Vortex Gaming

The MMORPG played by 5 million global users, 'Flyff Universe', is set to be released in Korea on April 24th.

'Flyff Universe', which was first introduced to overseas markets in 2022, is a remake version that enhances convenience by supporting multi-platform without installation based on the original system. Gala Lab is developing it, and Wemade Connect and BPMG are jointly providing global services.

The original 'Flyff Online', which is the basis of Flyff Universe, is an MMORPG developed and released by Aeon Soft (now Gala Lab) in Korea in 2004. It gained popularity in the domestic and global markets with its first attempted flight system and cute fantasy visuals.

Ahead of the domestic release of the new MMORPG 'Flyff Universe', which adds HTML5-based convenience to the original DNA, we heard the story of the developers at Gala Lab and Wemade Connect about the game's service direction, strategies in the Korean market, and how they are preparing for communication and operation with users.

Q. I didn't expect a foreign developer to be in charge of the general PD position of 'Flyff Universe'. Please introduce yourself first.

Loic Saos, General PD (hereinafter Loic) = 27 years old, from France. I first encountered the original 'Flyff' when I was 11 years old and enjoyed playing it. As a project for a computer engineering programming course during university, I chose 'Flyff', which I enjoyed as a child, and participated in Gamescom in 2019 with the prototype of Flyff Universe that I created at this time. Here, I happened to meet the CEO of Gala Lab, and through this meeting, I was officially affiliated with Gala Lab and was able to start making Flyff Universe in earnest.

Q. Although you had childhood memories, I'm curious about the background of choosing 'Flyff' among many MMOs and jumping into game development.

Loic = Because Flyff was my first MMORPG and the game I spent the most time on. Of course, Flyff was a perfect fit for the project I did in college. Although it's an old game, it didn't feel like the visuals were outdated because it was fantasy-style, and it was even more suitable for making it into an HTML5 game.

Q. What kind of game is 'Flyff Universe'?

Loic = It's an MMORPG made with the original Flyff Online as an HTML5 version. It is characterized by being able to play comfortably on most devices, such as PCs, low-spec laptops, mobile phones, and tablets, as a cross-platform.

Q. It seems that the overall game play of the original is included, but is there a reason for adding the name 'Universe' to it?

Loic = It means that various versions of Flyff are gathered in one world view. It can be said that 'Flyff Universe' has become a collection of all the features of several games that have been released before, such as the original Flyff Online and Flyff Legacy, which was released as a mobile version. In addition, through the new name Universe, I wanted to show various original contents other than what was shown in the original.

Q. It seems that most of the features in the original, such as flying freely in the sky on a broom, are included, so what are the differences from the original and the improvements?

Loic = We have further strengthened the flight content, which is the core of Flyff. In the original, the combat methods that could be selected while flying were limited, but in Flyff Universe, we maximized the fun of aerial combat by allowing players to use various combat skills. We have also prepared a number of related quest lines. In addition, there is an area called 'Premium Island' in the original, which can only be accessed by using paid items, but in Flyff Universe, this place is also made into a new continent so that anyone can access it by proceeding with the content.

Systemically, as introduced earlier, we can cite the fact that it supports cross-platform so that it can be played on any device, the overall graphics have been improved to give it a modern feel as many years have passed, and an instance dungeon system and various convenience functions have been added. In summary, it can be seen as improving the quality by adding several parts necessary for a new MMORPG based on the original.

Q. Overseas, services have already started in June 2022, and the 3rd anniversary is coming soon. Now it has become a game enjoyed by 5 million users worldwide, so I'm curious about any achievements or indicators that can be introduced.

Kim Hyun-il, Director of Wemade Connect (hereinafter Kim Hyun-il) = Flyff Universe has established itself as a healthy game in the global market. Currently, 200,000 MAU are maintained, and higher figures are constantly coming out when events are held. Usually, when you look at games that are getting a good response overseas, traffic is concentrated in specific countries and regions, but Flyff Universe is characterized by an even distribution of users in Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia. There are many users who remember and love the original Flyff Online, and a thick community group of these users is also actively operating on Discord.

Q. When the domestic service is launched, I'm curious if there are any contents or competitive elements that can be enjoyed with global users.

Kim Hyun-il = On April 24, when the Korean service of Flyff Universe starts, 'Flyff Universe World Championship (FWC)', a large event of Flyff Universe, will start together. Korean gamers can create characters on the newly opened FWC server at the time of opening and start character development under the same conditions as gamers from all over the world.

The characters grown here can participate in PVP, PVE tournaments, and offline competitions that will be held in the future. In addition, the client basically supports more than 10 languages. It is possible to enjoy the game together with users from other countries on one server, and if necessary, filter by language to communicate with users of a specific language.

Q. What are some of the improvements made through 3 years of global service, and what are some of the new features that will be applied to this Korean server?

Loic = Basically, we are developing while keeping the core philosophy of the PC original. At the same time, we listen to users' opinions through the community and receive summarized opinions through Discord moderators. Through this process, we have improved a lot of inconveniences so far, and the latest version that is introduced through these improvements can be said to be this Korean service build. In the FWC server, which starts on April 24, you will be able to play this latest build on the same level as global users.

Q. I'm especially curious about what charms of Flyff Universe you plan to focus on introducing to Korean gamers.

Kim Hyun-il = Flyff Universe is a slightly different game from the current MMORPG trend in Korea. Recently, Chinese MMORPGs with automatic game play and capsule-type gacha BM are making a lot of profits in Korea, but Flyff Universe is focusing on a softer and more casual game play, unlike these MMORPGs. The BM is also mainly a costume-oriented BM that has been recognized by North American and European users who are more sensitive to gacha-type BMs.

