According to this news item from Manila Bulletin, the online game RAN has toppled Ragnarok.
Ragnarok was the first MMORPG released in the Philippines. This game was the first to introduce the use of prepaid cards. Players would have to buy cards in various denominations to be able to play. For example, some players pay around P50 (one US dollar) for 7 hours of playing time. Others may pay P350 for a month’s unlimited playing time.
In contrast, RAN offers a different revenue model. Players can get into RAN freely. There is no subscription fee to play. RAN earns income from ‘renting out’ special items into the game. Items that would increase attack power or increase the experience gain of characters are rented out for a limited amount of time.
Does it work? My friend explains to me, “RAN is actually forcing me to subconsciously spend more than Ragnarok.” He says players like him want to have ‘better’ items. He want to level up their characters
faster. He have the money to spend and he does spend it just to be better.
In a country like the Philippines, a business model like RAN’s will definitely work. It directly connects to the ‘impulse buying’ culture of most pinoys.
December 9th, 2006 at 7:41 pm
Dugg
I agree with you (but my former employers will not accept that fact).
December 11th, 2006 at 1:24 pm
Well if it’s any consolation for them, I do like RF online and might actually play it.
December 24th, 2006 at 12:56 am
Well, in my PoV, Ragnarok Online won’t be able to take hold of the #1 spot any longer. In fact, pRO was able to keep its spot longer than anyone expected, so it is only right to say that pRO won the competition, considering it has been around since 2003. An almost 3-year reign, with all the competitors around, that’s a big success already.
It is about time that pRO passed on the #1 spot for the POG (Philippine Online Game), people were expecting it to be Mu Online, but RAN Online overrun Mu, now that’s only in the MMOG scene, MOCG (Multiplayer Onlien Casual Game) is another story.
^_^
Merry Christmas!
June 1st, 2007 at 11:14 pm
Well… I disagree with both the posts’ conclusion that free-to-play “will work” in the Philippines and passing the torch so other games. On F2P working, to some extent, it will. But it will not be truly successful since our player base is very low compared to other countries where gaming (and internet penetration is high). Honestly, what is the ratio of Ran’s paying base vs. the playing?
Now, it’s 2007 and RO is still number 1.
June 2nd, 2007 at 9:26 am
Hi Tristan, you confused me. You disagree that free-to-play “will work” and then in the next sentence you said that it will work “to some extent.” You just negated your own statement.
June 2nd, 2007 at 9:31 am
I think most LU competitors agree that pRO held the #1 spot for 3 years, and most IP E-games competitors agree that RAN’s “paying vs playing” customers is the “real” question if the game is really successful and/or #1.
But I think today, these competitors agree that RAN took the spot from pRO. And that’s for this year 2007, this is not my opinion, this is what the “discussion” of the competitors of LU and IPE. This is the PoV of the people outside of both companies.
It is also interesting to note that these competitors know how to be realistic, in the sense that, they recognize the games of their competitors to be higher in ranking (locally that is) than their own games.
However, it is understandable that the publisher of the two games mentioned - pRO and RAN - will not publicly accept the other one to be higher than their own product, after all, it is about “competition” and “publicity”.
But, the outside world says otherwise, the iCafe owners, iCafe chains, the gamers, and even the competitors of the two mentioned companies.
Interesting to observe how LU and IPE take this competition with the words “Number 1 Online Game in the Philippines” :p
July 11th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
Mr GM Tristan, you have to accept that fact that Ragnarok is no longer in its spot as no. 1 MMORPG in the country. Your statement is Biased and how can you say you’re still no.1 while your number of players and servers are decreasing? Please just accept the fact that your glory is over. Nothing is permanent.
July 18th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
yeah, it only shows that Free2Play tactic is much better than Pay-to-play because most gamers here in the Phil. belong to middle and lower-class families, meaning they value money very much… Well, it is better to have the paying part in buying premium items to buff your character(s) than to have it on the playing time, which is really unfair…
July 19th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
ahahaha amf naman ro d ko maintindihan ung pag download xD ang hirap d kc ako marunong ^_^
July 25th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Watch out guys. PERFECT WORLD will soon top all games here in the country. Check it out!
