkers here.
4Gamer:
So daily fulfillment remains unchanged.
Regarding the synchronization between main story and event story progress—there’s still a clear issue: players are unable to reach Chapter 30, yet some events already assume that Chapter 30 has been completed. As difficulty barriers increasingly affect storytelling experiences, more players seem to struggle with continuity.
Chung Jae-song:
That exact point you mentioned is one of my biggest daily stressors. First off, event stories tend to receive better player feedback and are more enjoyable for writers when they connect with the main story. But because main story difficulty plays a role, as you pointed out, new players often lack context—making it hard to reconcile later plot elements that rely on prior knowledge. We’ve previously pushed forward despite this, but we now suspect some players haven’t fully enjoyed the stories due to these gaps.
To address this issue properly, we’re planning to introduce a “story progression mode” in our third-anniversary update—designed to make story advancement smoother.
4Gamer:
Good to hear that the challenge is being directly addressed.
Are Chapters 41 and 42 progressing smoothly?
Chung Jae-song:
They’re nearly finished—we’re currently in final polishing stages. So they’ll reach players without any issues.
Yu Hyun-sok:
As long as Jae-song’s stamina holds up, I agree (laughing).
4Gamer:
Let’s say nothing more—just leave the response and delivery method entirely up to you. What does the development team think of Leviathan?
Chung Jae-song:
I really love him. He’s extremely popular within our internal team as well.
Actually, I’m particularly drawn to characters who fall into self-loathing—someone aware they’re wrong yet keeps repeating their mistakes, repeatedly falling into guilt and regret. But when such a character is ultimately saved? That catharsis is incredibly powerful. So yes—I really love him.
Yu Hyun-sok:
He’s so cute!
4Gamer:
Now I fully understand your reactions (laughing).
Finally—can you summarize the future story in just one word?
Yu Hyun-sok:
One word?
4Gamer:
Yes, just one.
Chung Jae-song:
One word… hmm…
Yu Hyun-sok:
Maybe “XXXX”?
Chung Jae-song:
Could be “XXXX.”
Yu Hyun-sok:
Would that confuse people too much?
Chung Jae-song:
Possibly.
(They pondered in silence for about a minute.)
Yu Hyun-sok:
…It’s decided. We debated between “XXXX” and “XXXX,” but for 2026, the story can best be summed up as: “Goddess of Victory.” I want to deliver a narrative that makes every player feel exactly that way.
4Gamer:
And there it is—the title. My excitement has skyrocketed. Thank you so much. We’ll continue supporting NIKKE’s journey ahead. Thank you for your time today.
Yu Hyun-sok & Chung Jae-song:
(In Japanese) Thank you very much!