IMO: The World of Magic
Developed by Com2Us (Korea)Released June, 2006 in Korea
This MMO doesn't break much ground in terms of design, but you can play it on your phone. The best summary I've found is a PDF conference presentation from BREW 2006, which describes the game design, technical concerns, and visual style. It doesn't connect to any other platforms: "We expect to expand the market through acquiring online game users who can not access to [sic] PC" (BREW 2006 Presentation). It has been quite popular by mobile game standards, even renewing discussion of game addiction. The Korea Times sees IMO as a harbinger of a rise in mobile MMOs:
It seems it’s only a matter of time that massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) become popular on mobile phones and PCs.
Encouraged by the initial success of ``Imo,’’ KTF is planning to start another MMORPG service within a few months. SKT, the largest mobile phone carrier in Korea, also is set to service ``Imo’’ for its 20 million subscribers from this fall.
More Information
BREW 2006 PresentationCom2Us Press Release
Gamezone
Korea Times
MobileIndustry.biz
Screenshots and Concept Art