September 19th, 2007 at 8:36 am
If my memory serves me right..GM Tristan is a member of GM Team of Levelupgames who handles the ragnarok online games.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:50 am
hmmm… Ragnarok is setting a new strategy, “a free-to-play”, so Mr. Tristan… what do you mean by this, “Well… I disagree with both the posts’ conclusion that free-to-play “will work” in the Philippines”… and this, “On F2P working, to some extent, it will. But it will not be truly successful…” rationalize a deeper thought… it is very disorganize, yes and a no now you are going to have a F2P ragnarok????
Doppelgamer made a huge point… no beggars can socialize in a starbucks coffee shop or even buy a genuine gucci bag… what they will do is buy a 3-in-1 coffee or buy a fake gucci bag… almost same taste and same looks… but affordable by their level.
LU’s target before is only up to CLASS B people… while IPE targets up to CLASS D. BUT now, the target of LU specifically Ragnarok is up to Class D… Lets see if LU can regain their spot in the Philippines…
November 4th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
“Perfect World” anyone?
November 15th, 2007 at 2:17 am
ran online is da best game ever coz itz free 2 play and the graphic is better than ragnarok!!!!
November 17th, 2007 at 5:26 am
ok ang RAN na free to play… kapag high level ka na at trip mo lng ipakita skills mo at gusto mo lng tumambay pra display armor, weapons, skills mo at makipag chat di mo na kelangan ng game time, unlike ragna, MU or any pay for play na OL game… mamaw na charakter, naka ilang rebirth kana kapag wla kang pang load… wawa ka.. hehehe
November 20th, 2007 at 6:39 am
ellow po pano po magka ran both
December 2nd, 2007 at 10:34 am
pRO now has a F2P server.. The number of players reached to 12,000. BTW, pRO is already 4 years here in this industry. Unlike pRO, Ran is “nakaka-SAWA.” 1 year palang RAN? at madami na nasawa? lol goodluck nlng xD.
December 24th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Ran is the most exciting online game and it is better than ragnarok. In Ragnarok when your in a high level you just help others to level up but in ran when your in a high level you can battle more monsters and be champ.
December 25th, 2007 at 2:46 am
masasabi ko lang pRO tlga the best!
ung RAN nkakasawa tpos hirap maabot ang highest lvl d kagaya ng ragna hangang 99 lang
then sa ran pag mamaw kna la na skill mo lang armor un lang ung cw lang gana pag may pu max aus na d kagaya ng ragna sulit ung load mo kc aus ung mga events WoE cool ginagamitan tlga ng utak!
d kagaya ng ran lvl lang lang pinagbabasihan
tpos ngaun may F2P na ang ragna Im sure #1 nanaman ang pRO!
RAN marami ang nag quiting na player!!!!!!!
sa ragna marami ang bumabalik!!!!!!!!
January 9th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
totoo mga tol lahat ng games ay nkaka addict kaya mabuti pa laro ng laro ng hindi na bored sa bahay lahat nang mga yan ay likha ng tao….
February 10th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Well, I won’t be surprised. Though I haven’t tried playing RAGNAROK, I bet it’s not as crappy at Ran Online, but hey I play Ran Online just because my friends are there. But guess what, Ran Online sucks for the following reasons:
Laging LAG (most especially weekends swerte mo na lang kung makapasok ka)
Laging may BUG
Not to mention, Mabagal ang response ng helpdesk.
Inaabot ng ilang buwan di na a-update ang website.
Panget ang mga bagong items nila.
Hinde kumpleto ang game info sa website.
A bunch of technical errors and client crashing and so much more.
March 19th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
hello everybody..
maganda nmn pareho ang RAN at RO eh…
parehas silang may advantages at disadvantages…
sa RO (advantages):
=masaya
=maraming quest
=talagang challenging
(disadvantages):
=meron prin ung p2p nila
=ung f2p nila maraming pagbabago
sa RAN (advantages):
=f2p
=matagal tagal na palipas oras
=masaya rin
(disadvantages):
=madaling pagsawaan
=pa ulit ulit quest
=laging full mga servers
=kawawa nmn ung mga poor people wala sila special items panu pa kaya kung PK server sila, edi lagi sila dedz sa mga rich na lod ng lod.
pero ako BOTH nagquit na ako, RO kasi andami private server, mas masaya hehehe, sa RAN namn nakakatamad lalo na kung malakas ka na, gawain mo nlng display… anu pa kuwenta yaman mo sa RAN kung lod ka ng lod diba??