National Game 'Anipang': Can It Become a Money-Making Game? [Buaeri's Game Dictionary]

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] Recently, the 'Play to Earn (P2E)' model has become a hot topic in the gaming industry, and there is growing interest in whether the national game 'Anipang' will also adopt the P2E model. The P2E model allows users to earn tokens through gameplay and trade game items on NFT platforms, converting them into cash.

According to Wemade on the 25th, the company recently acquired 'SundayToz,' the developer of Anipang, for 136.7 billion KRW. Through this acquisition, Wemade plans to strengthen casual games on its blockchain platform WEMIX and expand into the social casino genre. Wemade successfully integrated the P2E model into the global version of 'Mir4,' achieving great success. Additionally, the company is collaborating with various game developers aiming to launch 100 services on the WEMIX platform by the end of next year.

In particular, SundayToz's flagship title Anipang, first released in 2012, gained popularity among all age groups and was hailed as the ultimate casual game. Anipang received praise for its simple gameplay, where players burst three identical animal-shaped characters within a 60-second time limit to score as many points as possible. Moreover, by exchanging Anipang messages via KakaoTalk, the game expanded its user base to middle-aged and older adults who were not previously interested in gaming, earning the title of 'national game.' Anipang 4 was released last year.

Although not as popular as during its heyday, Anipang 4 continues to receive steady love from users. While there are differences, it maintains a monthly active user base of 300,000 to 500,000. According to Mobile Index, Anipang 4's monthly active users (MAU) stood at 363,897 as of last month. Due to its national recognition and simple gameplay, the integration of the P2E model is expected to attract significant popularity. Furthermore, the number of users utilizing P2E games as a form of investment is also increasing recently.

However, challenges remain. It is still practically difficult to release games with the P2E model domestically. The Game Rating and Administration Committee has refrained from rating blockchain games due to concerns over gambling. Recently, the P2E game 'Infinite Breakthrough Three Kingdoms Reverse' by Natriss received a notice of rating cancellation from the committee and is currently undergoing administrative litigation.

Game companies are introducing P2E games through global version releases. There is also a possibility that Anipang will first adopt P2E in its global version. Jang Hyun-guk, CEO of Wemade, said, "WEMIX is a platform where all genres of games can rapidly transform into blockchain games," adding, "We will boldly and globally pursue mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to expand the WEMIX ecosystem like never before."

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This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.