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{{Short description|Online gaming service based in the United States (1994-1998)}}
{{for|the Japanese division of DWANGO which has been spun off as a separate company|Dwango (company)}}
{{Infobox VG online service
|title          = DWANGO
|logo           =[[File:Dial-up Wide-Area Network Game Operation.png|frameless]]
|caption        =Logo
|developer      = Interactive Visual Systems
|type           = Online service
|released       = December 1994<ref name="mastersofdoom"/>
|discontinued = October 1998
|platform       = [[DOS]], [[Microsoft Windows]]
|members        =
|website        ={{cite web |url=http://www.dwango.com |title=Official website |accessdate=January 16, 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19980207042117/http://www.dwango.com/ |archivedate=February 7, 1998 }}
}}
The '''Dial-up Wide-Area Network Game Operation''', better known by the [[acronym]] '''DWANGO''', was an early [[online game|online gaming]] service based in the [[United States]]. Launched in [[1994 in video gaming|1994]], it was originally known for its compatibility with ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'', for which it functioned as a matchmaking service for [[online multiplayer]]. The service also supported various other titles, including other [[id Software]] games such as ''[[Doom II]]'' and ''[[Heretic (video game)|Heretic]]'' as well as titles from other companies like ''[[Duke Nukem 3D]]'', ''[[Blood (video game)|Blood]]'', and ''[[Shadow Warrior]]'' from [[3D Realms]].<ref name=UGO>{{cite web |url=http://www.ugo.com/games/history-of-online-gaming-1993-1994 |title=History of Online Gaming - 1993-1994: DOOM and DWANGO |date=July 10, 2008 |accessdate=January 16, 2013 |publisher=UGO |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014095704/http://www.ugo.com/games/history-of-online-gaming-1993-1994 |archivedate=October 14, 2012 }}</ref><ref name=FullyGaming>{{cite web|url=https://fullygaming.com/dwango-and-doom/|title=DWANGO and DOOM - A History of Gaming|publisher=Fully Gaming|date=April 5, 2018|accessdate=April 5, 2018}}</ref>

To use the service, players would pay a fee and run the DWANGO [[client software]] which would dial into a DWANGO [[server (computing)|server]]. Initially, a phone number in [[Houston, Texas]] had to be dialed, but soon a number of servers in other cities were also set up.<ref name=PCMag /> However, DWANGO's dial in approach was soon overshadowed by online multiplayer through the increasingly popular [[Internet]] and the service ceased operation in October [[1998 in video gaming|1998]].<ref name=IGN>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/10/21/dwango-dies|title=Dwango Dies|website=IGN|date=October 21, 1998|accessdate=January 16, 2013}}</ref> Its [[Dwango (company)|Japanese division]] has continued to flourish, evolving into the telecommunications/media company which now operates the [[Niconico]] [[video hosting service]] and game developer and publisher [[Spike Chunsoft]].<ref>{{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090312065850/http://info.dwango.co.jp/english/etc/group.html|archivedate=March 12, 2009|url=http://info.dwango.co.jp/english/etc/group.html|title=Dwango Co., Ltd. - Subsidiaries|publisher=Dwango|accessdate=2015-11-14}}</ref>

==History==
DWANGO was created in 1994 by Bob Huntley and Kee Kimbrell in [[Houston]], [[Texas]]. Huntley had wanted to transition his company Interactive Visual Systems from providing video training to online gaming services.<ref name=Silverman1>{{cite news|title=Dwango coming to a Microsoft Web site near you |last=Silverman|first=Dwight|date=December 2, 1997|newspaper=Houston Chronicle}}</ref> After completing initial development on the service, the two of them pitched the idea to [[id Software]]; [[John Carmack]] and other id staff were largely uninterested, but the duo found support in [[John Romero]]. Jay Wilbur negotiated a deal for 20% of DWANGO's revenues and Romero worked on the project, releasing the first version of the DWANGO software with the [[shareware]] release of ''Heretic''. Since it predated widespread consumer access to the Internet, players had to dial long distance to Houston. Even so, it was wildly popular, and the creators reaped a healthy profit from the subscription fees. Initial players paid $1.95 an hour, but by early 1995 the price dropped and ten thousand subscribers were paying $8.95 a month, some calling from as far as [[Italy]] and [[Australia]]. The company set up headquarters in [[New York City]]. Soon they set up a [[franchising]] system. A flat fee of $35,000 was charged to set up a server and the franchisee could keep the rest of the profits. In four months, 22 servers were set up across the country.<ref name="mastersofdoom">{{cite book |author=Kushner, David |title=[[Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture]] |publisher=Random House Publishing Group |year=2003 |isbn=0-375-50524-5|pages=182–187}}</ref> In 1996, the service expanded to cover [[Japan]], [[Singapore]] and [[South Korea]].<ref name=AsiaPR>{{cite press release|url=http://www.thecomputershow.com/computershow/news/dwangoasia.htm|title=DWANGO Expands its Presence in the Far East with New Servers in Japan, Singapore and South Korea|date=August 27, 1996|publisher=DWANGO|accessdate=January 16, 2013}}</ref>

