Ragnarok maker to release new 3D online game in RP

The game that defines the cutting-edge in massively multiplayer role playing games (MMORPG) has come to the Philippines — and it arrives with added value.

The Intellectual Property Ventures Group Corp. (IPVG), an information technology and communications company, is set to release Granado Espada (GE), the newest, full 3D MMORPG developed by Hakkyu Kim, the producer of Ragnarok Online.

At a press conference announcing IPVG’s newest online game, Thomas Chong Wei Hian of Singapore’s Infocom Asia Holdings Pte. Ltd. (IAH) discussed GE’s subtle but value-added features.

The result is a completely unique, immersive virtual world, filled with post-Renaissance ingenuity, Baroque artistry and other worldly wonders.

GE was developed by Hakkyu’s game development company IMC Games, which invested $56 million into the creation of the MMORPG. It utilizes the latest 3D technology and sound effects that rival the best in the industry today in terms of quality.

"This game also integrates educational features," Hian said. "In fact, IAH has partnered with Singapore’s education department to integrate the use of MMORPG in the curriculum as a tool for teaching lessons on history, the arts and related subjects."

Infocomm Asia Holdings (IAH) is the regional distributor of GE and, through its partnership with IPVG, the Singaporean online game operator will be able to expand its reach in the region.

Hian added that what seems to be an unlikely partnership between the gaming industry and the education sector "holds huge potential for expanding the range of teaching tools available to educators and students."

For IPVG, launching this new MMORPG goes beyond just enjoying the game and the profits it generates. IP e-Games president and COO Steve Tsao said: "We are actively taking part in making our your future-compliant." IP e-Games is part of the IPVG family of companies.

IPVG CEO Enrique Gonzales explained his firm’s partnership with IAH as "a partnership between equals who share the same value system and who have similar goals."

As for the game, GE is set in a detailed fantastic gameworld that reflects the 17th century and New World colonial exploration, where the technological tools of that period fuse with magic and wizardry. 

Gonzales also said IPVG envisions a partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) to develop in the Philippines capacities to use computer gaming and online gaming as an educational tool.

"In the United States, (former) President Bill Clinton ensured that every public school had Internet access and that has given the US a great advantage in terms of education," Gonzales said. "If the Philippines does not catch up, if we do not grant open access to our students, we will be left behind."

He hopes that the realization of this vision will begin with the GE launch: "There is great potential for learning using online games like GE. The good part is that, with online gaming as a teaching tool, students’ interest in the subjects games will be used for can be held and a new partnership will be forged." Open access to the Internet and to the wealth of online data would also help greatly, he added.

This same 3D technology and attention to minute detail that gives GE its gaming appeal, Hien said, "is what (also) makes GE ideally suited for use as a tool for education. Now gamers can see faithful reproductions of Baroque period artworks and other information to which they may not have easy access"

"We are bringing the best of the best into the Philippines with GE," Gonzales said. "We are not waiting four or five years to bring this to Filipinos. We are bringing it in now so we can deliver both enjoyment and education."