Cute Puzzle Game Anipang Has Stolen Filipino Hearts, Thanks To KPop and KakaoTalk

Juvy Garcia

September 16, 2014

With 10 to 50 million downloads from Google Play, this 44M game is set to capture the hearts of Filipinos. Anipang, which is featured in KakaoGame, is a puzzle game that requires a player to match 3 identical animal characters within the 60-second time frame.

According to ABS-CBN, Anipang is “sweeping the Philippines” and is “ranked among the top downloaded games in various local app stores”. This game by SundayToz was first played 2 years ago and has received the Most Popular Game Award and the Excellence Award (Mobile Game) in the Korea Game Awards since its release.

For the Love of KPop and Cute Animals

If the cute animals didn’t convince Filipinos, KPop most probably did. There is a solid fan base in the country for anything and everything KPop. So, when G-Dragon of Big Bang, Lee Byung-hun, as well as TVXQ and SNSD members shared their love for Anipang and its characters with their followers, fans just had to try the game out for themselves.

In fact, SundayToz’s global vice president Angus Lau, attributed the game’s rise to stardom in the mobile gaming world to the rise of KPop stars. Lau told GamesInAsia that KPop bands, idols, athletes and variety TV show hosts shared their love for Anipang and its characters with their followers on Twitter. It was only a matter of time before Anipang became one of the most downloaded game in app stores.

Being Social is Key

Although Anipang is not the first game from Kakao, it is the first game to integrate in-app social features, through KakaoTalk, a free instant messaging app that offers free text and calls worldwide. According to Lau, this has helped a lot in spreading the game.

Using their KakaoTalk IDs, players could share scores and compete with friends for the top rank each week. The game offers bonuses for those who play daily as well as special items to help out players in the game.

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Jean Lee, head of Kakao Philippines, mentions to ABS-CBN that Anipang is a great example of how Kakao Game allows KakaoTalk users to have a “very social, connective experience”. Lee added that they’re “glad Filipinos are embracing this great game”.

Future Plans for Anipang

In addition to winning over more players to the game, SundayToz has started to bring Anipang’s characters to life with toys, phone cases and other products. You can read here for more details. GamesInAsia reports that the developer will start its venture into merchandising business first in Korea, then Japan and Taiwan and then the rest of Southeast Asia.