A History of Korean Gaming
트리거소프트 Trigger Soft
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Founded: |
December 1994 (team) |
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Status: |
Assimilated by Gravity (2005) |
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Key People: |
김문규 Kim Mun'gyu: |
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Website: |
www.trigger.co.kr (offline) |
Kim Mun'gyu worked at one of the earliest Korean PC game developers, Family Production on its first game Boksu Mujeong1, before leaving and founding the (initially) 2-man team Trigger Soft with employee no. 1 Jeong Musik. Lacking a programmer, they produced their first couple of games in cooperation with other companies: At first they helped out with the graphics part on SiEn Art's Into the Sun, then a company called EST Soft helped out with their own Last Laibers. The first big success, however, that put the company on everyone's radar, was War Diary, an RTS based around the Japanese invasions into Korea at the end of the 16th century. Their partner this time was the indie developer HQ Team, which eventually became the other poster child for Korean RTS games2.
After more successes with above-average attention from overseas publishers, the company seemed to have stumbled over the gap to the MMO market. Its first online game, Rhakmu, was shut down after a short open beta phase, and while developing Rose Online, it was absorbed by the games publisher, Gravity, in May 20053.
Jeong Musik was also the co-founder of the Korea Game Developers Association (KGDA), from September 2000 until today the longest-living association of Korean game developers that also hosts the Korean Game Conference since 2001, and became its first chairman4. He left Trigger Soft in 2003 for NC Soft, and switched companies once again in 2006, when he co-founded Gorilla Banana with CEO Kim Chanjun, where he is developing Red Blood5.
President Kim Mun'gyu's immediate future unfortunately seems to have been not so bright. In 2006 he appeared as the CEO of a company called Digmsoft6, which vanished without having released anything. After developing smartphone ports of the racing game series Revolt for WeGo Interactive, his second comeback in 2014 at the head of the smartphone game developer The One Games7 seems a bit more auspicious.
Games
Into the Sun (인투더썬): Projected Distruction - IBM PC (July 1995)
As the first project, Trigger Soft provided the graphics for this SiEn Art game.
Quick Info:
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Developer: |
SiEn Art |
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Publisher: |
G&M |
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Genre: |
Shoot-'em-Up: Horizontal |
Into the Sun (IBM PC)
Into the Sun (IBM PC)
라스트레이버즈 (Last Laibers) - IBM PC (February 1996)
Cover
There is no description for this game yet. If you happen to own/have played it and want to contribute, please get in touch on the forums.
Quick Info:
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Developer: |
Trigger Soft |
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Publisher: |
Orange Soft |
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Genre: |
Strategy |
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Theme: |
Mechas |
Last Laibers (IBM PC)
Last Laibers (IBM PC)
Last Laibers (IBM PC)
Last Laibers (IBM PC)
Last Laibers (IBM PC)
Last Laibers (IBM PC)
충무공전 (Chung Mugong-jeon) / War Diary - IBM PC (June 1996)
Korean Cover
European Cover
There is no description for this game yet. If you happen to own/have played it and want to contribute, please get in touch on the forums.
Quick Info:
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Developer: |
Trigger Soft |
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Publisher: |
Orange Soft |
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Genre: |
Strategy |
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Theme: |
Korean History |
War Diary (IBM PC)
War Diary (IBM PC)
War Diary (IBM PC)
War Diary (IBM PC)
패닉 솔져 (Panic Soldier) - IBM PC (November 1996)
European Cover
There is no description for this game yet. If you happen to own/have played it and want to contribute, please get in touch on the forums.
Quick Info:
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Developer: |
Trigger Soft |
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Publisher: |
Mediasoft |
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Genre: |
Strategy |
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Theme: |
Mechas |
Panic Soldier (IBM PC))
Panic Soldier (IBM PC))
Panic Soldier (IBM PC))
Panic Soldier (IBM PC))
Panic Soldier (IBM PC))
장보고전 (Jang Bogo-jeon) - Windows (March 20, 1998)
There is no description for this game yet. If you happen to own/have played it and want to contribute, please get in touch on the forums.
Quick Info:
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Developer: |
Trigger Soft |
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Publisher: |
ST Entertainment |
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Genre: |
Strategy |
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Theme: |
Korean History |
Jang Bogo-jeon (Windows)
Jang Bogo-jeon (Windows)
Jang Bogo-jeon (Windows)
Jang Bogo-jeon (Windows)
퇴마전설 (Toema Jeonseol) / Legend of Ghost Hunter / Legend of TeMa / Akuma: Demon Spawn / Lamentation Sword - Windows (September 20, 1998)
Cover
Artwork
There is no description for this game yet. If you happen to own/have played it and want to contribute, please get in touch on the forums.
