G*: Ragnarok Online Creator Making New RO-Like Game

As part of a larger conversation with Gamasutra at the G* game expo in Busan, South Korea, Ragnarok Online designer Hakkyu Kim has revealed that he is working on a new title in the same vein as the original -- though the Ragnarok name is still owned by Gravity, which distributed the first title. He also revealed a second project of a more conventional nature. "I’m working on two new projects," Kim said. "One is an MMORPG with a more basic structure, one character to control, but with some deeper, weirder stuff thrown in there. The other title is more niche. It’ll be a 2D cross 3D game in the Ragnarok style. It’ll be pretty different from other games. I’m moving in both directions." The original Ragnarok Online was a very popular MMORPG in Korea, and one of the first Korean MMOs to make real headway in the West, with its cute pixel graphics and intuitive playstyle. Ragnarok Online 2, created without Kim's influence, was not nearly as well-received, and has remained in development since its Korean open beta back in May of 2007. "Many people asked me for this –- 'Why don’t you make another Ragnarok Online style game?'" said Kim. "But of course I was busy making Granado Espada at the time, and maintaining that. But now that I have some time, I’m trying to do it." "It will be more action-oriented, but still an MMORPG," he concluded. Hakkyu Kim's company, IMC Games, most recently completed Granado Espada, known in the U.S. as Sword of the New World, which was by turns both lauded and criticized for its complexity. The game remains profitable, and has its most solid userbase in Japan.