RF Online returns to PH in November 2017

Gelo Gonzales

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RF Online returns to PH in November 2017
RF Online, the sci-fi MMORPG popular in the late 2000s, makes its return in closed beta form

MANILA, Philippines – Playpark, the Philippine subsidiary of Thai software publishing company Asiasoft, will relaunch RF Online in the Philippines in November 2017 as a closed beta. A wider open beta release will follow in December 2017.

Playpark will be releasing an announcement soon on how to register for the closed beta. As for the open beta, players are required to sign up for a Playmall ID at Playpark.com. 

RF Online is a sci-fi MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) that was immensely popular in the mid to late 2000s, originally released in the Philippines in 2007.

RF Online was developed by South Korean game makers CCR Inc. The game enjoyed a run of 6 years from 2007 to 2013, fighting for MMORPG gamers’ attention alongside contemporaries Ragnarok Online, MU Online, and Perfect World to name a few. 

Like Ragnarok Online, RF Online was also published by Level Up! Games during its original run. Gamers might remember that Ragnarok Online was also relaunched this year under new publishers Extreme Electronics and Elite Global Outsourcing Inc. 

So why is RF Online being tapped for a reboot in the Philippine market? 

Niel Caruncho, RF‘s product manager, said that the uniqueness of the game’s content is the biggest factor. “RF Online remains unique, occupying a niche that has never been filled. We know this because we reached out to players in the Philippines, and up to now, they’re playing RF – playing modded versions, or playing in private servers. The cult following is just immense,” Caruncho said.  

RF Online banks on its sci-fi lore featuring three warring factions: the Holy Alliance of Cora, the United Bellato Federation, and the Accretia Empire. The Holy Alliance are the heavy magic users whose culture is rooted in theocracy; the Federation makes use of mechanized units and is steadfast in their pursuit to enforce their motto, “Freedom Of Conquest”; and the Empire, which has traded in flesh for metal, entering the war as high-powered “tin cans.” 

Caruncho hopes to recreate what made RF Online so addictive: massive, constant PvP (player vs. player) battles. “PvP always has the potential to be massive in RF Online, and it is online and pervasive. You jump in at any time, at any level, and you can participate in wars against the other races. The wars become so engaging that sometimes these inter- and cross-faction politics tend to be larger than virtual life,” Caruncho said.

Outside the game world, RF gamers from each faction have the tendency to bunch together, and form a real-life brotherhood because of their great in-game experiences. 

To support the community, Caruncho also annonced that they will be touring the country to organize tournaments. They envision producing a champion from each city nationwide, with the champions battling one another in two season-ending events annually. 

Expect RF Online to undergo improvements too. Caruncho said they will be modernizing the game experience, as well as enhancing the game’s resolution.

RF, as many gamers know, was released at a time when HD wasn’t yet the norm and when high-speed internet wasn’t yet pervasive. 

“We are working on a revamped and more e-sport-friendly system of tournament mechanics. We are also working with streamers and other content creators to push RF Online to the forefront of modern channels available like Twitch. And on the technical side, we have invested in triple-A quality anti-hacking/cheating security systems,” Caruncho added. 

Playpark gets bigger

Aside from announcing the return of RF Online, Playpark had other announcements at their event in Quezon City on Tuesday, October 24.

They announced that 1.1 million Filipinos are now playing Special Force since they relaunched it last year. A new server will be launched for another MMORPG, Perfect World, which has been running for 10 years now. The longest-running online game in the Philippines, Audition, a dance game, will be getting a new level in November and will soon have a log-in-via-Facebook feature. 

Playpark has announced that it is launching two other new games as well: fantasy MMORPG Luna Online and tower-defense title War Of Heroes

Playpark also introduced the Philippines’ representatives to the Special Force World Championship Online in Bangkok, Thailand happening from December 1 to 3, 2017: Team Wagas and Team Essence.

Days after the tourney, the company will be holding Playpark XP, which they’re touting as the biggest gamer Christmas party in Asia, happening on December 10, 2017. – Rappler.com

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Gelo Gonzales

Gelo Gonzales is Rappler’s technology editor. He covers consumer electronics, social media, emerging tech, and video games.