Granado Espada set for commercial launch

Below is the official announcement of the commercial launch of Granado Espada in the Philippines. Before you give the text a once over, check out the latest GAME! Magazine GE video.

Granado Espada (GE), a full 3D MMORPG set in an alternate fantasy 17th century world, has finally made its way to Philippine shores and is set to be launched commercially on September 15, 2007 at One Esplanade in Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City.

The game, which manifested its hold on the Korean gaming industry when it won the prestigious Presidential Award for Best Game at the 2006 Korea Game Awards, was developed by Hakkyu Kim, the former producer of Ragnarok Online.

Set in a compelling, detailed environment that can be described as a mix of 17th century and New World colonial influences, the game contains the industry’s top of the line in terms of 3D technology and sound effects. Developed by Kim’s IMC Games and Hanbitsoft, Granado Espada is a truly immersive virtual environment adorned with Baroque artistry, and magic.

The game will be launched through leading local game publisher IP e-Game Venture Inc. (IP e-Games), a subsidiary of listed company IPVG Corp. (SEC: IPVG); and Singaporean online game operator and GE regional distributor Infocomm Asia Holdings (IAH).

IP e-Games will hold a Day Right and a Night Raid. During the Day Raid, Players will be treated to one great afternoon of free play, online and offline quests, live contests, a cosplay fashion show and more.

Granado Espada Collector boxes autographed by Hakkyu Kim himself will be sold during the event. These collector boxes will contain original sound tracks of the game, in-game exclusives, game value codes worth 180 days of free gameplay and 30,000 G-points.

On the Night Raid, they will be treated to a night of music, dance and GE tunes courtesy of Big Fish Entertainment.

With the event set, Steve Tsao, President and COO of IP e-Games said they see a tremendous potential for Granado Espada –especially for the new set of gamers and even for their existing gamers who are craving for a high-end game with added complexity. “Our community of GE gamers is slowly growing to become one of the biggest in the region, and it will definitely continue to help us strengthen even more our other community of loyal gamers.”

IPVG Corp. CEO Enrique Gonzalez adds: “GE is one of many Triple-A titles we will be bringing to the Philippine market,” he said. “We want our gamers to have access to the best titles, and we believe Filipino gamers can compete against the best players from around the world.”

Gonzalez also said that unlike other MMORPGS in the market, GE has a historical and educational side to the game. “It promotes learning and teamwork, which are all unique characteristics of GE that form what has become a ‘unique’ community of GE users.”

Bigger, Better

Since its initial launch early this year, IP e-Games and IAH has added major highlights that make up a bigger and better GE experience.

Ivee Feria, GE product manager at IP e-Games, shared that they have added a political system feature wherein election of Duke for Royalists and President for Republicans is possible. Feria said that this actually adds depth to the storyline and game play. “Territories, alliances, taxes and leadership must be managed properly or the citizen of GE suffers. Players have control over the game,” she explained.

It also has a new RNPC, Irawan, which according to Feria, is one of the features that catches the gamers’ interest because of his unique close-quarter combat skills using only his fists and legs.

A premium item shop is also up for GE players to enjoy, where they can purchase special items to improve their game play, as well as customize their characters. “Examples are ‘Combat Manual’ that boosts the rate of experience gained by players, and ‘The Forgotten Territory’, which is a paid map that yields better monsters and EXP rates,” Feria further explained.

All this adds up to GE’s revolutionary Multi-Character Control (MCC) system, A first in an MMORPG. The MCC enables gamers to control three different characters at the same time, in the process ensuring a more engaging and enjoyable gaming experience.

The game likewise lets players use Recruitable Non-Playing Characters (RNPC). These characters would go a long way in helping players across the Granado Espada world, possessing special skills and stances that can become formidable additional arsenals for the family. In addition, the game also employs the stance system, which helps users to more effectively attack monsters by simply changing weapons.

To add to the experience, the game also boasts of a soundtrack which is composed and produced by SoundTEMP (whose earlier work appeared in Ragnarok Online) and world-famous artist DJ Tiesto.

Road to Fame

As segue to the commercial launch, IP e-Games are currently organizing free plays with various gaming community activities nationwide; as well as a series of mall tours.

Nationwide qualifying tournaments are also being held, wherein winners from various parts of the country will be flown to Manila on the day of the commercial launch to compete.

“Our gamers can definitely expect more community activities,” said Feria. “While the power of controlling three characters allows a player to go solo, there is never enough for a player to maximize his/her GE experience. There will always be cases where you will need someone by your side, like boss raids and Colony Wars.”

Feria furthered: “We also expect something from the gamers, which is for them to ‘own’ the game by conducting their own events, voicing out their concerns, and drop us suggestions on how to improve the game. Rest assured we will support all community-organized events.”

Gonzalez agrees: “We believe this game will continue to succeed as the preferred premium MMORPG in the Philippines,” he said. “It is consistent with our vision as the number one gaming company in the country.”