Vortex Gaming

Ring Games, a Korean game developer founded by the developers of King's Raid, launched the global service of its new game 'Stella Fantasy' last April. Stella Fantasy is Ring Games' first Web3 RPG, and unlike typical character collection games, it features strategic battles and fun gameplay through in-depth party play action that allows players to switch between four characters in real-time.

Although it is difficult to even attempt to connect in Korea without using a VPN, Stella Fantasy has reportedly been cruising along without major ups and downs for the past month and a half since its global service began. Ring Games has been independently handling everything from game development to launch and post-launch service, and has not been tied to any contracts with external platforms, so there is anticipation for its future moves, including domestic service.

Recently, Ring Games announced that it is conducting all-round collaboration with blockchain, gaming platforms, and communities to secure a wider user base and strengthen overseas marketing. This can be seen as part of its efforts to increase its influence in the Web3 game market and create an environment where more people can play freely. We listened to the story of Ring Games CEO Yoon Joo-ho about what the next step of Stella Fantasy looks like, and when Korean gamers will be able to properly enjoy Stella Fantasy.

Stella Fantasy, Service Cruising Along
"Homogeneous Global User Distribution, Mobile APK and Steam Deployment Also in Progress"

Q. It's been about two months since 'Stella Fantasy', which you've been preparing for a long time, was released in the global market. What is the market reaction?

= We launched the global service, and after many twists and turns, it's been about a month and a half since the launch. To put it simply, it's 'cruising along'. There are no particular obstacles, service disruptions, or critical issues, and it's going well.

Currently, global users from various regions are diversely distributed, but what's unique is that 'Japan' has the most users. Web3 games are usually centered around Southeast Asia, and Japanese users mainly look for games in the domestic market, but it's amazing that Japanese users are enjoying Stella Fantasy the most. Of course, there are plenty of users in other countries such as Southeast Asia, Brazil, and Russia. The fact that connections are being made from various countries around the world is an impressive achievement, and we believe that it has successfully settled in the market.

Q. It's impressive that a Korean game is being chosen by users all over the world. Was there any special marketing?

= We have been focusing on organic marketing. Since we are targeting the global market, it is relatively unknown in Korea, but we are constantly managing it. There was no massive marketing, so there was no explosive influx, but steady natural inflow is continuing, and now we can also extract retention statistics.

Like with King's Raid, the retention rate of most mobile games is around 30-40 at D1, but Stella Fantasy is recording an average of 70-80. Most of them are not NFT holders. At D7, about 30 is maintained, so we can judge that users' affection for the game is very high. The self-issued token, SFTY, is also listed on overseas exchanges and is being traded, and users' characters and equipment are also being NFTized and traded steadily. Compared to before the launch, the marketplace trading volume is about 10 times more active.

Q. You mentioned that you are recording high retention rates and sales figures. What efforts are you making to maintain the current atmosphere?

= We will continue to maintain the quality and release new characters to increase global users, and we are constantly preparing new updates. Users' expectations are very high, and we are trying to meet those expectations every time we update. At first, we were going to add content at a certain timing according to the development situation. However, now we are adding new updates at least once every week or two.

We are always looking at users' reactions, and if there is something that we think 'we can do this right away?', we update it right away and continue the service by receiving feedback. In addition, we are creating and operating various channels such as YouTube, Discord, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter, and we are informing and promoting the game through various channels.

Q. With the busy update schedule, there must have been many difficulties while running the official service. What were the difficulties, and what efforts did you make to overcome them?

= We worked hard with the goal of being recognized for the game's quality. The biggest challenge and task was how to bring in external tokens and create usability, and we think Stella Fantasy is using it well. The cumulative amount of tokens consumed in the game to date is about 1 million. If you ask 'Is there another game that can show this amount of consumption?', it's hard to think of one easily, so we are currently preparing to expand the platform further.

After developing the game, I came to think that Web3 games are like Lego blocks. Creators can feel various satisfactions depending on how they assemble and use them. However, I think everyone is only assembling the same blocks now. Even if it's the same material, you have to make birds and cars and show creativity, but everyone is only making similar things, so it's difficult to feel that usability is increasing significantly.

Now it's based on the BNB chain, but in the future, we are preparing to make it directly usable in multi-chains so that users can enjoy it without feeling uncomfortable. Creating a mainnet directly is also one of the considerations.

Q. Currently, you cannot play the game in Korea without using a VPN. Will Korean users be able to meet Stella Fantasy more easily?

= The next step we are preparing to overcome this is the 'Steam' service, and we are also preparing an APK mobile version. We want to continue to create games that are easy to access and have good accessibility. We are responding in many ways so that we can start right away as soon as the legal requirements are met in Korea. We are sparing no support to ensure that this point comes quickly, and our immediate goal is to be the first game to be serviced in Korea.

