On January 3rd, interesting news came out of South Korea. It was about the formation of a consortium called the 'Artificial Intelligence Human Metaverse Project'. It is a consortium formed to create a platform business model for realizing the next-generation value of genomic big data.
In this consortium, EDGC and MyGenomeBox, a company specializing in genome data, Kotop Media and MyGenomeBox Studio, a comprehensive video production company, Asia Model Festival Organizing Committee, AR and VR company Maxt, and game developer Klasssoft will participate in this consortium.
The topic of combining genome data and metaverse was interesting. The place that develops the game in this consortium is Klasssoft. I was curious about what kind of games this consortium develops. In response, we conducted an interview with Kim Ki-don, the CEO of Klasssoft.
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■ Making a game based on genome data
Klasssoft CEO Ki-don Kim joined CJ Group in 1996. In 2005, he joined Netmarble where he oversaw mobile game business of Netmarble. He was at the forefront of the launch of the world's first web game-only browser platform 'Marvel Box', which was unveiled in 2012. The mobile games released at this time were very successful, and Netmarble succeeded in various mobile games afterwards.
At this time, CEO Ki-don Kim left Netmarble. After he left, Netmarble continued to succeed in mobile games. And in 2014, Netmarble surpassed NCsoft in terms of quarterly sales. If he had stayed in Netmarble, his position would have been solid. But he chose adventure.
CEO Ki-don Kim said, “I left Netmarble when game business was booming. I had a goal to become independent and make the game a success with my own hands. I published about seven games and released them all over the world” he recalls. And he accumulated various experiences at domestic and abroad.
He continued, “Based on the experience I accumulated, I have come to the conclusion that the key element for a successful game is to have the best development team. I believed I can” he said.
In fact, the meeting between a bio company and a game company is very unfamiliar. If so, how did you come to join the AI Human Metaverse Project Consortium, even as a new developer? Because the goal was exactly the same.
“As metaverse is another reality, I have to take a scientific and objective approach to materialize myself in that space, and I found the answer in the gene (genome),” explains CEO Kim.
He said, “There are two types of creating your own avatar in the metaverse. One is to make it into the shape you dream of, and the other is to make it the same shape as you. Usually you have to choose one of the two, but the creation of an avatar based on the genome is both possible.”
His major was also relevant. Kim's university major was biology. He connected the clues he found through his major to game planning, and while preparing for it, he joined the consortium.
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EDGC, which is at the center of this consortium, was pushing to build a metaverse based on genome information. And since the popular content is games, he was looking for a game company to join the consortium.
Meanwhile, the planning of the game under development and the development and global service capabilities of the members met the goals of EDGC, and I suddenly joined the consortium. CEO Kim said, “We are pioneering new genres by combining science and games by collaborating with a genome-specialized company with global authority such as EDGC. I am confident that this is a first in the world.”
If so, I was curious about how the collaboration works in detail. The key is 'YouWho' Engine. 'YouWho' Engine is a genome big data engine built by EDGC. EGDC is a service that analyzes the characteristics of 730,000 core genes out of 3 billion DNA base sequences and tells you what specific genetic information is mixed in you. Running 'YouWho'.
Klasssoft, provided with this 'YouWho' engine, extracts the core genetic information necessary for game implementation from the genome data uploaded by users, and gives this information to the avatar, with the goal of realizing the metaverse world as close as possible to the real world self. have. In particular, it is said that the ultimate goal is to make D-VATAR (Divata Project), a 'Princess Maker' style game that has human DNA and fosters human beings.
However, as humans still have many unknown areas and lack the experience and foundation to accurately implement humans, we have a plan to build a scientific-technical foundation for expanding from organisms with relatively simple genome information to mammals in the future. The project that started like that is 'Guppy Craft', which is currently under development.
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■ 'Guppy Craft', where you can grow your own guppy
'Guppy Craft', which is being developed by Klasssoft, is a mobile game where you can experience the breeding and growth of ornamental fish, especially guppies. The genre is upbringing simulation.
