Gonzo Rosso Obtains License to Publish MMORPG Ran Online in Japan
License expands territories GONZO Rosso serves in Asia
2008.07.31
GDH K.K. (Head Office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Shinichirō Ishikawa, Securities Code: TSE Mothers 3755, hereinafter GDH) has announced that its group company GONZO Rosso K.K. (Head Office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Managing Director: Hideki Moriya, hereinafter GONZO Rosso) has concluded a publishing license transfer agreement for Japan for the MMORPG* RAN ONLINE with Min Communications, Inc. (Head Office: Taegu, Korea, CEO: Byung Min Kim, hereinafter Min Communications).
RAN ONLINE is a popular Korean-made MMORPG developed by Min Communications. The GONZO Rosso Group has been offering the game to consumers in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
In Japan, RAN ONLINE had previously been offered through Excite Japan Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, President & CEO: Shunsuke Noda, Securities Code: JASDAQ 3754, hereinafter Excite) since July 2005, localized as “Ultimate Academy RAN.” Excite's license period expires as of September 26, 2008, and the license to publish and service the title has been transferred to GONZO Rosso.
GONZO Rosso will promote the game under its own brand and provide value-added features and in-game events linked with its services in other Asian territories. Existing fans in Japan as well as new users can enjoy the new version of RAN ONLINE, which is scheduled to launch in October 2008. The specific timetable and procedures for the transfer of operation from Excite will be announced on the RAN ONLINE Japanese official website in due course.
The GDH group will continue to provide game content to the global market and promote its online gaming business through GONZO Rosso.
* MMORPG: Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game
[About RAN ONLINE]
RAN ONLINE is a fully 3D online role-playing game where students from four rival universities fight for control of a corrupt world overrun by monsters.
RAN ONLINE Japanese official website: http://ran.gonzorosso.jp/ (Japanese only)
<Screen shots>
© 2008 Min Communications Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
[About Min Communications, Inc]
Min Communications is the developer of the Korean MMOPRG RAN ONLINE which has been offered in Japan through Excite Japan since July 2005. RAN ONLINE is also available to gamers in the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, and other countries in Southeast Asia, as well as in Korea and Japan. The game has acquired numerous fans with its unique worldview based on modern day school life. The game includes a massive variety of quests and fantastic character abilities. Min Communications is now planning the second annual RAN Global Tournament in October in the Philippines, during which representatives from all territories in which RAN ONLINE is offered in will compete. Information regarding the Global Tournament will be released via the http://www.ran-global.com website.
[About Excite Japan Co., Ltd.]
excite, an Internet portal operated by Excite, has been offering high-quality and highly-original content and services, which center around its search engine, since its launch in December 1997. Its array of services includes Woman.excite, the No.1 website targeted at females; excite.music, an integrated entertainment portal that focuses on music; Game.excite, which provides the newest and most popular online games; an official mobile website; e-commerce shopping sites; and high-performance functions such as blog tools and automatic translation. In recent years, its web magazines such as excite.ism and Garbo have been recognized for their high quality. Excite's broadband service BB.excite provides ADSL and optical fiber Internet connections with a wide variety of broadband content at a monthly rate of 525 yen, the lowest price in the industry. Excite also operates real-life services such as broadband Internet cafes. Excite will continue to provide unique services and content as a comprehensive medium in the Internet community.
[About GONZO Rosso K.K.]
GONZO Rosso develops and operates online games such as Master of Epic -The ResonanceAge Universe-, Shaiya -Light and Darkness-, PANDORA SAGA, and The Tower of DRUAGA -the Recovery of BABYLIM-. By offering special in-game items for purchase and user-friendly systems, GONZO Rosso ensures unique game experiences that both advanced users and online game novices can enjoy.
GONZO Rosso conducts its overseas business through subsidiaries Gonzo Rosso Malaysia, which provides online game services to various territories around the world, and Goldsky Digital Technology Ltd., an online game licensing company covering China and Southeast Asia.
GONZO Rosso's other areas of business include development/operation of online merchandise store "GONZO STYLE" (http://www.gonzo-style.com - Japanese only), character open-contest site "Charapre" (http://charapre.jp/ - Japanese only), and mobile sites "Mobile Newtype" and "GONZO MOBILE" as well as production of video content, characters, advertisement designs, websites and other Internet content leveraging GDH/GONZO's network of creators/artists.
GONZO Rosso website: http://www.gonzorosso.jp/english.html
[About GDH K.K.]
GDH is a globally-focused Japanese media company founded in February 2000. The group produces cutting edge entertainment for teens and young adults through its GONZO animation brand. Kids and family product is distributed through the GONZO FILMS and GONZINO brands.
GDH is a world leader in content development targeting both domestic and international audiences with Japan's trend-setting animation culture and, usually, GDH controls licensing management and international distribution for the content it produces.
For additional information, visit www.gdh.co.jp/english (for GDH) and www.gonzo.co.jp (for GONZO - Japanese only).
GDH group companies include GONZO Rosso K.K., GONZO K.K., Future Vision Music K.K., GONZINO K.K., GDH Capital K.K. and GK Entertainment K.K.
