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K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop
LifestyleEntertainment

BTS World, first major game to focus on a K-pop group, finally launches, letting users chat with band members

  • Game offers users thousands of previously unreleased photos and videos of band, and allows video and text chats with BTS members – based on prewritten scripts
  • A big feature lets users play band manager, and pay to speed BTS’ path to stardom, but analyst suggests game’s lifespan could be short. A sequel is in the works

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A screenshot from the BTS World game, which launched on Tuesday. It features thousands of photos and videos, previously unreleased, lets users chat with band members and play band manager.
Bloomberg

K-pop sensations BTS have racked up a string of firsts over an astonishing six-year run. Now the seven-member group star in their own smartphone game, marrying two of South Korea’s most important exports.

Netmarble Corp, South Korea’s biggest mobile-app publisher, today unveiled BTS World, the latest attempt to wed the country’s technology and entertainment industries to drive economic growth.

BTS World contains previously unreleased videos and photos of the boy band. The game takes players to pre-debut days to recruit and train the singers. Users can pay to speed up the process of guiding the seven young men to stardom.

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Created by local game developer Takeone Company Corp and published by Netmarble, the game also features video and text chats with BTS members based on prewritten scripts.

Fans can also find out what would have happened if the band members failed to find success and went back to their other dreams, such as being a strawberry farmer or taekwondo champion. The game comes with 10,000 new images and 100 video clips of BTS.

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