After mega-merger, what lies ahead for PH online gaming industry?

The local online gaming community has undergone tectonic shifts recently following the merger of two of the fiercest rivals in the local online gaming scene: Level Up! Games and IP E-Games.

Last week, IP E-Games Ventures Inc. (E-Games) announced that it would be selling off its game publishing business to rival Level Up! Inc. (LUI), in a deal that involves both equity and cash, although the amount for the transaction has yet to be specified.

E-Games is a wholly owned subsidiary of IP Ventures Group Corp. (IPVG), a Filipino-owned technology conglomerate that has quickly been diversifying its portfolio in recent years.

Its gaming subsidiary, for one, has been busy gobbling up Internet cafe chains across the country in the past two years in its bid to corner a market that could prove beneficial for its game-publishing business.

To date, the firm operates a 200-branch network of Internet cafe chains nationwide, operating under the brands I.T. Log Park, Station 168, iHooked, Cybr and Netopia.

Recently, however, E-Games announced that it would begin venturing in the food and beverage, entertainment and hospitality businesses, on top of its current portfolio of offerings.

RO2 Starts OBT Today

The 3D much-anticipated game developed in-house and published by Korea-based Gravity - RO2 (Ragnarok Online 2) is going to start its official OBT today. The OBT will also be covered live by Africa TV that is the biggest online game TV station in South Korea.

Rusty Hearts: Roselle and Requiem are Live!

After weeks of anticipation the Requiem update is finally here! There’s no time to waste, get a quick summary of what’s new below and hit some dungeons. Be sure to also check out all the sales and promotions running in celebration of the update!

Cabal Episode 8 Patch Notes

After waiting for so long, the official patch notes is finally here! Cabal Episode 8, the game's upcoming patch, is loaded with features that will definitely amaze everyone. This is something that will truly revolutionize the action in one's MMORPG experience.





The Philippine server aims to release the patch by March so everyone better watch out for that!

Brace yourselves because this patch is loaded with new stuff, including the much-awaited Battle Mode 3, the DX dungeon Hazardous Valley, and more Mercenaries!

Dragon Nest SEA Valentines Patch

Roses, chocolates and endless sweet nothings. Bah! Celebrate love, Dragon Nest SEA style, with a night of excitement and mayhem. Now THAT’s a Valentine’s Day to remember

New content will be available for more fun and excitement in the world of Lagendia. Together with the game patch comes new updates on the Cash Shop and new Fixes on Mission Quests.

MERGED! Level Up! Buys E-Games

This has got to be the most surprising news in the local MMO industry to date! Happy valentine's day, Level Up! Let's show them some love as they have finally bought out the competition!





The two gaming companies have apparently merged today, February 14, 2012. All E-Games titles will be transferred to LevelUp! Games after the merge.

Maybe Someday

If I happen to become outrageously rich, I'd definitely have rooms like this.





Credits: 9gag

Dish Network Internet High speed internet for all your online gaming needs.

Rusty Hearts: Definitely Worth Playing

Rusty Hearts is a new free-to-play title from Perfect World Entertainment, which cannot be so simply summed up by the traditional MMORPG acronym. For starters, though plenty of gamers can be found loitering about the game's servers, Rusty Hearts relies entirely on four-player sessions, the 'massive' moniker is barely applicable. There are also no open-world areas to explore beyond the starting town, and no true character creation system either, forcing players to choose from one of the three storyline characters (a fourth is on the way), slowly picking up costumes pieces and new hair colors to differentiate themselves from their thousands of clones.

Urban Rivals Now Available on Android

The freemium MMO slash card game slash strategy Urban Rivals has finally received what many were waiting for: an Android version that now basically completes the platforms this game is available on (you can play it on Facebook, iOS or in your browser).

Urban Rivals is a strategy turn-based virtual street brawling game where you collect and strengthen your skills using player cards. There are an unfathomable number of levels, battles and missions you can compete in, plus the network is massive with millions of players online across Android, iOS and the Web.

And it's all for free.

SD Gundam Capsule Fighter Online Lands in SEA, Closed Beta Starts February 14

Shanda Games International is kicking off Gundam Capsule Fighter Online SEA’s closed beta this Valentine’s day, according to the game’s official website. The closed beta test will run from February 14 – 20, and 10,000 lucky players will be invited to the test.

Can En Masse really Make TERA a Clean Game by Blocking Half of the World's IP?

"En Masse will block IPs based on region. Asia, Africa, Russia, and the Middle East are included on the block list. While we appreciate that there are players in these regions who would enjoy playing on En Masse servers, it's unfortunate that the vast majority of Internet traffic we see from these regions are from cyber-criminals relating to account theft, gold-farming and other hacking behavior."





Above was the statement En Masse made in response to the ip block that will be implemented in TERA North American servers. It's good to see that En Masse is seeking every means to protect the TERA community, but blocking half of the world's players from playing TERA might not be the best choice and it might not be able to keep TERA clean.