There are two main reasons why Klasssoft chose Guppy for its first project. The first is genetic simplicity. Because guppies have a simple gene, it is easy to predict whether or not the gene is expressed through Mendel's rule of superiority and inferiority.
So, a lot of research has already been done on the heredity of guppies, and people who keep guppies share various information about heredity. The fact that one generation does not last long and that you can quickly check the next generation is also the reason why I like Guppy the most. In fact, there were a number of fish tanks for raising guppies inside the developer. The number of guppies was about 100.
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The second is popularity. There is a saying that 'Tropical fish starts with guppies and ends with guppies'. Because it is small in size and easy to grow, it has a beautiful appearance. Therefore, it occupies the highest share in the tropical ornamental fish market.
Guppies are continuously improved, and new breeds are continuously emerging. Research institutes such as the National Institute of Fisheries Science, as well as domestic clubs, have created and released special guppies. Special guppies are traded at high prices.
Although guppies have these advantages, it is by no means easy to actually raise living things. You need to keep the tank water clean, change the water regularly, and take good care of your guppies to avoid getting sick. If one guppy gives birth, other guppies may eat it, so take good care of it.
'Guppy Craft' made this process into a game. The main content is to raise guppies with smartphones anytime, anywhere, and to create new individuals through breeding. In particular, it is possible to meet reliable and accurate objects based on the 'YouWho' engine.
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And if you create a special object, you can issue this object as NFT and trade with other users. The goal is to bring up the guppy, meet and trade, and implement it as a game.
Blockchain-based NFT and P2E (Play to Earn), which makes money through game play, are the biggest buzzwords in the game industry. Among South Korean companies, WeMade is at the forefront, followed by Com2uS Holdings and many other game companies. However, since P2E games are prohibited by law in South Korea, South Korean companies are mainly targeting overseas markets.
Overseas, games such as 'Cryptokitties' and 'Axie Infinity' have been successful, generating sales of several trillion KRW. Famous game companies such as Ubisoft and Square Enix are also jumping in one after another.
However, games that make special species through breeding such as 'Cryptokitties' or 'Axie Infinity' and trade with NFT may lose competitiveness as they already exist. Regarding this, CEO Kim said, “The results of crossbreeding in these games are absurd or imaginary. However, there is no possibility of absurd results as there is data in Guppy.”
The No. 1 market targeted by 'Guppy Craft' is Southeast Asia. The main target is people who have or are raising ornamental fish. In fact, Southeast Asia is the mecca of the ornamental fish industry, has the largest market, and the breed that occupies the first place in the market is guppies.
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Regarding this, CEO Kim said, "The game market can be divided into regions with high profitability and regions with a large number of users, and 'Guppy Craft' has set Southeast Asia as its primary goal, where these two are possible. , Indonesia has a very high level of interest and understanding of the game. Based on the experience of living and doing business in the past, I want to understand the culture of overseas users and approach the global market through thorough localization.”
And the reason why we targeted the Southeast Asian market first is that P2E game play is the most active market.
As it is the world's largest ornamental fish market and the world's largest P2E game market, it is natural for Klasssoft to target the Southeast Asian market first, and it can be said to be the optimal market to explore the game's success potential.
CEO Kim said, “Just like we read a book while playing the game ‘Three Kingdoms’, we decided to play games and raise guppies, which will help expand the domestic and global ornamental fish market.” The size of the global ornamental fish market is expected to reach 50 trillion KRW, but the domestic market size is still less than 500 billion KRW.
Klasssoft is under development with the goal of soft launching in Southeast Asia within this year, and plans to disclose the development through various methods in the future. And then, the plan is to gradually expand the service area to the world.
CEO Kim said, “We will develop a game suitable for NFT by grafting and implementing various technologies. We will become a game company specializing in NFT and present games for users all over the world”
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김창훈 기자 changhoon8@gamevu.co.kr
