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| ▲ Title Image of "KartRider" / Courtesy of Nexon |
Sayart.net
Jack Lee, wangjb77@gmail.com
Racing is a very old game genre along with shooting, action, role-playing, and strategy simulation. Although it does not have as many users as other genres, racing games form an axis of the game market, with its own royalty-strong fan base.
Realistic racing games have long been popular among racing enthusiasts around the world, with excellent graphics that seem to have moved cars in real life and a sense of manipulation similar to real cars.
However, the main stream of racing games has been changed from real racing to casual racing by Nexon, a major Korean online game company.
This is because Nexon's casual racing game "KartRider," which was opened on June 1, 2004, has become so popular that racing games have been transformed into a popular genre that users of all ages can enjoy in mode, not a certain number of enthusiasts.
Unlike traditional real-racing games, "KartRider" has brought public intimacy with cute characters. In addition, there are various maps that require an exciting and great sense of adventure that do not exist in reality.
In particular, "KartRider" is said to maximize the fun of the game by using game items and skills created by the Nexon development team's brilliant ideas, as shown in the sub-title of the game called "Crazy Racing."
When players properly utilize various items and skills, the results of racing change in an instant. The game's "coincidence" served as a big advantage of "KartRider," which eventually led to a worldwide casual racing syndrome.
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| ▲ Title Image of "KartRider" / Courtesy of Nexon |
In addition, KartRider's unique ladder system, which ranks every time a racing game is completed in a short time, and this ranking point is accumulated to divide the ratings of each user, further enhancing the fun of the game and gaining huge popularity.
The mega-hit of "KartRider" has greatly increased the popularity of casual games in the Korean game market, which has led to the influx of older generations who did not enjoy games into the game market.
The popularity of "KartRider" was not limited to Korea, and the service area spread around the world, including China, Taiwan, and the United States. Currently, the cumulative number of members of "KartRider" is close to 400 million worldwide, including 30 million in Korea.
"KartRider," which has been called the "National Game," Korea's leading casual racing game and national popularity, will suspend its service 18 and a half years after it started its service.
This is very unfortunate news for users of "KartRider" around the world. However, even if Nexon stops the "KartRider" service, users do not seem to have much to worry about.
Nexon has announced plans to offer a follow-up to "KartRider: Drift" soon. Because Kartrider: Drift takes over the baton of Kartrider, users are filled with expectations instead of disappointment.
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| ▲ Title Image of "KartRider: Drift" / Courtesy of Nexon |
Nexon plans to launch "KartRider: Drift" in the form of a "Pre-Open-Beta Test" (Pre-OBT) on January 12 next year. P-OBT is to finally check the server situation of the last online game before the official service, and if no special problem occurs, it leads to the official service.
Nexon announced that "KartRider: Drift" supports play in a full cross-platform environment, unlike its predecessor, "KartRider." This means that you can enjoy the game on your PC, as well as on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and smartphones.
"KartRider: Drift" will provide a very lively racing experience and the best immersion by supporting 4K UHD graphics, High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology, and Dolby Atmos sound. We are confident that "KartRider: Drift" will attract worldwide popularity beyond the previous one. " Nexon is confident of the success of "KartRider: Drift."
