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Ragnarok Online 2 shutting down in Southeast Asia
Ragnarok Online 2 isn't exactly taking the world by storm as of late. Following the title's closure in Korea last year, Ragnarok Online 2 is closing its doors in Singapore and Malaysia on October 9th. There is a pretty bright spot to this story, however, as Asiasoft's version of the game will accept account transfers from affected players. "Following the opening of Ragnarok 2's Odin Server to Philippine players last month, we are thrilled to be continuing the global expansion of Warpportal's Ragnarok Online 2 by welcoming all players from Southeast Asia regions!" Asiasoft posted. Southeast Asian players will not be able to access their characters until October 9th, and none of their Kafra Points will make the leap over to the new server.
PSO2 English servers launching in SE Asia, SEGA can't talk about the game
MMO Culture reports that Phantasy Star Online 2's first English server will launch this week. Don't get too excited, though, because Asiasoft is aiming the service at players in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Phillippines. SEGA refuses to talk about what's next in terms of a possible western PSO2 client, even going so far as to list the game on its "things-we-can't-answer" slide at a recent convention. [Thanks alleomurand!]
Heroes of the Storm heads to Southeast Asia
We already knew Heroes of the Storm was heading to China, but now Blizzard has inked a deal to bring Heroes -- and possibly other games -- to more of Southeast Asia. Expanding on Blizzard's existing agreement with Asiasoft -- which currently distributes Diablo 3, StarCraft 2, and World of Warcraft in Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore -- the deal now includes Heroes of the Storm and features distribution to the Philippines as well. Marketing and operation for the game in the Philippines will be handled by Asiasoft subsidiary Level Up! Inc. No launch date has been set for Heroes of the Storm -- currently in technical alpha -- domestically or internationally, but we assume it will arrive on the traditional Blizzard schedule of "when it's ready."
Phantasy Star Online 2 gets English localization... in SE Asia
Phantasy Star Online 2 may not be coming to America any time soon, but an English version is coming to southeast Asia courtesy of publisher Asiasoft. MMO Culture took the newly localized client for a test drive and the site reports that the game's visual customization is outstanding, as is the English translation. The piece also has nice things to say about the game's combat from the perspective of a machine gun- and grenade launcher-wielding Ranger.
Ragnarok Online 2 closing in Korea next month
Ragnarok Online 2's days are numbered -- if you're living in South Korea, that is. If you're in North Korea, you're probably more concerned about central heating and plumbing than the availability of an MMO. Citing few players, Gravity announced that it will be taking Ragnarok Online 2 offline in Korea on December 23rd. The developer did include a hint of hope in the shutdown notice that the game could return in the future. While this may be cause for concern to those playing Ragnarok Online 2 in other regions, the company said that the service will continue for North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
Phantasy Star Online 2 English version coming to Southeast Asia
Despite the fact that Sega delayed Phantasy Star Online 2's North American launch earlier this year, fans of the game in Southeast Asia will be happy to hear that an English version is coming their way as well. A specific release date for either territory hasn't been given, but online game publisher Asiasoft has confirmed in an investor relations report (as reported by Gamespot UK) that they will be distributing both PSO2 and DC Universe Online to the Southeast Asia market. [Thanks to BGO for the tip!]
Ragnarok Online 2 releases in Europe
Ragnarok Online 2: Legend of the Second has been given the keys to Europe, as Gravity Europe announced that the free-to-play title is now available to play across the continent. The game comes with a new English translation, and promises to be "easier to dive into" than the original Ragnarok Online. Gravity Managing Director Yves Bléhaut said of the launch, "For us, Ragnarok Online 2 represents a major step in the life of a brand with as high a profile as Ragnarok. First and foremost, hosting so many players on two continents simultaneously represents a technical challenge for both us and our American partner, and it's also a major editorial step as two versions of Ragnarok will coexist: RO1 for purists, and one more accessible to the general public, RO2." Ragnarok Online 2 has been rolling out worldwide over the past few months. Gravity Europe is offering two different goodie packs through "specialized media" to promote the launch. [Source: Gravity Europe press release]
Ragnarok Online 2 is now available at a Steam store near you
Ragnarok Online 2 hit Steam yesterday, to the undoubted delight of Midgardians everywhere. The game brings back some of the mainstays of the original: Familiar classes, pets, cards, and other systems have all been included in the sequel. A lot of what makes Midgard home to players is available; it just happens to be returning in an updated and immersive 3-D world. Ragnarok Online 2 is a free-to-play title and will be supported by item shop transactions. You can catch videos of the game on its Steam page. [Thanks to groovy webizen Eric for the tip!]
Ragnarok Online 2 open beta denied to most of the world
Do you have your heart set on trying out the betalicious Ragnarok Online 2? Well, unless you are reading this from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, or Vietnam, you're fresh out of luck. While Ragnarok Online 2's open beta begins tomorrow, Asiasoft posted the news that it will be unavailable outside of those four countries "due to [its] license agreement with the game's developer, Gravity Co., Ltd." The open beta was previously scheduled to begin on December 27th of last year but apparently ran into unspecified problems. [Thanks to Anthony and Ville for the tip!]