By 1997, the company had systems in 23 cities around the world, but its user base was shrinking. In March, Interactive Visual Systems signed a deal with Microsoft to set up a section on the [[Internet Gaming Zone]] in an attempt to compete with increasingly popular Internet multiplayer services. The channel officially went live in December 1997;<ref name=GS97>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/dwango-set-to-open-on-microsofts-zone-2468262 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130216024625/http://www.gamespot.com/news/dwango-set-to-open-on-microsofts-zone-2468262 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 16, 2013 |title=DWANGO Set to Open on Microsoft's Zone |website=GameSpot |date=December 4, 1997 |accessdate=January 16, 2013 }}</ref> the launch had been delayed due to technical issues with the software that automatically disconnected users from the Internet then connected them to DWANGO's servers. Bob Huntley had hoped the move would increase his service's user base, but it fell short of expectations.<ref name=Silverman2 /> DWANGO increasingly relied on its low latency (guaranteed 70 ms or less) to compete with services which were cheaper and offered more content.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Christian|last=Svensson|title=Joyriding |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=35|publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=November 1997|page=28}}</ref> The "DWANGO Zone" was at the time only one of two pay sections of the site, charging an hourly rate. By this time, rival services such as [[MPlayer.com|Mplayer.com]], [[Total Entertainment Network|TEN]] and [[Heat.net]] had emerged, offering free multiplayer options in addition to paid services. The company attempted a major marketing initiative earlier in the year that was aborted when they were unable to raise sufficient [[investment capital]]. They were also struggling to get developers to add support for DWANGO to their games. Many of the titles supported by the service, such as ''[[Quake (video game)|Quake]]'' and ''[[Total Annihilation]]'' were already playable over the Internet for free. With increased competition and decreasing game support, DWANGO's subscriber base dwindled.<ref name=Silverman>{{cite news|title=Online game system shuts down|last=Silverman|first=Dwight|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=October 16, 1998|url=http://www.dwightsilverman.com/dwango.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20041214114421/http://www.dwightsilverman.com/dwango.htm|archivedate=2004-12-14|url-status=live}}</ref> It was formally shut down in 1998.<ref name=IGN /> However, its division in Japan continued to do well and continued operation as [[Dwango (company)|DWANGO Co., Ltd.]]<ref name=Silverman />

==Software and games supported==
[[File:DWANGO lobby screenshot.png|DWANGO client logged onto an Austin, Texas server, showing available games and chat|thumb|right]]
Users originally ran the DWANGO client software as a [[DOS]] application which required booting up independent of [[Windows 3.1]] into DOS mode because of hardware constraints of that era. Servers were represented by area code as during its original inception the only way to log onto DWANGO was via a dial-up modem.{{citation needed|date=January 2013}} The client featured an [[ASCII]] interface requiring users to connect via dial-up modem. Once logged in, users could chat in a lobby with other gamers and create their own launchpad for the specific game of their choice.<ref name=PCMag>{{cite magazine|title=DWANGO|last=Ryan|first=Michael E.|magazine=PC Magazine|date=October 22, 1996}}</ref> DWANGO originally supported id Software's games, and would later expand to offer games from developers and publishers such as [[3D Realms]].<ref name=UGO />

Games supported included the following:<ref name="AsiaPR" />
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
*''[[Big Red Racing]]''
*''[[Blood (video game)|Blood]]''
*''[[Descent II]]''
*''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]''
*''[[Doom II: Hell on Earth]]''
*''[[Duke Nukem 3D]]''
*''[[Final Doom]]''
*''[[Heretic (video game)|Heretic]]''
*''[[Hexen: Beyond Heretic]]''
{{col-2}}
*''[[MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat]]''
*''[[Quake (video game)|Quake]]''
*''[[Quake II]]''<ref name=Silverman2>{{cite news|title=Dwango works hard for players|last=Silverman|first=Dwight|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=May 29, 1998}}</ref>
*''[[Shadow Warrior]]''
*''[[Terminal Velocity (video game)|Terminal Velocity]]''
*''[[Total Annihilation]]''
*''[[Official versions of Doom#The Ultimate Doom|The Ultimate Doom]]''
*''[[Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness]]''
*''[[William Shatner's TekWar]]''
*''[[Witchaven]]''
{{col-end}}

==See also==
*[[XBAND]]

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
*{{cite web |url=http://www.dwango.com |title=Official website |accessdate=January 16, 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19980207042117/http://www.dwango.com/ |archivedate=February 7, 1998 }}
* [http://www.cyberty.com/dwango/ Austin DWANGO website]
* [http://steamcommunity.com/groups/DWANGO DWANGO Steam group for old acquaintances to meet up]
* [http://www.thefreelibrary.com/DWANGO+to+Host+World%27s+Largest+Deathmatch+Tournament%3B+Final+Showdown...-a017453687 Deathmatch '95 press release] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305034524/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/DWANGO+to+Host+World%27s+Largest+Deathmatch+Tournament%3B+Final+Showdown...-a017453687 |date=2016-03-05 }}

{{Online video game networks}}

[[Category:1994 establishments in Texas]]
[[Category:1998 disestablishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Former Kadokawa Corporation subsidiaries]]
[[Category:Online video game networks]]