The online platform WarpPortal, which belongs to Gravity Interactive, will cease operations in Europe at the end of May. As a result, games like the international version of Ragnarok Online, Dragon Saga, and Rose Online will no longer be accessible from Europe starting May 25, 2018.
As stated by Gravity Interactive, their online service WarpPortal will cease operations in Europe starting May 25, 2018. Exceptions are countries that are part of the Commonwealth of Independent States, such as Russia, Armenia, Moldova, or Azerbaijan.
The blame lies with a new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which comes into effect at the end of May and aligns data protection at the European level.
Players of the international version of Ragnarok Online and its successor Ragnarok 2 will be particularly affected. The games still enjoy a loyal fanbase in Germany, for example.
MMORPG Ragnarok Online ceases operations in Europe
What is Ragnarok Online? Ragnarok Online is an MMORPG that was released in 2004. It is based on the Manhwa “Ragnarök” by Korean artist Lee Myung-Jin and loosely draws on the Ragnarok of Norse mythology.
On May 2, 2013, the sequel, Ragnarok Online 2: Legend of The Second, was released on Steam after several revisions.
What is this new data protection regulation about? The new General Data Protection Regulation, which comes into effect on May 25, aims to standardize the rules for processing personal data by private companies and public authorities across the EU.
Among other things, companies will be required to better protect personal data of customers and employees. If personal data is processed automatically, a data protection officer must be appointed.
Penalties for non-compliance can reach up to two to four percent of the global company revenue or 10 to 20 million euros, whichever amount is higher. Apparently too much for Gravity Interactive, which has decided to simply cease their service in the affected regions as a result.
Players who made purchases in one of the WarpPortal games between February 1, 2018, and April 30, 2018, are to receive compensation. All access to accounts and games on the platform will be blocked for regional IPs starting May 25, 2018.
Players discuss the implications rather than being sad
How are players reacting? The major issue among players right now is not that Europe is being excluded from the online service, but rather what will happen to their data. They are wondering if Gravity Interactive will now be forced to delete the data of their European customers after the service is discontinued.
Another user points out that the company may not even have an overview of which customer data are actually being collected. This would only be worse if customer data were stored with a third party.
Ragnarok Online is considered one of the games with a flourishing “private server culture”; apparently, the end of the official servers of the international version is not such a big deal for many. There is also a separate European version of Ragnarok Online that is not affected by the closure.
Alternatives to Ragnarok Online?