Ragnarok Online 2 open beta begins
Ragnarok Online 2 crosses the open beta threshold for its English version today, as any and all players are welcome to give this MMO sequel a spin. The game is a reworking of the first title, and brings back the job system, professions, the card system, and pets. There's also a way to set up your character to act as a player vendor while you're offline. The open beta may be undergoing hiccups right now, as the official website is down and Wikipedia is reporting "connection problems." We'll be keeping an eye on its progress for those of you interested in this title!
Ragnarok Online 2 closed beta ended today, switches to open December 27th
For the past six days, Ragnarok Online 2's closed beta testers have been participating in what online game operator Asiasoft Online called a "wildly successful" CBT run. As of today, the closed beta is kaput; the studio has moved on to fixing the technical issues and squashing the in-game bugs folks encountered during that test in preparation for the upcoming open beta period. Starting on December 27th, players will be able to access the open beta, and shortly thereafter, the cash shop will be introduced. In a press release issued today, Sherman Tan, Chairman of Aisiasoft Online, expressed gratitude for the response and thanked all of the participating testers who contributed to improving the game. He stated, "The Ragnarok Online 2 [beta] launch has been one of our biggest successes and we are very humbled and encouraged by the overwhelming response from players who filled our game servers during the CBT period." To get in the open beta, visit the official site to download the free client. [Source: Asiasoft Online press release]
Trion signs another RIFT publishing deal, brings game to southeast Asia
Trion has announced the latest step in its plans for global domination, and it takes the form of a publishing agreement for the southeast Asian market. It was only a couple of weeks ago that RIFT landed the biggest MMO deal ever for a western title in the Chinese market, and now Trion's online fantasy brand will be available in Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand as well. The company is partnering with Asiasoft to make it happen, and CEO Lars Buttler says it's another example of what sets his firm apart from the competition. "Trion has a global view when it comes to delivering premium games, and our initiatives to bring RIFT to Asia through some of the industry's biggest collaborations sets Trion apart from other Western game developers." [Source: Trion press release]
World of Warcraft makes inroads into southeast Asia
World of Warcraft may be slipping in the subscription department over this past year, but a recent deal may change all that. Blizzard has signed a contract with game publisher Asiasoft to bring the title to three additional countries: Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. Blizzard's Paul Sams sees this move as a great way to expand ever further: "One of our top priorities is ensuring that our games are easily accessible to players all around the world. We are confident that as a leading online game services provider in southeast Asia, Asiasoft will help us reach many new players in this growing region." Asia is one of WoW's biggest markets, with countries like China producing massive amounts of players who are into the game. Under the terms of this deal, Asiasoft will get the rights to publish World of Warcraft and all of its expansion packs to the three countries, as well as Starcraft II and Diablo III.
Rise and Shiny recap: Monster Forest
Monster Forest, brought to us by Asiasoft, is a deceptive little game. First of all, it feels so freshly translated that there are still bits of foreign language clinging to quest text and character speech. But the sheer amount of little games and systems involved makes me feel like I am revisiting Mabinogi for the first time. If you took a collectible pet game, a farming system, turn-based combat, a stock market, and several other major systems and wrapped them in a cartoony skin, you would get Monster Forest. Heck, we did get Monster Forest. Also, the GMs from Asiasoft are insane. Now, I am fully aware of the cultural differences between West and East. I respect them and always remember to avoid applying any stereotypes to any one group. But let's face it, North American game developers would never ask their GMs to dress up like the person in this video to film a game guide. It just wouldn't happen, unless the North American crew was attempting to be silly. To the lady in the video, this is just another day at the office. Anyway, let's find out some more details -- click past the cut!
Private MapleStory servers targeted for shutdown
In news that should surprise precisely nobody at all, AsiaSoft, an Eastern distributor of Nexon's MapleStory, has started targeting private MapleStory servers for shutdown. According to Asiaone Digital, it seems that one such person named Sean Lee is now under scrutiny by AsiaSoft for running a fairly popular server in Singapore. What started as a server run out of his bedroom for a handful of friends has blossomed into a server supporting 32,000 MapleStory players just a few short months later. Sure, it may not sound like much - until you realize that of the people polled for the story, half said they play on private servers. When faced with potentially as much as 50% of your userbase playing on private servers, you're talking about a very significant loss of revenue for AsiaSoft, and in turn, Nexon. That said, Sean is awaiting a formal take-down from AsiaSoft, even knowing he's currently being targeted along with several others for running illicit MapleStory servers. He stated that he's continuing to run it for the players because "If [he shuts] it down, [he] will be letting them down." Additionally, his parents allow him to run the server with full knowledge of what he's doing, so long as he agrees to take it down when AsiaSoft asks him to. Perhaps it's just us, but if we knew we were about to get a visit from men in nice suits who had legal documents that talked about things like "seeking financial damages", we'd be out of the pirated game server business quickly. Still, it's an interesting read, so be sure to check out the full story. [Via Kotaku]
