BTS are one of the biggest bands on the planet right now, arguably becoming the first Asian pop band to take the world by storm. This success has been recognized with sold out tours, documentaries, magazine covers, and, of course, mobile games.
2019 saw the launch of Netmarble’s BTS World - a story-based mobile game that puts players in the role of a time-traveling fan who finds themselves as an employee of record company BigHit Entertainment and tasked with forming the band. While the game proved a hit, debuting at number one among iPhone and Android free apps in the Hong Kong region, it failed to effectively translate into long-term play or ignite the passion of the wider gaming community.
Now, the game’s manager has announced that the game’s servers are shutting down on December 26, 2023. Downloads and in-app purchases for the game have been discontinued as of September 5, alongside in-game advertising. The game’s official forum will likewise close on March 29, 2024.
Killing the All-Kill
The closure of BTS World sees the band falter perhaps for the first time. Mobile gaming is the most accessible platform of them all, with phones offering players worldwide a high-quality gaming experience. This has made mobile the preferred choice for developers working on games based on established IPs and brands, allowing them to maximise reach, particularly in mobile-first markets such as China, South East Asia, and Latin America.
BTS are arguably the most successful K-pop bands of all time, having achieved four perfect All-Kills - a K-pop industry term for a song which simultaneously reaches number one on the real-time, daily, and weekly music charts operated by South Korea’s Instiz Corporation.
It’s worth considering that music is a notoriously fickle industry, and one that’s constantly looking for the next big thing. While BTS show no signs of slowing down - their song Seven has topped Billboard’s Global 200 for seven consecutive weeks - it appears that the world of gaming has been a rare miss for the group. Notably, BTS Universe Story, another Netmarble title inspired by BTS, is due to close its servers on September 22.
However, the gaming industry as a whole is taking note of K-Pop, for which BTS is largely to thank. Behaviour Interactive collaborated with BTS producer DJ Swivel on All-Kill, a chapter inspired by the world of K-Pop with knife-throwing musician Ji-Woon “The Trickster” Hak as the killer.
May 2023 also saw the release of BLACKPINK THE GAME, the licensed mobile game of BTS contemporaries BLACKPINK. Whether the title will have a longer lifespan than BTS World remains to be seen.
We recently listed Netmarble as one of the top 50 mobile game makers of 2023.
