TalesWeaver is a 2D MMORPG that recently launched on GameNGame into global open beta. Now, the game isn’t particularly good, but what I want to point out is that the game is published on a service called GameNGame. After some research I learned that GameNGame isn’t the same as say Aeria Games, OutSpark, Perfect World Entertainment or any other MMO publisher. GameNGame is apparently a branch of the South Korean government that’s sole purpose is to promote free to play MMORPGs internationally. TalesWeaver isn’t the only F2P MMO on the service. GameNGame is some sort of incubation website where MMOs launch before being officially serviced by an actual publisher or company. For example, Atlantica Online from Ndoors was at one point available on GamenGame – it no longer is though. The MMOFPS Tactical Intervention, which didn’t actually launch yet, was available on GamenGame as well.
Not every game that was available on GamenGame was a success though. Final Quest for example was playable on GameNGame for a while, as was Aeronauts, but both games have since shut down. No game publisher wanted to pick up either games, so they seem to have joined the dead MMORPG Graveyard. Esteria Mythos was on there too for a while and it eventually launched on a seperate website of its own. Too bad that game mega-flopped and shut down without 8 months of officially launching. No surprise with this one, as the game totally sucked. It tried to capture the whole Diablo 2 experience, but failed miserably at it. A lot of games have been trying to capture the Diablo 2 fun – Battle of the Immortals and Mytheon both tried too, they haven’t failed, but they haven’t really succeeded either. GhostX is a 3D action MMORPG Published by GameKiss today, but the game was on the GamenGame platform back in 2009.
It’s actually really neat how it’s all supposed to work out. The Korean government provides funding for these games to “test” themselves on their platform and essentially get a lot of free beta testers, as the GamenGame website is visited by lots of people. 4Story and Valkyrie Sky for example were both available on GamenGame for some time and received a lot of free feedback on their game. Afterwards, both titles launched on other websites. GamenGame itself doesn’t make any money from what it does, it’s a site owned by the Korean government. Why exactly is the Korean government trying to export their free to play MMOs abroad? Don’t ask me. As a gamer in North America, I guess I can appreciate the support from them. Two more games that were available on GamenGame at one point are Neo Steam (which is by Atlus Online now) and Lunia (which is now by ijji). Too bad a ton of the games on the GameNGame website never made it to full release. There were a ton of obscure games on there. As a gamer, I recommend never playing titles on the GameNGame website, because there’s no guarantee that the game will even exist a month or two down the road.
