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Fantasy of becoming BTS’ manager becomes reality in BTS World

By Yim Hyun-su

  • Published : Jun 26, 2019 - 17:57
  • Updated : Jun 26, 2019 - 17:57

The wait is finally over as millions of fans can now get hold of the mobile game centering on the boy band sensation.

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(Netmarble)
While being global sensation BTS’ manager is not something most people can experience first-hand, Netmarble’s new mobile game BTS World presents the closest experience yet, and is now available for download in 176 countries.

The virtual simulation-based game brings you all the way back to their predebut days in 2012 before taking the world by storm, with their fate all down to players who will take on the ever-so-important role of a manager.

As a staff member at Big Hit Entertainment, you can help the group navigate their career while communicating with them through text messages and phone and video calls. Just like your actual recent call history, you can also keep record of the communications history with the guys, making the interactive experience all the more realistic.

The game opted for the bandmate’s legal names, instead of their stage names. For instance, RM is Kim Nam-jun, and this is because of another mode called “Another Story,” in which each member of the septet chooses a career path seperate from the music industry.

“Another Story features the guys not as BTS members but as individuals living in a different world. Given the nature (of the mode), we thought we ought to go with the bandmate’s real names,” Lee Jin-ho, communication team manager at Netmable, told The Korea Herald.

In Another Story, Namjun is a creative writing student and a novelist hopeful while Seok-jin is an “earnest yet bumbling” hotel intern. Yunki’s alternative life might be the closest to reality as he will be a piano student. Their stories are based around what the bandmates have said on occasions in past interviews.

The game also doesn’t fall short on fan content as it features over 10,000 new exclusive photos and some 100 video clips which you can unlock along the way. Though the game itself is free and players can collect points by completing daily activities, in-app purchases are designed to help speed up the story.

The accompanying soundtrack featuring the likes of Charli XCX and Zara Larsson is slated for release on Friday, though three tracks -- “Dream Glow,” “A Brand New Day” and “All Night” -- are already available on streaming sites. The title track “Heartbeat” is also available for streaming in the game until the album’s release.

Prior to its release, the collaboration project between Netmarble and Big Hit drew attention due to the relationship between two of the biggest players in the gaming and music industries, respectively, at the top of which sit Bang Jun-hyuk and Bang Si-hyuk who are relatives.

Last year, Netmarble became Big Hit's second-biggest shareholder with an over 25 percent stake. The decision prompted market analysts to predict that the mobile gaming company would benefit from the intellectual property of BTS.

By Yim Hyun-su (hyunsu@heraldcorp.com)