Quick Info:
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Developer: |
Trigger Soft |
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Publisher: |
E2 Soft |
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Genre: |
Action RPG |
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Theme: |
Fantasy: Far East |
Toema Jeonseol (Windows)
Toema Jeonseol (Windows)
Toema Jeonseol (Windows)
Toema Jeonseol (Windows)
Toema Jeonseol (Windows)
보스 1999 (Boss 1999) - Windows (November 1998)
Budget Release Cover
There is no description for this game yet. If you happen to own/have played it and want to contribute, please get in touch on the forums.
Quick Info:
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Developer: |
Trigger Soft |
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Publisher: |
Sof.net |
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Genre: |
Strategy |
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Theme: |
Crime |
Boss 1999 (Windows)
Boss 1999 (Windows)
Boss 1999 (Windows)
Boss 1999 (Windows)
Boss 1999 (Windows)
충무공전2 (Chung Mugong-jeon II) - Windows (June 12, 1999)
Cover
There is no description for this game yet. If you happen to own/have played it and want to contribute, please get in touch on the forums.
Quick Info:
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Developer: |
Trigger Soft |
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Publisher: |
E2 Soft |
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Genre: |
Strategy |
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Theme: |
Korean History |
Chung Mugong-jeon II (Windows)
Chung Mugong-jeon II (Windows)
Chung Mugong-jeon II (Windows)
Chung Mugong-jeon II (Windows)
Chung Mugong-jeon II (Windows)
Chung Mugong-jeon II (Windows)
Chung Mugong-jeon II (Windows)
퇴마전설2 (Toema Jeonseol 2): Blood Aria - Windows (May 18, 2001)
Korean Cover
Russian Cover
There is no description for this game yet. If you happen to own/have played it and want to contribute, please get in touch on the forums.
Artwork
Artwork
Quick Info:
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Developer: |
Trigger Soft |
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Publisher: |
eSofnet |
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Genre: |
Action RPG |
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Theme: |
Fantasy: Far East |
Toema Jeonseol 2 (Windows)
Toema Jeonseol 2 (Windows)
Toema Jeonseol 2 (Windows)
Toema Jeonseol 2 (Windows)
Toema Jeonseol 2 (Windows)
Toema Jeonseol 2 (Windows)
태조왕건 ~제국의 아침~ (Taejo Wang Geon: Jeguk-ui Achim) / Dawn of Empire - Windows (November 23, 2001)
Korean Cover
German Cover
There is no description for this game yet. If you happen to own/have played it and want to contribute, please get in touch on the forums.
Quick Info:
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Developer: |
Trigger Soft |
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Publisher: |
E2 Soft |
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Genre: |
Strategy |
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Theme: |
Korean History |
Taejo Wang Geon: Jeguk-ui Achim (Windows)
Taejo Wang Geon: Jeguk-ui Achim (Windows)
Taejo Wang Geon: Jeguk-ui Achim (Windows)
Taejo Wang Geon: Jeguk-ui Achim (Windows)
Taejo Wang Geon: Jeguk-ui Achim (Windows)
라크무: 영광의 땅 (Rhakmu: Yeonggwang-ui Ttang) - Windows (April 10, 2003 [open beta])
Artwork
There is no description for this game yet. If you happen to own/have played it and want to contribute, please get in touch on the forums.
Quick Info:
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Developer: |
Trigger Soft |
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Publisher: |
NHN |
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Genre: |
Strategy |
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Theme: |
Fantasy |
Rhakmu (Windows)
Rhakmu (Windows)
Rhakmu (Windows)
Rhakmu (Windows)
Rhakmu (Windows)
Rhakmu (Windows)
Rhakmu (Windows)
ROSE Online (로즈온라인) - Windows (September 15, 2004 [open beta]; January 20, 2005)
Artwork
Originally under the working title Seven Hearts (세븐하츠), Triggersoft was working on the cutesy, free-to-play MMORPG when the developer was bought by Gravity. ROSE Online (ROSE is short for "Rush On Seven Episodes," whatever that's supposed to mean) also became their last game before the team was disbanded. Servers were shut off April 25, 2007.
Quick Info:
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Developer: |
Trigger Soft |
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Publisher: |
Gravity |
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Genre: |
MMORPG |
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Theme: |
Fantasy |
ROSE Online (Windows)
ROSE Online (Windows)
ROSE Online (Windows)
Unreleased Titles:
Eternos Stone (1995)
카오스 (Chaos) (1999-2000)
References
1. PC Power Zine 6/1999, page 270
2. Gamespot Korea - Self Story: Trigger Soft's Jeong Musik (2)
3. iNews24 5/4/2005
4. KGDA History
5. Kyunghyang Games 11/15/2011
6. Game Job - Digmsoft Company Profile
7. ET News 09/12/2014