## Company names and service names in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. ##
*Please note, this release is a direct translation from Japanese language release.
2008.07.31
GDH K.K. (Head Office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Shinichirō Ishikawa, Securities Code: TSE Mothers 3755, hereinafter GDH) has announced that its group company GONZO Rosso K.K. (Head Office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Managing Director: Hideki Moriya, hereinafter GONZO Rosso) has concluded a publishing license transfer agreement for Japan for the MMORPG* RAN ONLINE with Min Communications, Inc. (Head Office: Taegu, Korea, CEO: Byung Min Kim, hereinafter Min Communications).
RAN ONLINE is a popular Korean-made MMORPG developed by Min Communications. The GONZO Rosso Group has been offering the game to consumers in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
In Japan, RAN ONLINE had previously been offered through Excite Japan Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, President & CEO: Shunsuke Noda, Securities Code: JASDAQ 3754, hereinafter Excite) since July 2005, localized as “Ultimate Academy RAN.” Excite's license period expires as of September 26, 2008, and the license to publish and service the title has been transferred to GONZO Rosso.
GONZO Rosso will promote the game under its own brand and provide value-added features and in-game events linked with its services in other Asian territories. Existing fans in Japan as well as new users can enjoy the new version of RAN ONLINE, which is scheduled to launch in October 2008. The specific timetable and procedures for the transfer of operation from Excite will be announced on the RAN ONLINE Japanese official website in due course.
The GDH group will continue to provide game content to the global market and promote its online gaming business through GONZO Rosso.
* MMORPG: Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game
[About RAN ONLINE]
RAN ONLINE is a fully 3D online role-playing game where students from four rival universities fight for control of a corrupt world overrun by monsters.
RAN ONLINE Japanese official website: http://ran.gonzorosso.jp/ (Japanese only)
<Screen shots>
© 2008 Min Communications Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
[About Min Communications, Inc]
Min Communications is the developer of the Korean MMOPRG RAN ONLINE which has been offered in Japan through Excite Japan since July 2005. RAN ONLINE is also available to gamers in the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, and other countries in Southeast Asia, as well as in Korea and Japan. The game has acquired numerous fans with its unique worldview based on modern day school life. The game includes a massive variety of quests and fantastic character abilities. Min Communications is now planning the second annual RAN Global Tournament in October in the Philippines, during which representatives from all territories in which RAN ONLINE is offered in will compete. Information regarding the Global Tournament will be released via the http://www.ran-global.com website.
[About Excite Japan Co., Ltd.]
excite, an Internet portal operated by Excite, has been offering high-quality and highly-original content and services, which center around its search engine, since its launch in December 1997. Its array of services includes Woman.excite, the No.1 website targeted at females; excite.music, an integrated entertainment portal that focuses on music; Game.excite, which provides the newest and most popular online games; an official mobile website; e-commerce shopping sites; and high-performance functions such as blog tools and automatic translation. In recent years, its web magazines such as excite.ism and Garbo have been recognized for their high quality. Excite's broadband service BB.excite provides ADSL and optical fiber Internet connections with a wide variety of broadband content at a monthly rate of 525 yen, the lowest price in the industry. Excite also operates real-life services such as broadband Internet cafes. Excite will continue to provide unique services and content as a comprehensive medium in the Internet community.
[About GONZO Rosso K.K.]
GONZO Rosso develops and operates online games such as Master of Epic -The ResonanceAge Universe-, Shaiya -Light and Darkness-, PANDORA SAGA, and The Tower of DRUAGA -the Recovery of BABYLIM-. By offering special in-game items for purchase and user-friendly systems, GONZO Rosso ensures unique game experiences that both advanced users and online game novices can enjoy.
GONZO Rosso conducts its overseas business through subsidiaries Gonzo Rosso Malaysia, which provides online game services to various territories around the world, and Goldsky Digital Technology Ltd., an online game licensing company covering China and Southeast Asia.
GONZO Rosso's other areas of business include development/operation of online merchandise store "GONZO STYLE" (http://www.gonzo-style.com - Japanese only), character open-contest site "Charapre" (http://charapre.jp/ - Japanese only), and mobile sites "Mobile Newtype" and "GONZO MOBILE" as well as production of video content, characters, advertisement designs, websites and other Internet content leveraging GDH/GONZO's network of creators/artists.
GONZO Rosso website: http://www.gonzorosso.jp/english.html
[About GDH K.K.]
GDH is a globally-focused Japanese media company founded in February 2000. The group produces cutting edge entertainment for teens and young adults through its GONZO animation brand. Kids and family product is distributed through the GONZO FILMS and GONZINO brands.
GDH is a world leader in content development targeting both domestic and international audiences with Japan's trend-setting animation culture and, usually, GDH controls licensing management and international distribution for the content it produces.
For additional information, visit www.gdh.co.jp/english (for GDH) and www.gonzo.co.jp (for GONZO - Japanese only).
GDH group companies include GONZO Rosso K.K., GONZO K.K., Future Vision Music K.K., GONZINO K.K., GDH Capital K.K. and GK Entertainment K.K.
## Company names and service names in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. ##
*Please note, this release is a direct translation from Japanese language release.
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