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Ragnarok Odyssey: 60 Percent of Japanese Players Never Played Ragnarok Online

Ravi Sinha — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 06:19:35 +0000

Now this is an interesting observation. Ragnarok Odyssey Ace was recently announced to be an expanded version of the original game released for PS Vita. However, the game itself was based off GungHo Entertainment’s highly successful Ragnarok Online MMORPG for PC. Surely that meant fans of the original franchise are the ones who bought in?

Not necessarily. According to director Kazuhiro Irie on GungHo’s developer spotlight, “We’ve actually collected data that shows about 60% of Japanese Ragnarok Odyssey players have never played Ragnarok Online. I think that proves you don’t need to play the original MMORPG to immerse yourself in the world of Ragnarok.”

It indeed does. However, another phenomenon has been observed: Just because gamers like a particular franchise doesn’t mean they’ll hop on board with an MMO game based on it. Final Fantasy XIV immediately comes to mind.

Ragnarok Odyssey Ace, meanwhile, is slated to release in July this year for Japan.

Source: Siliconera

Grasshopper Manufacture Acquired by Ragnarok Online Publisher

Ravi Sinha — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 10:28:55 +0000

Gungho Online Entertainment, publisher of the famous MMORPG Ragnarok Online, has recently announced that it has acquired Grasshopper Manufacture, the premiere Japanese developer behind No More Heroes, Killer 7 and the upcoming Killer is Dead.

In a statement translated by Gematsu, the publisher stated, “Gungho is fusing the planning and development power of Grasshopper Manufacture with the power of managing online games cultivated by both companies to produce higher quality content.”

This adds to the impressive repertoire of studios Gungho Online Entertainment has acquired thus far, which includes Game Arts (of Grandia and Lunar fame, currently working on the upcoming Dokuro), Gravity Co. and Acquire.

Killer is Dead will still be published by Kadokawa Games in Japan and is rumoured to be published by XSeed Games in the West. The company is most famous for its outlandish titles which have captured the imagine of gamers since the Nintendo Gamecube days, with Killer is Dead continuing the tradition of slick cel-shaded graphics and stylish violence.

Source: GIBiz