BTS fans get to manage their idols in new mobile game
SEOUL : A million fans of K-pop boy band BTS have signed up to have the singers at their fingertips when a mobile game about them is released this week, according to reports.
BTS World - set to be available in 176 countries and 14 languages today - is a role-playing game where the user is the band manager, training the musicians and guiding the group in their quest for stardom.
It also includes 10,000 new images and 100 video clips of BTS, who spent two years recording exclusive photos, videos and music for the game, which also allows fans to be involved in video calls and texts with the members, including cheering them up if they are feeling down.
Using another mode within the game, a player can even select a member to go back to his childhood and a life away from the stage - perhaps even as a strawberry farmer or taekwondo champion.
The demand for the app has prompted its publisher Netmarble - South Korea's biggest mobile-app creator - to plan a new game featuring the septet which is in its "early stages", a company executive said.
Netmarble could not disclose the number of users who have pre-registered for the game, but South Korean reports estimated the figure to be around one million.
"I don't play mobile games but I can't wait for BTS World," said Ms Jessica Kim, a 33-year-old fan in Vancouver who travelled twice to Los Angeles to attend BTS concerts.
The game is free to download, but users can pay to speed up the process - each time a mission is cleared, a new BTS video or photo is unlocked. - AFP/REUTERS
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