[The Era of Intellectual Property] Nostalgic 3040s for 90s Games... Classic Game Boom Sweeps Gaming Industry

The Kingdom of the Winds Classic, 540,000 Cumulative Users
Increased Interest from 30s and 40s in Games Using Old IP

Nexon's The Kingdom of the Winds Classic image. MapleStory World homepage

As previously popular IPs (intellectual property rights) regain popularity, cases of recycling them are emerging one after another in the gaming industry. This trend is leading to a 'classic' craze.

According to the industry on the 12th, the cumulative number of users of 'Baram-ui Nara Classic' on Nexon's game development platform MapleStory World surpassed 540,000 as of the 11th. The MMORPG Baram-ui Nara Classic is servicing the early versions from the 1990s to early 2000s. It has been offering an open beta test service since the 9th of last month. Although the number of users allowed per channel is limited to 50-100 and the game is still incomplete, the cumulative number of users has increased by more than 100,000 in the past 20 days.

Baram-ui Nara, released in 1996, is called the first generation of domestic MMORPGs. It is also famous as a game directly developed by Kim Jung-ju, the founder of Nexon. It is based on the comic 'Baram-ui Nara,' which is set in Goguryeo. Unlike playing alone, it gained great popularity because it allowed communication such as chatting with other users, which was rare at the time, and enjoying hunting monsters together. It is evaluated as the foundation for the growth of the game company Nexon.

Nexon's release of the classic game follows a strategy to evoke nostalgia targeting people in their 30s and 40s who enjoyed Baram-ui Nara in the past. It is evaluated that many users who feel fatigued by current games characterized by convenience features such as automatic hunting and the absence of probability-based items represented by 'gacha' are flocking to it.

NCSoft also launched ‘Blade & Soul Neo,’ a server containing the initial version of the PC online game 'Blade & Soul (BNS)' released in 2012, last October. It provides improved versions of content from BNS’s heyday when it was very popular.

Blade & Soul is considered one of NCSoft’s representative IPs alongside Lineage and Aion. It attracted attention by presenting a fusion fantasy that starts from an Eastern worldview and encompasses the West. Players grow their characters by completing daily quests and other assigned missions. Faction battles are also possible.

Emgame also achieved success using old IPs. They created the mobile game GwihonM using their own IP Gwihon. Released on the 21st of last month, the game ranked first in initial popularity and performed well by ranking 14th in sales.

An industry insider said, "Classic version games play a positive role in filling the gap between the announcement of new titles and the release of subsequent new titles," adding, "They are also evaluated as helping maintain the brand value of the IP by evoking nostalgia."

This trend is not limited to Korea. Blizzard in the United States has been leading the classic craze early on. Blizzard opened a commemorative server last month where 'World of Warcraft Classic,' which was serviced in 2019, can be played again. This was planned to celebrate the 20th anniversary of World of Warcraft. Blizzard stated, "If you missed the craze when World of Warcraft Classic was released in 2019, you can experience it once again."

Professor Kim Jung-tae of Dongyang University’s Department of Game Studies explained, "Existing IPs have the advantage of users being able to approach them familiarly, which reduces the risk of failure," and added, "The domestic game industry has also spent about 30 to 40 years, and the aging gamer demographic is another reason why long-lasting IPs still attract attention."

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