PRESS RELEASES
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Shot Online Celebrates Over 10 Years of Game Updates, an Emerging Pro Golfer
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WEBZEN, the operator of online free-to-play games portal GamesCampus, today releases an overview of its successful license Shot Online along with the announcement of its newest update.
Not many online games are in the position to proclaim survivability and success for more than 10 years on the MMO market. The MMO golf game Shot Online, however, not only celebrates over 10 years of survival, but 10 years of achievements and successes, including a user who went from playing the game to becoming a competitive, pro golfer in real life.
More than 10 years have passed since golfers sank their first putts on the virtual greens of Shot Online, and the game has fascinated golf enthusiasts ever since, whether they practice it in their everyday lives, only online or both.
The game engine was specially developed to simulate and enhance on real-life golf, allowing for satisfying skill shots (including curve shots). This created a "feel" that was unlike that of any other game, attracting a strong community of players that continues to enjoy and value this unique experience after many years.
The longevity of Shot Online is owed not only to the competitive and technical aspects of the game, but also to the community and social elements. Golf lovers are brought together through guilds in the game, which can be compared to well-known golf clubs in real life.
Shot Online operates on European, Asian and US servers, and receives monthly fixes and content updates to this day. The competition is in full swing between players of each server, who continue to train and improve each year in order to reach the top of the world rankings against golfers from all around the globe. Players from all countries can compete in worldwide tournaments, such as the World Ranking Tour or the recently released Shot Online World Championship.
Competitions like these are what make Shot Online special and are what helped inspire one pro golfer to step away from his mouse and keyboard and pick up a golf club for real. By playing Shot Online, Ali Khazanbeik developed his love for the sport as well as his talent. The half-German/half-Iranian golfer became one of the best players in his golf club in Germany, and he answered the call of the Iranian national team to support them during several tournaments. Right now, Ali studies in the USA at the University of Texas, with a focus on golf.
On October 24th for European servers and October 25th for the US server, Shot Online will introduce another content update, revamping the course-selection UI by adding three new game modes: EXP, Drop and NG Courses. A new course will be regularly selected as an EXP, NG (in-game currency) or Drop Course, in which players will receive enhanced EXP/NG gain or drop rates. This new update allows players to "funnel" into specific game modes and easily find companions to play with.
In addition to these features, new items called "Artefacts" are being introduced to the game. These can be obtained through daily play-time rewards and drop occasionally while playing golf, with increased drop chances when playing on the "Drop Courses". These artefacts can be used to craft EXP items or costumes which were previously only sold via the in-game shop.
Another update to Shot Online revolves around a rework of its subscription packages, including the introduction of two new soft-subscriptions, currently labelled "Deluxe" and "Luxury". These new memberships are cheaper and work independently from (or in combination with) the existing Platinum Subscriptions and therefore open up more options and choice for players. The two new statuses allow players to gain daily NG, catch up with some extra EXP and receive daily item rewards.
After the update launches, everyone above Level 110 will receive 30 days of Deluxe Membership for free to try out.
Shot Online is free to play and can be downloaded and played by anyone, at any time. Visit the website, sign up, and give it a shot!
For European players, please visit: http://shotonline.gamescampus.eu
For players in the US, please visit: http://shotonline.gamescampus.com
Meanwhile, WEBZEN is currently working on the release of a real-time, multiplayer mobile golf game Shot Online Golf: World Championship. After the previous closed beta, the Shot Online Golf team is paying close attention to user feedback and is sharing golf information and tips with the community. Interested players are invited to join the official Facebook community at: https://www.facebook.com/ShotonlinegolfWC/
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October 23 2017
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MU Legend Reveals World Maps and Dungeon System
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WEBZEN has today revealed all world maps for upcoming MMO MU Legend along with the full list of dungeons that will be available for the November 7th OBT release.
The last player invasion of the MU Legend universe occurred during the stress test on September 23rd. At the time, in order gather as much technical data as possible, only part of the MU continent was made available. Even with this restriction, thousands of fans have expressed their deep enthusiasm for the game after taking part in the test.
With the OBT release, players will have access to the entirety of MU Legend's world maps.
Adventuring in a new MMO ARPG world is part of the magic of gaming, and MU Legend's immense continent will be sure to satisfy even the most adventurous explorers.
To prepare every player, MU Legend's website now features a set of guides dedicated to the world's regions and landscapes. Thus, exploration will lead players through three huge territories: "Enova", "Duelden", "Litenberg" and the big merchant city of "Ordhor".
MU Legend, being the prequel of MU Online, brings a new twist to well-known elements of the franchise. The MU Legend team commented:
"In essence, we wanted MU Legend to embody the iconic legacy and epic lands of the MU franchise. Therefore, some place names will surely trigger beloved memories in any MU veteran: Devias, a big city in MU Online, is only an outpost in MU Legend. In this way, fans can truly witness the evolution of the MU universe!"
