'Star Wars' characters resurrected in real-time mobile strategy game

By Park Sae-jin Posted : December 29, 2016, 09:06 Updated : December 29, 2016, 09:06

[Courtesy of Netmarble]


Iconic Star Wars characters such as Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader or Princess Leia will be resurrected in a mobile strategy game to be unveiled by South Korea's top mobile game developer in collaboration with Lucasfilm, the creator of the popular movie series.

Netmarble Games said it would launch the new real-time strategy game "Star Wars: Force Arena" next year in 154 countries. The company said the actual movement and appearance of Star Wars characters and the movie's original plot were fully incorporated into the game.

Players will be engaged in a one-on-one individual battle or in two-on-two team tournaments for three minutes. They can form a squad from a roster of over 60 upgradable characters. Top leaderboard placement means rewards, special characters, and bonus items.

Pre-registration is now available on the preview page that said, "strategy and skill will be put to the test as players build customized decks of characters that feature legendary duos such as Han Solo and Chewbacca that boost effectiveness in combat."

The new mobile game comes as South Korea's e-sports industry is shifting rapidly from computers to smartphones. For more than a decade, StarCraft, a strategic computer game developed by US game company Blizzard Entertainment, has been the driving force of e-sports.

"Star Wars: Force Arena" is suitable for games of a new genre called "multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA)". Mobile games traditionally lack strategic elements and have shorter playing times than computer games. The lack of keyboard and mouse also restricts mechanical sophistication.

However, smartphones now offer graphic quality on par with computers with their high accessibility breeding games with shorter playing times and lower barriers to entry.
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