Understanding local gamers key to AsianMedia's success

ASIAN Media Development Group’s (AsianMedia) move towards online games is welcome news for the Filipino gaming community which is hungry for quality online games. AsianMedia’s partnership with Korean gaming giant, NCsoft to distribute Lineage II in Southeast Asia opens doors for Filipino gamers to experience bigger and better games at their own terms.

As AsianMedia Chief Operating Officer, Ronald Allan Aquino comments, “Our extensive market research into local gaming behavior confirms that Pinoy gamers are ready, willing and eager to experience a higher caliber of gaming content.”

Lineage II, the medieval fantasy MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) has drawn millions of loyal fans worldwide to its combination of fantasy combat. Its unique social/ political/economic power struggles developed through the community and by the in-game actions of individual gamers are anticipated to appeal especially to Filipinos.


“Lineage II is an excellent game to spearhead our efforts towards continuously providing cutting-edge online games,” says Aquino. “Each new chronicle in Lineage II is truly massive in scope and offers new twists that will keep gamers immersed in the game.”

Marketing to a Philippine Gaming Community
In a move to make the game accessible to more Filipino gamers, access to Lineage II’s Philippine servers will be available on a prepaid card system which will allow gamers to determine the amount of time they play Lineage II.

“For now, we’re focusing on the Pay-to-Play (P2P) business model as opposed to the Free-to-Play (F2P) model because P2P games tend to attract more gamers who are prepared to commit to the game and thereby develop a sense of loyalty to the brand,” says Aquino.

Although most online gaming in the Philippines is concentrated within Metro Manila, AsianMedia will market Lineage II throughout the Philippines by tapping its existing distribution network for popular PC games like Counterstrike and GuildWars among internet gaming cafes spread throughout the country.

“Lineage II has a unique community building component and it would not be farfetched to imagine competition among clans from different provinces as well as different countries like Malaysia and Singapore who will also be playing Lineage II from the same server,” he continues.

“In terms of content, we also believe that Philippine gamers are willing to pay for superior quality game content, something which Lineage II is already known for throughout the world,” adds Aquino.

With regular updates or expansions to the game, unceasing game content development, and frequent in-game promotional events to keep gamers on their collective toes, Lineage II is particularly suited for gamers who demand value for their money.

Lineage II also features greatly improved third-person 3D graphics thanks to the Unreal Engine developed by Epic Games.

“It is without a doubt, the most breathtakingly stunning and immersive Triple-A fantasy MMORPG in the market,” adds Aquino.

AsianMedia’s research into Philippine online gaming behavior revealed that a growing segment of the gaming community is in their early to mid-20s and more likely to play online games that feature realistic characters. They also expressed a desire for games with spectacular graphics and more challenging content: qualities which Lineage II delivers in spades.

“Although we’re keeping our options open towards other types of online games in the future, we’re confident that Philippine gamers will come to the world of Lineage II, decide to stay and experience the game of their life,” concludes Aquino.

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Here are two articles published on the Philippine Star last May 14, and the Philippine Chronicles last May 11, 2007.

Lineage II South-East Asia Featured on Channel News Asia

Channel News Asia featured the much-awaited MMORPG in South-East Asia (and the Oceania region) - Lineage II by NCsoft.

This is shown on air last May 9, 2007.

HP Powers AsianMedia's Online Gaming Infrastructure for Lineage II

Singapore, May 10, 2007 -- HP has been selected as the technology provider of choice by Asian Media Development Group (AsianMedia), the Philippines’ largest PC games distributor. HP will be providing AsianMedia with an online gaming infrastructure solution consisting of ProLiant and BladeSystem servers, StorageWorks data and network storage solutions, networking products, and services.

Recently, AsianMedia signed a US$5.5 million deal with South Korea-based gaming giant NCsoft Corp. to distribute the triple-A "Play-to-Play" (P2P) online game Lineage II in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore.


Continue reading here...

Korean gaming giant to host latest online game in Southeast Asia

SINGAPORE : In what's seen as a boost for online gaming in Southeast Asia, Korean gaming giant NCsoft Corporation will be hosting, for the first time, its latest "Multiplayer Online Game" in the Philippines.

The company has sealed a US$5.5 million deal with games distributor Asian Media Development Group.

This will likely pave the way for more major games developers to choose this region to host their online games.

Lineage 2, The Chaotic Throne is an AAA game. That means it's a major production, similar to Hollywood blockbusters like Lord of the Rings and Spiderman. So it's no surprise the Lineage franchise has a subscriber base of 14 million gamers worldwide.