The Expanding World of Stella Fantasy
"All-round Collaboration in Progress, Accessibility to be Strengthened by Increasing Platforms and Communities"

Q. You have been continuing your own path, but I'm curious about the reason for deciding to collaborate with other platforms.

= Since we have been recognized by global users for the game's quality and other aspects, I thought that the next task was to allow more people to enjoy the game. As I said before, we are thinking about how to make it easier to enter, and we are collaborating with those who are already doing well to overcome the different types of hurdles in each country. I think it will also be an opportunity for the independent studio to become better known.

Of course, we are exploring collaboration, not being subordinate. I think we can find ways to coexist and develop together through this collaboration process. I think of it as a process of creating a channel where you can enjoy it more fun by using the blocks that are well used in each country.

Q. How far has the collaboration with Mysten Labs, which recently launched the mainnet, progressed?

= In the past, each mainnet and partner company wanted to attribute 100% of the information. However, these days, open collaboration is becoming more possible. Mystin Labs also said that we should freely discuss anything. We also appealed to what kind of technical merits there are, and we communicated a lot by talking to each other. We plan to continue talking to more communities in the future.

Q. What can we expect to see through collaboration with platforms and communities in the future?

= There are countless PFPs (Profile Pictures) in the world. We are currently preparing to use them like pets in the game. Users have many NFTs, and they can show their rare NFTs to others, and not only show them, but also get various stat-boosting effects like a pet system in RPGs. If we collaborate with a specific company, we can provide tokens from that project as rewards, and we believe that various methods will be possible depending on the degree of collaboration.

Through all these attempts, we are trying to prove that Stella Fantasy is a game that more people can enjoy. We expect that NFTs will be used in the game, users will communicate with other users like in the metaverse, usage will increase in the process, and collaboration will also become more active.

In the long term, we are also planning a 'My Home' function. You can put frames in your space and display various NFTs. In existing games, you just put frames in the empty lobby space and display them, but in Stella Fantasy, you can enjoy the game, display, and communicate together, so I think it will be a more attractive function.

Q. Are there any other changes that users can feel right away?

= First of all, the number of users who enjoy the game will increase a lot. Each user has their own preferred mainnet or technology, and we will be able to embrace even the users who thought 'If I use this mainnet, I can't play this game?' and gave up. In addition, I think it will be a good opportunity to prevent the situation where marketing and users' attention are dispersed, and to widely promote the utilization of each block.

Q. I heard that you recently got a good opportunity and were invited to an overseas event. What's the news?

= I was invited to 3XP, an event held in LA. It's an expo event where Web3 games are exhibited, and Stella Fantasy won the 'Best Web3 Game Award' here. Ring Games also plans to visit the site, receive the award, create a booth, and promote the game by holding influencer events. After 3XP, we will be able to participate in a blockchain event held in Japan at the end of June. As we have gained a good exhibition opportunity, we are making various preparations to promote the game more.

Q. In order for a game to be loved for a long time, it is necessary to provide 'high-quality gameplay'. Please introduce what content is currently included in Stella Fantasy.

= Currently, the game provides a world boss ranking battle that mobile game users will be familiar with. Content that competes by recording higher DPS is regularly organized, and it is structured to earn prizes and tokens through this.

In addition, we are considering combat formations and switching methods every time we add a new character so that the combat meta can change. It's not a turn-based game, so it's become a more complicated task, but I think the fun of combat can be increased every time a new character is added because of this process. We are trying to add various uses, not just a vertical growth axis.

In addition, we plan to add more things to enjoy so that users can experience various content in the game. The basic core is 'a game where the battle itself is fun', but I think there should be plenty of things to play with. There are not many cases where an independent game developer gathers global users in one place and creates a system where they can have fun together, so I hope you will look kindly on the steps that 'Stella Fantasy' is taking.

Recently, we created a tutorial video to help global gamers easily access and start the game, and uploaded it to the official YouTube channel. We are continuing to make various efforts like this.

Q. Finally, please introduce your aspirations for 2023 and your future plans.

= If there is a 'GOTY' awards ceremony in the Web3 game sector, I would like to challenge it. I think 'Stella Fantasy' is good enough to win an award. I want to take the lead in breaking down the prejudices that people have through these various records. Didn't most popular game projects start that way? When you talk about a high-quality game in Web3, a game with good usability, and an independent game that anyone in the world can easily play, I hope that 'Stella Fantasy' will be the first thing that comes to mind.

Currently, we have planted a flag called Stella Fantasy in a vast and desolate desert. We plan to continue making various efforts so that Korean gamers can also enjoy the gameplay of Stella Fantasy, so I think it would be a great help if you could come and sprinkle soil so that the flag doesn't fall over, and cheer us on.

게임파이 인벤박광석 기자
2023-06-08