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launched by Com2us

Role-playing games, which allow users to determine the actions of their characters, are gaining in popularity with customers playing them on their mobile phones, setting the stage for mobile gaming companies to find a new stream of revenue.

So far, traditional mobile-phone games have been a ‘single-download’ type such as digitalized board or card games. These single-player games can be downloaded for 2,000 to 3,000 won (US$2-3). Last year, the mobile gaming industry derived about 90 percent of its sales from this ‘single-download’ type of game.

However, the shape of the mobile gaming industry began to change from the second half of this year, after wireless operators such as SK Telecom and KTF stepped up their investment in mobile games as part of an effort to increase sales. This investment boost led to an increase in the speed of phones’ wireless Internet connection, allowing interactive, Web-based role-playing games to be offered on mobile phones for the first time.

Samguk Jaengpae

Most notably, this change has brought about the mobile-phone introduction of massive multi-player online role-playing games, or MMORPG. Users can connects to such games at fixed rates of 4,000 to 10,000 won per month.

The mobile gaming industry expects network-based games to account for more than 65 percent of total mobile game sales next year. A network game titled “Samguk Jaengpae,” launched by Gamevil, has drawn about 80,000 subscribers from SK Telecom so far. To connect to the game, a user pays 9,900 won per month.

Another network game, “Imo,” launched by Com2us, has attracted about 100,000 subscribers from KTF. With “Imo,” users can chat, as well as hunt for and trade online items used in the game, all via their mobile phones.

“So far, the young generation has shunned network-based mobile phone games due to slow Internet speed and higher prices. However, such perceptions are changing, and I think subscribers [to the games] are set to increase sharply,” said Kim Yong-seok, a spokesman at Nexon Mobile, which launched Samgukji Muhandaejeon Ⅱ, MMORPG for mobile phone .

But despite the fixed-rate system of payment for the games, warned Kim, "gamers must be sure to check out their phone bills before using the mobile games."

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