Studio Rico, a subsidiary of Naver Webtoon, said on the 9th that it has begun developing a new mobile game based on the intellectual property (IP) of the popular webtoon "Swordmaster Embracing the Star."
The new game "Swordmaster Embracing the Star (working title)" will be published (distribution and release) by Studio Rico, with game developer Code Dragon handling development. The two companies plan to realize the original's narrative and action as an action role-playing game (RPG) optimized for mobile.
The webtoon "Swordmaster Embracing the Star," the foundation for the game, is a novel-comic based on a web novel of the same name (written by Q10). It depicts a boy from the slums, "Vlad," who grows into a swordmaster through an encounter with a legendary knight. Offered in 10 languages, including Korean, English and Japanese, the work has surpassed 250 million cumulative global views, building a powerful fandom.
Code Dragon, in charge of development, plans to put the original's core element, the "Aura system," at the center of combat and growth, and amplify the original's immersion with its signature flashy pixel visuals and fast-paced action direction. Hwang Dae-woong, CEO of Code Dragon, said, "We are focused on enabling users to fully enjoy flashy, exhilarating action on the battlefield," adding, "We will move away from simple number-based competitive systems to deliver the fundamental fun of RPGs through cooperation and strategic competition among users."
Naver Webtoon is accelerating IP expansion, including turning popular webtoons into games. Naver Webtoon's IP-based games now number more than 80. "99 Strength Reinforced Wooden Club: Grow," released in Feb. last year, ranked high on the popularity charts of both major app markets within a day of launch.
Lee Seung-hoon, game studio lead at Studio Rico, said, "We will do our best to create a game that fully satisfies global fans who love the original IP and, with this opportunity, present a well-made game that allows users encountering the IP for the first time to fully enjoy the fundamental fun of RPGs."