South Korean developer and publisher Webzen has opened a closed beta test for its popular MMORPG MU Origin 2 following the game’s success in Asia.

The title is the second mobile spin-off from the main series and marries the franchise’s staple combat and characters with greatly enhanced visuals and a more intensive gameplay experience.

Success in key Asia markets

The game first launched in China, where it quickly gained traction and secured itself the number one position on the iOS store.

In South Korea, Webzen reached top spot in the download charts and second place in the top grossing rankings for both iOS and Android. MMORPGs are a hugely popular genre in the South Korean market, but there is heavy competition for the highly lucrative top spots.

Its launch in South-East Asia was similarly successful, once again scaling the charts to reach first place for both iOS and Android.

To help spur on MU Origin 2’s success on mobile, Webzen experimented with its advertising strategy, moving from standard gameplay-focused adverts to whittier, more accessible commercials.

The new approach paid off, with one of the commercials broadcast in South Korea going on to become a finalist in the Seoul Creative Festival 2018’s ‘Non-TV Creative’ category.

Heading Westward

Currently, the closed beta test for North and South America is limited to English text only, though more languages – including Portuguese and Spanish – will feature in the finalised version.

The beta will be playable on Android, while the iOS version will become available upon the game’s official launch.

The beta will run from March 29th to April 7th and all gameplay progress and character data will be wiped at the end of the test.

Come March 29th, users based in North or South America should look for MU Origin 2’s beta on the Google Play Store.