And so its really coming in the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia. It is about time because there are countless gamers, both L2 and non-L2 fans who are waiting for this game for years!! Many wonders why NCsoft only recently decided to give us South-East Asians our own server.

This also sealed the South-East Asian region on the online gaming market map, for many years we all but felt ignored by these giant online game developers. In fact, not just us but the Australians and New Zealand gamers as well, in some popular guild sites like the Holy Order of the Light, Australians have told their friends and guild allies that they will migrate to Lineage II - South-East Asia once it is out.

I guess this is a strong message to NCsoft, extend L2-SEA to the Autralians and New Zealand gamers! I know how they feel, it is so very hard to play on a server with a timezone that is on the other side of the world, L2-SEA is their best choice, and not only that, the Australians and New Zealand gamers will feel at home together with the South-East Asians.

So NCsoft? Do consider this seriously.


Read the rest of Channel News Asia's report about Lineage II - South-East Asia by clicking here.

Or watch this video courtesy of CNA: L2-SEA Interview.

Lineage II South-East Asia Beta Next Month

According to the TMCnet report dated May 2007, the Beta of Lineage II-SEA will start next month, meaning June 2007, and the commercial launch a month later, or July 2007.

Interesting points:

Lineage II   Lineage II-SEA   South-East Asia   NCsoft   AsianMedia   Games   Singapore   Malaysia   Philippines   Asia

• Lineage II franchise in the Asia-Pacific region represents 45% of the world market


• Nation Competitions will be added (editor note: "in-game" nations, more probably)


• Inter-server Competitions


• New Content will allow all scales of clans to have a role to prevent the exclusive possession of castles by the few elite gigantic clans


• Pre-Paid will be available in hourly, daily, weekly or monthly denominations


• Lineage II-SEA will eventually host 10 servers, compared to 8 in the US/EU region, where the number of players has reached two million subscribers


• NCsoft estimates from the Malaysian market for Lineage II, has an annual potential of U$20 million

Read the full article by clicking here.

AsianMedia Looking for Distributors

A news from TMCnet entitled Wanted: Firms game enough to distribute Lineage II here says that AsianMedia is looking for distributors in Malaysia for the South-East Asian server of the ever-popular Lineage II by NCsoft.

To summarize other key points made:

Lineage II   Lineage II-SEA   South-East Asia   NCsoft   AsianMedia   Games   Singapore   Malaysia   Philippines   Asia

• AsianMedia is expected to pump another few million US Dollars into gaming servers dedicated for the three countries (Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore)


• The game is expected to be commercially launched in July


• It will be simultaneously launch in the three countries


• South-East Asian gaming industry has some 12 million online gamers so far, and it is expected to go up to 20 million


• Malaysian online gaming market is still small compared with that of other countries (my note: neighboring countries?)


• Malaysian gaming industry is worth not more than U$20 million (RM68.4 million)


• South-Korean gaming industry is worth at least U$10 million (RM3.42 million) a month


• The cost of playing Lineage II-SEA will be lower than U$15 / month


• Lineage II-SEA will be based on a pre-paid card business model

Read the full story by clicking here.

More about Lineage II: The Chaotic Throne - "1st Throne: The Kamael"

We all are hungry for more 1st Throne: The Kamael information, here are a few videos for you..


Lineage II: The Chaotic Throne
"1st Throne: The Kamael"

1st Throne: The Kamael - Background Quest

About 2000 years ago...

An ancient race called Kamael were separated from the land from which they came and was never to return. They tried to survived until the Awakening, when rumours of new lands, new continents were discovered. Since then, the race of Kamael initiated a series of communication with the rest of the world.

The head of the Kamael met with the representatives of the other races. They saw the military training of the Kamael and was convinced that this race will help put an end to the chaos in this world. One of the guests was particularly impressed with the great sword of one of the Kamael warriors and saw its power as like a magma erupting out of a volcano.

Another said that the female Kamael who was using a bow gun to hunt, caught his attention. He continued that perhaps they were the hidden ancient warriors of the old or maybe the ones seeking to escape a constrained fate, but what is certain is that they too were destined to, just as us, to make the future for ourselves.

Though we do not know what follows this appearance or discovery of the Kamael race, humanity must delay no longer the preparation to be ready for them even if it means following them toward hope and anticipation and even toward apprehension about the future.

* Translation by GameSoH. I re-worded the translation on a meaning-per-meaning basis.


