BTS, the biggest K-pop group in the world, now has the biggest app in the world.
“BTS World,” a mobile simulation game that lets fans virtually become the South Korean pop stars’ manager, quickly rose to the top of Apple’s App Store charts in multiple countries just hours after its release on Wednesday, June 26.
The free-to-play “BTS World” game launched on iOS and Google Play on June 26 in the early morning U.S. time (around 2 a.m. PT) and 6 p.m. Korean Standard Time. As of 7 a.m. PT, the game already ranked No. 1 for iPhone downloads in the U.S. overall and among games apps, according to research firm App Annie.
In less than 24 hours, “BTS World” hit the top of Apple’s App Store charts in 25 countries, including South Korea, Japan, and all Southeast Asian markets, according to Sensor Tower App Intelligence data. It’s currently ranked among the top five apps in an additional 36 countries. In China, “BTS World” ranks No. 50 overall but is the country’s No. 8 iPhone game by downloads, per Sensor Tower.
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BTS World’s debut at No. 1 for U.S. iPhone downloads outpaced last week’s release of “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite” from Niantic, which took 15 hours to reach Apple’s App Store top spot, Sensor Tower said.
“BTS World,” developed by Korean gaming company Netmarble in collaboration with the K-pop group, takes players back before the band’s debut to pursue the role of BTS’s manager, with the ultimate goal of fostering the septet on their way to superstardom. Netmarble released the game on Apple’s App Store and Google Play in 176 countries worldwide.
The game includes 10,000 exclusive new photos and 100 video clips, and players will be able to interact virtually with BTS as a manager in the game through various one-on-one interactive content.
In addition to the main “BTS World” story, the game features individual stories where each BTS member appears as the main character. The seven-member group — comprising members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook — was formed by Big Hit Entertainment in 2013.
Netmarble also announced that a brand-new title song from the “BTS World” original soundtrack, “Heartbeat (BTS World OST),” is available exclusively on the introduction and main lobby within the game for the first 48 hours until the full “BTS World OST” album comes out on June 28. The album will include each member’s theme songs within the game, and three unit songs — “Dream Glow (BTS World OST Part.1),” “A Brand New Day (BTS World OST Part.2),” and “All Night (BTS World OST Part.3)” — which were previously revealed earlier this month leading up to the game’s launch.
Meanwhile, BTS announced Tuesday that their latest feature film, “Bring the Soul: The Movie,” will be released worldwide on Aug. 7, focusing on the band’s final days of their “Love Yourself” tour in Europe.