In summary, we plan to introduce it as a mild, healing game that Korean gamers who are tired of stimulating and spicy BMs can enjoy comfortably. It does not require high-end PC and terminal performance, so we believe that it will be a game that is more casual than other MMORPGs in the market and can easily appeal to young gamers and female users.

Q. In addition to the strengths of BM and HTML5 games, what other charms differentiate it from other MMORPGs in terms of in-game?

Loic = Flyff Universe is a game with unique fantasy visuals that allows you to fly freely in the sky, and it is characterized by having various systems that allow you to create a community. For example, there are 'Party' where you can level up with other users, 'Couple System' where you can share the same housing and get various benefits, and 'Guild System' where you can participate in large-scale cooperative content. In addition, housing where you can decorate by placing various types of furniture, and a costume system where you can customize your character by freely customizing thousands of costumes can be said to be the charm of Flyff Universe.

Q. There is bound to be a gap between global users who started 3 years earlier, so I'm curious if you are preparing any events for new Korean gamers or support for novice users.

Kim Hyun-il = Korean users will start on the FWC server, where level-up events, enhancement events, and PVE events are always in progress, so the growth rate is significantly faster than on regular servers. Korean users focus on combat power and stat raising more than users in any other country when playing MMORPGs and play efficiently, so we believe that they will be able to catch up with the level of existing global users quickly.

Once the growth reaches a certain level, we plan to hold PVP events. After the FWC server is finished, the characters grown here can be moved to the original server and played with other global users. Even if we don't open a separate Korean-only server, you can grow on the FWC server, which is open for 5 months, and adapt without any problems.

Q. 'FWC' has been mentioned from the beginning, but what exactly is it?

Kim Hyun-il = FWC is an abbreviation for 'Flyff Universe World Championship', which is the largest annual event of Flyff Universe that has been held since 2023. When the FWC server opens, everyone grows their characters under the same conditions, and the grown characters form teams and face off in PVP tournaments. The first event was held in the form of an online competition, and the players of the team that won the tournament at that time were invited to Busan G-Star.

The first FWC was an event held only online, but the users' response was good, so in the 2024 FWC, the scale was further expanded and held in conjunction with offline events. 32 players from 8 teams who passed the online preliminaries were invited to Manila, Philippines to hold a tournament competition locally, and the total prize money prepared at this time amounted to 110,000 dollars, or about 160 million won in Korean currency. At that time, two teams from the Philippines advanced to the finals, and the prize money was so large that about 3,000 spectators gathered at the site, which became a hot topic. The game at that time was also broadcast through online streaming, and it was a success, accumulating 100,000 views in a week.

Q. There seems to be some changes based on past experience. How are you preparing for FWC 2025?

Kim Hyun-il = The FWC server will start on April 24, the date of the Korean service launch, and this year, we plan to divide the zones by global regions and proceed with a continental war feel. The preliminaries will be held in August, and then the grand final tournament will be held offline. Since Korean gamers are participating in the FWC for the first time, we have decided to give them 1 ticket for the grand final promotion as a commemorative event. The 1st place team that breaks through the Korean preliminaries can go straight to the grand final regardless of the global preliminary ranking match. The prize money is the same as the previous tournament, at 110,000 dollars, of which 80,000 dollars (about 110 million won) will be paid to the 1st place team.

Q. There seem to be veteran users who have accumulated know-how through the past two years of competitions, so will Korean users be able to compete under the same conditions?

Kim Hyun-il = I don't think there will be such a big gap because everyone starts character development from the same starting point. Of course, there may be a slight difference in skill proficiency or control, but considering these issues, we are giving Korean users one ticket to advance to the grand final unconditionally. In the previous tournament, there was a team that won the finals even though they were not at the maximum level, and the charm of FWC is that various variables occur.

Q. I'm curious about the update roadmap after the Korean release.

Loic = Major updates are scheduled during the FWC period. New areas will be added, and the maximum level will be expanded from the current level of 165. Of course, several new contents that meet the new maximum level standards will also be added. We always announce in the form of developer notes before adding content, and we will announce more detailed information this time as well when some development has progressed.

Q. Close communication with users is an important issue in Korea. What form of communication do you plan to use in Flyff Universe?

Kim Hyun-il = Rather than opening a separate community tailored to Korea, we plan to further expand the existing Discord community, which has a lot of information accumulated. There are many long-time fans who loved the game Flyff in Discord, and their opinions are reflected a lot in the game's updates and development process. Since we have already chosen a healthy structure in which users can actively participate, we plan to continue to create an environment where we can share opinions with global users and receive various feedback and suggestions.

Q. What kind of game do you want 'Flyff Universe' to be remembered by users in the long term?

Loic = I hope it will be remembered as a space for communication where you can always feel the bustling village atmosphere where you can get together and hang out, with strong community and communication.

Q. What kind of results are you expecting from the domestic service of Flyff Universe?

Kim Hyun-il = Flyff is a long-standing IP that has maintained its reputation for over 20 years. I hope that it can be a good precedent for a game that can be enjoyed together by enthusiasts who have affection for the Flyff IP, and that the developers and users can create together, focusing on affection for the IP.

Q. Finally, do you have any messages you would like to convey to Korean gamers?

Loic = I am very happy to be able to introduce a popular title that has been selected by 5 million gamers globally to Korean users. I think it is very meaningful to be able to service the 'Flyff' IP, which was born in Korea, in Korea, and I would like to receive a lot of feedback and opinions from Korean gamers in the future.

웹진 인벤박광석 기자
2025-04-17