Introduction of the Kamael race


The Making of 'The Kamael'


An interesting translation from GameSoH:

Now.. ive finished translating what the girl was saying and the makers.. and its very interesting...

I will write it all in full, but to summarise Kamael and other races will get to 'transform' into monsters at high levels..
There are also other things but long to explain

Lineage II: The Chaotic Throne - "Interlude"

Want to know more about Interlude? Itching to play in the upcoming Lineage II South-East Asia server? Or maybe you are still patching to Interlude? Here are a couple of videos that will surely help you before you login to the new expansion to Lineage II.


Features of Interlude


New 1-vs-1 and Party-vs-Party Duel System


The New Island - Primeval Isle


Interlude Weapons and Items


New Summons and Spells


The New Weapon Augmentation System

2 New Kamael Wallpapers

Two new wallpapers for the Lineage II fans, featuring the new playable race (as rumoured) and the name of Throne 1 - "The Kamael".


Size: 1280x1024 (if you need a different size, just drop me an email at Laibeus at Laibcoms dot com).

Get it here:
Girl;
Guy

Hope you like it!
Enjoy!!

NCsoft Launches New Era in Lineage II

Interlude debuts Lineage II Chaotic Throne chapter; Introduces dinosaurs and new dueling system

AUSTIN, Texas, April 14, 2007 — NCsoft® today announced the release of Interlude, an expansion to the massively multiplayer online PC game Lineage® II in North America and Europe. Interlude is the next step in the evolution of Lineage II, forming a bridge between The Chaotic Chronicle and the game’s next chapter, The Chaotic Throne. The Interlude expansion is free to all current Lineage II subscribers.

Lineage II, the gaming market’s premier player-versus-player (PvP) massively multiplayer online game, has reached more than 17 million players worldwide since its launch in late 2003.


The Interlude expansion offers a variety of new challenges to players, including the new Primeval Isle, which is home to many new creatures making their first appearance in Lineage II. These include Wild Striders, Pachycephalosaurus and the deadly and powerful Tyrannosaurus Rex. Primeval Isle is a lush and beautiful zone, but in the tradition of Lineage II, offers tough tests and is not a zone for those unwilling to take on great challenges. Mastering the beasts on Primeval Isle will require strategy and teamwork from players and clan members.

Enhanced single-player elements such as the new dueling system will enable players to challenge friends to one-on-one fights or party-versus-party battles. By dueling, players can understand the nuances of their character better than they ever have before. In addition, there are no penalties for defeat in Lineage II’s dueling system, so players are free to let loose and test their mettle.

Also available for mid to high-level players are more than 150 new bonuses to enhance and customize weapons. Lower level players can take advantage of the new Shadow Weapons, a “try before you buy” service offered by the village weapon vendors. This new feature makes weapon selection more effective and simple.

“I’m very excited about what Interlude offers,” said Adam Davidson, the North American producer of Lineage II. “It introduces elements of the game’s next evolution, The Chaotic Throne, as well as unleashing dinosaurs. Who doesn’t like taking on a T-Rex? Interlude also demonstrates the open-ended nature of Lineage II and shows off NCsoft’s ability to deliver features that give the game its signature depth and never-ending challenges.”

Interlude also marks the three-year anniversary for this franchise in North America, where it has been steadily growing and reached a platinum status in November of last year.

Lineage II is available at North American retailers in The Epic Collection edition, which includes the original game plus all five expansions in one box, and at the PlayNC® online store for an estimated street price of US$29.99. To purchase the game or other Lineage II merchandise, go to the PlayNC store at: https://store.plaync.com.

For more information about Lineage II: The Chaotic Throne, go to: http://www.lineage2.com.

The game is rated Teen by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.

About NCsoft
NCsoft North America is headquartered in Austin, Texas and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation. NCsoft, with its own development and publishing offices in Texas and California, also works with other NCsoft subsidiaries and third party developers throughout North America to develop and publish innovative online entertainment software products. The company has successfully launched multiple online titles in the last three years and continues to support its franchises that include Lineage®/Lineage II, City of Heroes®/City of Villains®, Guild Wars®/Guild Wars Factions™/Guild Wars Nightfall™ and Auto Assault. More information about NCsoft can be found at http://www.plaync.com.

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NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, PlayNC, Lineage, Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions, Guild Wars Nightfall, Auto Assault and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. Jumpgate and NetDevil are trademarks or registered trademarks of NetDevil, LTD. City of Heroes, City of Villains and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cryptic Studios, Inc. and NCsoft Corporation. Cryptic Studios is a trademark of Cryptic Studios, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.