Although I’m glad you realize it, I think it has not been stressed enough. The Asian game market is really a thing on its own, and I dare say Korea specially is much much more isolated than, let’s say, Japan that has been getting rid of that stigma slowly. Besides it’s a genre that has depended on Western publishers for so long, I would imagine them being overwhelmed with how stuff works here while trying to self-publish.
You said it, and the guy you’re replying to as well. Steam integration is not as easy as it seems, being the leading platform and providing so many options. I’m no developer myself, but I can only imagine how one feels about all the stuff Steam has to offer to make your product stand out (Workshop, cards, achievements, ladders, in-game Steam wallet microtransactions, market, all this little stuff that actually makes a difference when you’re competing against so many other games).
I don’t mean to doubt IMC capabilities at all, but I would really reconsider calling the studio a big company. They do have years of experience, but working on what? Granado Espada?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m in love with Tree of Savior, but when the game has a launch bug where the user has to install Adobe Flash Player on Internet Explorer of all things, in the year 2015, you know the company is going to need all the fans’ support they can get. I really wish the game becomes super successful and people are motivated to buy from the cash shop, that way the studio grows and the game becomes better for everyone.
I just hope the international testing helped them get a lot of insight on how you release a game in the West in 2015, since they chose not to rely on a third-party publisher and rightly so.