By Jun Ji-hye
Two local game firms, Webzen and Nexon, have entered into a spirited competition as they released their new mobile massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG) at the same time.
Both Webzen's "MU Origin 2" and Nexon's "Kaiser" have received roaring attention from gamers even before their release, with the number of pre-registrations exceeding 1 million.
Webzen officially began service of "MU Origin 2" through the Google Play Store and Apple's App Store, Monday.
"MU Origin 2" is the sequel to its 2015 megahit mobile game, "MU Origin." At the time, the game was the No. 1 app in sales both on the Google Play Store and Apple's App Store, and the firm posted record-high sales of 242.2 billion won ($226 million) that year.
The nation's top game developer and publisher Nexon also pre-released "Kaiser," Monday, with its official launch scheduled for June 7.
Market observers are paying keen attention on who will win out in the ongoing completion as well as whether the two firms' new MMORPGs could threaten the consistent popularity of NCSOFT's mega-hit "Lineage M" and Netmarble Games' "Lineage 2: Revolution."
Webzen said the sequel version, optimized for mobile devices, has improved content in terms of competition and cooperation of users, compared to the original version.
Those who participated in testing of the new game, which wrapped up on May 2, awarded high marks to the game's superb graphics, server stability and user interface (UI), according to the firm.
"MU Origin 2 has already made a surprising achievement as those who registered in advance in China reached 10 million in January," said Jerry Seo, a manager of the "MU Origin 2" team.
"We have made a lot of efforts to improve UI and user experience (UX) based on user feedback."
For its part, Nexon, which announced record-breaking first-quarter figures, displacing Netmarble Games, said its "Kaiser" is an R-rated MMORPG.
Chae Ki-byung, the chief developer of the hit mobile game "Lineage 2" who has led the development of "Kaiser" said his team has focused on placing more importance on content such as guilds and real-time field combat.
Park Jae-min, who heads Nexon's mobile business division, said, "We expect Kaiser will become a new intellectual property that has competitive power in the mobile game market."
Last month, the game developer said it had signed a business agreement with LG Electronics to jointly promote "Kaiser" and LG's flagship smartphone G7 ThinQ together.
Under the agreement, G7 ThinQ comes installed with "Kaiser," an official of the game firm said. Users will be able to enjoy the game on the super bright display of the LG smartphone.
Two local game firms, Webzen and Nexon, have entered into a spirited competition as they released their new mobile massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG) at the same time.
 |
| Webzen's "MU Origin 2" |
Webzen officially began service of "MU Origin 2" through the Google Play Store and Apple's App Store, Monday.
"MU Origin 2" is the sequel to its 2015 megahit mobile game, "MU Origin." At the time, the game was the No. 1 app in sales both on the Google Play Store and Apple's App Store, and the firm posted record-high sales of 242.2 billion won ($226 million) that year.
The nation's top game developer and publisher Nexon also pre-released "Kaiser," Monday, with its official launch scheduled for June 7.
 |
| Nexon's "Kaiser" |
Webzen said the sequel version, optimized for mobile devices, has improved content in terms of competition and cooperation of users, compared to the original version.
Those who participated in testing of the new game, which wrapped up on May 2, awarded high marks to the game's superb graphics, server stability and user interface (UI), according to the firm.
"MU Origin 2 has already made a surprising achievement as those who registered in advance in China reached 10 million in January," said Jerry Seo, a manager of the "MU Origin 2" team.
"We have made a lot of efforts to improve UI and user experience (UX) based on user feedback."
For its part, Nexon, which announced record-breaking first-quarter figures, displacing Netmarble Games, said its "Kaiser" is an R-rated MMORPG.
Chae Ki-byung, the chief developer of the hit mobile game "Lineage 2" who has led the development of "Kaiser" said his team has focused on placing more importance on content such as guilds and real-time field combat.
Park Jae-min, who heads Nexon's mobile business division, said, "We expect Kaiser will become a new intellectual property that has competitive power in the mobile game market."
Last month, the game developer said it had signed a business agreement with LG Electronics to jointly promote "Kaiser" and LG's flagship smartphone G7 ThinQ together.
Under the agreement, G7 ThinQ comes installed with "Kaiser," an official of the game firm said. Users will be able to enjoy the game on the super bright display of the LG smartphone.
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