Additional territories will be revealed in future expansions, as players level up and progress through the game. Of course, fans will be happy to hear that further territory expansions will be provided absolutely free of charge.
Among the new guides released today, one of them will no doubt be of particularly high interest to players: The dungeon guide. A previous Gaming 101 article posted by the MU Legend team describes the dungeon system of the game. The dungeon guide added on the MU Legend website today gives an in-depth breakdown of the core mechanics themselves.
Dennis Czybulka, COO at WEBZEN Dublin, enthusiastically commented:
"I can tell that, from the casual player to the most avid fan of 'dungeon crawling' (I confess that I am one myself), all will be delighted to get their hands on the dungeon guide.
In this guide, for example, you will learn that there is not only one category of dungeons, but plenty! And the beauty of it is, they cover everything that players expect: Treasure hunting, Mythic mode, big challenges, group dungeon expeditions and, of course, levelling.
Party leaders will certainly have this specific guide open as a tool of knowledge while they organize their troop before attempting a dungeon expedition."
The dungeon guide is a must-read for any MU Legend player. Its content is so thorough that the most famous dungeons (Blood Castle, Endless Tower, Lupa's Labyrinth, etc.) all have guides of their own.
To learn more about MU Legend and pre-download the game, visit: http://muLegend.webzen.com/en.
Players are also invited to discuss the game and join the official Facebook community at: http://facebook.com/MULegendGlobal.
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October 19 2017
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Webzen ‘MU’- Collaborates with global fashion brand “Tokidoki”
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WEBZEN has announced that it will unveil the new IP character products at Asia’s largest B2B licensing exhibition.
Webzen will be revealing diverse franchise ‘MU’ IP based collaboration characters at “China Licensing Expo 2017” held in Shanghai China, starting today. (October 18th)
Especially, Webzen will be unveiling the latest collaboration character ‘tokidoki X MU (Project name)’ for the first time to the public. ‘tokidoki X MU’ is a reinterpretation of MU IP by the co-founder of tokidoki and internationally renowned Italian artist, Simone Legno. Tokidoki’s previous game IP collaborations were with ‘World of Warcraft’, ‘Overwatch’ and ‘Street Fighter’. The collaboration with ‘MU’ will be the fourth of a kind from the gaming industry.
Webzen and tokidoki plan to use tokidoki X MU characters in major business sectors such as Fashion, Art toy figures, and other merchandise products. They will continuously work together to develop new business models utilizing this new character. Charactopia Licensing Limited, a licensing unit privately held under Fung Group whose core businesses include Li & Fung Limited, will be responsible for ‘tokidoki X MU’s licensing business in Greater China Region and Korea.
Also, Webzen is working together with ‘Funi’ for ’Chewhams X MU’ character business.
Chewyhams emoticon sticker recorded over 100 million downloads via WeChat globally.
Through diverse collaboration projects Webzen constantly seeks various ways to not only promote MU IP, but also to improve public’s perspective towards game culture.
For more information on Webzen’s games, interested players are invited to check out WEBZEN's official website at: www.webzen.com.
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October 18 2017
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Behind MU Legend: A Story of ARPGs and the Passion of Fans
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WEBZEN today releases an overview of the long-standing MU franchise in the run up the launch of ARPG MU Legend, the newest addition to the dynasty.
Reminding players of the franchise's beginnings, the MU Legend team commented:
"The first game of the franchise - MU Online - had its release in 2001. It's been nearly 16 years since the month that marked the beginning of a very long journey, one that still influences millions of players around the globe. A very innovative product for the time, the game featured immersive 3D graphics, great character building and beautiful maps to discover. These factors, combined with a dedicated community, have made the game a huge success with more than 56 million registered accounts since its release. To this day, we keep its servers up and running and are constantly developing new updates."
Regarding MU Legend, the last two CBTs, followed by a successful worldwide stress test on September 23rd, have since attracted hundreds of thousands more fans. Addressing the developers, the most vibrant echo heard from the huge community of MU Legend testers and followers has been "We love MU Legend!". The game is the next in line to be released after the long-lasting classic MU Online and the recent mobile game MU Origin, establishing the MU franchise for the next generation.
With MU Origin, WEBZEN has successfully proven that it is possible to convert big PC MMOs into smartphone/tablet games. The mobile RPG has achieved the top rank in the charts of both the Apple and Android stores in China, South Korea and other countries. Besides all the other exciting elements on offer in MU Origin, players can find iconic MU Online classes, such as the Dark Knight, Dark Wizard, Elf and Magic Gladiator. Other features include various game currencies, maps, the Crywolf event and a variety of items.
WEBZEN has confirmed that MU Legend's official release will begin with an open beta phase starting on November 7th, 2017. The game continues the saga in true MMOARPG style, delivering exciting gameplay and diverse content that will be sure to touch the heart of every MU fan.
