Kakao Games to take location-based game abroad

By Jun Ji-hye

Kakao Games will release a location-based mobile game, tentatively named “ArcheAge Walk,” next year to target the global game market, the company said Thursday.

“ArcheAge Walk,” a location-based game being developed by Kakao Games / Courtesy of Kakao Games

The company said it will apply advanced location-based service (LBS) technologies to its new game in a bid to follow in the footsteps of “Pokemon Go,” which enjoyed significant popularity around the world. The game, which involves catching Japanese animated characters, has been considered a prime example of augmented reality technology.

On Sept. 23, Life MMO, a subsidiary of KaKao Games, signed a license agreement with XLGames, developer of massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) “ArcheAge.”

The agreement allows Life MMO to use the intellectual property of “ArcheAge” to develop the new location-based mobile game “ArcheAge Walk.”

Released in 2013, “ArcheAge” has gained consistent popularity around the world, attracting more than 20 million users in 64 countries. The game won the grand prize at the 2013 Korea Game Awards.

“ArcheAge has many elements that can maximize the fun of a game when being integrated with LBS technologies,” Life MMO CEO Namkoong Whon said. “We expect ArcheAge Walk to offer users new experiences beyond existing online games.”