MANILA, Philippines – The publishers of the relaunched Ragnarok Online held a press conference on Friday, May 13, to reveal new details of the game, including the release window for its closed beta phase.

The press conference crowd, a mix of seasoned RO players and some media who evidently grew up playing the title, cheered some of their announcements – an indication that the game has retained considerable appeal, two years after its original run ended in the Philippines. (Read: Ragnarok Online PH closed beta starts mid-June)

Rappler interviewed the publishers – Ken Piromward of Extreme Electronics and Johnny Paek of Elite Global Sourcing – asking them, among others, why they were reviving the title and their thoughts on today’s online gaming landscape.

Piromward, a former RO world championship contender, said that their biggest goal is to restore the game and its community to a level where it can hold world championships again. He also noted that the game still has strong ties in the Philippines even now. 

RO relaunched in Thailand in 2016. It returns to the Philippines, on closed beta, in mid-June. The publishers plan to reestablish the title in other Asian territories thereafter. Watch the full interview above. – Rappler.com