Players will have 4 different classes available, including the Dark Lord - one of the MU franchise's most well-known characters. Fans will remember this class as the go-to clan leader during memorable Castle Siege weekends in MU Online.
Classic MU events like Blood Castle have also not been forgotten and will feature in MU Legend. WEBZEN's development studio has managed to reproduce the classic MU Online event, but with new exciting features, such as a new reward system and challenging new bosses.
Item refinement, one of the most popular and sophisticated elements in MU Online that has captivated players for years, also features in MU Legend in an evolved form.
The WEBZEN team also confirms that despite all the content already shown during the CBTs & stress test, new updates linked to the MU franchise are to come in the near and far future.
The ARPG & hack 'n' slash genres have been around for a long time, originating from classic tabletop RPGs. Since the arrival of more complex video games, they have been continually adapted and evolved. The gameplay usually prioritizes real-time combat over turn-based strategy. Some games in these genres follow a specific gameplay style where the player must fight against a horde of monsters, usually followed by a boss fight. Short-distance weapons are commonly present, and players are still at risk of being hit while using long-distance weapons, producing a constantly high level of intensity.
MU Legend combines everything mentioned above: the combat is real-time and very fast paced, whether during PVE or PVP play. Furthermore, the community aspects of the game have been expertly tailored by WEBZEN's development studio, ensuring the proper implementation of a very essential element of MMOs. Players can expect crowded cities, lengthy in-game chats, booming in-game commerce, new hunting parties taking form, or even the new best/worst guild of the game being nominated on several different servers. WEBZEN's years of experience with MU Online have produced a team of true experts when it comes providing these important game features.
MU Legend's team at WEBZEN Dublin commented:
"MU Origin has already reached more than 2 million downloads on the Google Play Store and the App Store, and MU Online is approaching its 16th birthday. What's more, MU Legend's Facebook page now has almost 100 thousand passionate fans awaiting the game release on November 7th. Seeing this has really got us fired up, and we're prepared for 16 more years and longer!"
To learn more about MU Legend and pre-download the game, visit: http://muLegend.webzen.com/en.
Players are also invited to discuss the game and join the official Facebook community at: http://facebook.com/MULegendGlobal.
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October 11 2017
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WEBZEN Celebrates the Success of the Stress Test and Launches Frontier Packs
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WEBZEN has today confirmed that the player numbers reached during MU Legend's stress test were in line with the developers' needs, allowing them to adequately assess the stability and endurance of the server setup.
Along with the success of the stress test, a time-limited sale of founder's packs has also been unveiled: Hardcore fans will be able to start their collection with MU Legend's exclusive Frontier Packs.
MU Legend is the next-gen ARPG MMO, slated to enter the open beta phase on November 7th, 2017. With the stress test successfully completed, the technical team will now work on adjusting the setup of the game servers based on the data received. The preparation will go on for the month of October.
Dennis Czybulka, COO at Webzen Dublin, declared with enthusiasm: "I will start by saying a warm 'Thank you!' to all the players who helped us push the technical limits on this very special day, which was all about server-data collection. And speaking of data, our developers got their hands on a mine of information that will be immensely useful in driving our technical planning in the proper direction. I would like to remind everyone that the data gained with the help of players on September 23rd will guarantee the maximum optimization of our servers from now on."
Mr. Czybulka continued: "We encountered a lot of passion among our players during the stress test, and their support was the perfect emotional boost! Again, I'd like to thank players for their patience, resilience and support. They've made these exciting moments even more memorable."
WEBZEN has unveiled three Frontier Packs that will be sure to delight hardcore fans, available for a limited time only. The Frontier Packs include collector's wings, exclusive mounts, unique pets and special titles. The complete list of items and titles for each of the Frontier Packs can be seen on the game's official website.
Players can also check out what the unique Frontier Packs have to offer in the following video: https://youtu.be/JcCvhX8hoUY
The Frontier Packs are only available from today, September 26th, until before the start of the open beta on November 7th.
MU Legend's team at WEBZEN Dublin commented:
"Our artists have given special attention to the all the Frontier Packs' items: From their aesthetic features to their animation, they are among the most beautiful items we have ever seen in the game! We put these packs together with the desire to provide special memories to players of the MU franchise."
The MU Legend team continued: "We wanted these collector's items to be truly for the collectors among our fans. So, true to form, they won't be purchasable after November 7th."
In addition to the release of the Frontier Packs, players that want to take part in the open beta on November 7th can now pre-download the game client on the official website.
To learn more about MU Legend and pre-download the game, visit: http://mulegend.webzen.com/en.
Players are also invited to discuss the game and join the official Facebook community at: http://facebook.com/MuLegendGlobal.
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September 26 2017
