35 Million Cumulative Downloads Over 8 Years... 7 Million Daily Peak Users
430,000 Pre-registrations in One Day for 'Anipang4' Scheduled for Release at the End of This Month
[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] "XX sent you 1 ♥."
It has been 8 years since dozens of Anipang messages started ringing through KakaoTalk (KakaoTalk). The Anipang series, SundayToz's flagship mobile puzzle game, gained popularity with each release and established itself as a "national game." It is extremely rare for a mobile game to have four series installments. Anipang 4, set to be released at the end of this month, is attracting attention as the first in the series to add "real-time battle."
◆ A milestone in mobile game history = According to SundayToz on the 4th, Anipang, which first debuted in July 2012, has achieved unprecedented records for a puzzle game with a cumulative 35 million downloads, 7 million daily users, and 5 million concurrent users. The history of Anipang is intertwined with the fate of SundayToz. SundayToz, which had sales of only 1.1 billion KRW in 2011, rapidly grew to 23.8 billion KRW in sales in 2012 after releasing Anipang. In 2014, thanks to the popularity of Anipang 2, it achieved its highest-ever sales record of 144.1 billion KRW. Anipang 3, released in 2016, did not achieve as much success as its predecessors. This is why SundayToz has high expectations for Anipang 4.
Anipang’s strength lies in its simple gameplay of matching three identical animal-shaped characters to burst them and scoring as many points as possible within the 60-second time limit, along with the element of competing with KakaoTalk friends. By exchanging Anipang messages via KakaoTalk, it expanded its user base even to middle-aged users who were not particularly interested in games. Anipang 2, which emphasized stage-based puzzles, was released in January 2014 and recorded 18 million downloads. Each stage introduced specific conditions and various obstacles that stimulated users’ desire to challenge, gaining popularity and maintaining the number one spot in Google Play sales for a long time. The remastered version of Anipang 2, released earlier this year, offers over 5,100 puzzle stages and remains a long-lasting game enjoyed by 250,000 users daily.
Anipang 3, released in September 2016, immediately topped the app market charts. It brought freshness by adding a character-driven story based on classic world fairy tales, a system to collect and use characters diversely within the game, and "special Pangs" not seen in previous series. Offering over 4,100 puzzle stages, this game also provides various mini-games beyond puzzles, maintaining its top position in the puzzle game market.
◆ Anipang 4’s "real-time battle" draws attention = Anipang 4, set to launch at the end of this month, has attracted attention even before its release. Pre-registration began on the afternoon of the 2nd, and 430,000 applicants signed up within a day. The Anipang Friends, appearing as illustrations in each episode of Anipang 4, and the dazzling special blocks provide visual enjoyment. The guild-type user group system called "Fam" is also noteworthy. The real-time battle system "Anipang Royal," introduced for the first time in the series, is the highlight of this game. Anipang Royal is a battle royale style where up to 20 players compete simultaneously to determine the last person standing. SundayToz plans to use this to captivate users in their 20s and 30s. The company is putting great effort into the final stages of development to ensure Anipang 4 can continue the legacy of the previous series. Lee Hyun-woo, the PD in charge of developing Anipang 4, said, "We tried to leverage the advantage of being a familiar game that everyone knows while delivering something new," adding, "We will present Anipang 4 that satisfies all those who have enjoyed Anipang."
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