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Level Up! Inc., also known as Level Up! Games or LUG, is the first online game publisher in the Philippines and is a subsidiary of ePLDT. It is one of the leading online game publishers in the country. It has also expanded overseas to become an online game publisher for Brazil and India.
Level Up! currently handles 10 multiplayer online games commercially, 8 of which are fully published with local servers, as well as a casual mini-games portal, making it the largest local online game publisher in the country to date in terms of services.
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Table of Contents
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History
2002 - 2005
Level Up! Philippines pioneered the online gaming industry in the country in 2002 with the introduction of OZ World, the first commercial massively multiplayer online game published in the country. However, it was not until 2003 that Level Up! introduced its flagship title, Ragnarok Online. The success of these two games, especially the latter, has helped shape the industry and encouraged the establishment of other game publishers, most notably Mobius Games and netGames.
In 2005, Level Up! introduced two other MMORPGs, ROSE Online and RF Online. The company also suffered a failed attempt at casual games by publishing Hyper Relay, which ceased service the year after. In the same year, Level Up! and MTV Philippines co-produced MTV Massive to promote the online gaming lifestyle through different mediums.1
2006 - present
2006 is most notable for the arrival of IP e-Games, the first online game publisher to challenge Level Up!'s dominance in the online gaming market. The same year is also known for ePLDT's acquisition of Level Up! which resulted to the company merging with netGames. As a direct result, Level Up! acquired netGames' published games, namely Khan Online, FlyFF and PangYa. Prior to the merge in 2006, Freestyle was introduced.
In 2007, two MMORPGs, Silkroad Online and Perfect World were introduced. ROSE Online, however, was discontinued. Level Up! also attempted to create its own SNS through Level Up! CLIQ, but failed to attract audiences which led to its closure in 2008.
2008 saw the demise of two games, both previously under netGames: PangYa and Khan Online. However, two new games, Crazy Kart and Grand Chase were introduced, as well as a casual game portal and SNS called Be There.
On 2009, Level Up! has begun to publish Hello Kitty Online in the country. It also announced its first online multiplayer FPS, K.O.S. Secret Operations on the Level Up! Live 2009 event.
Publishing
Level Up! is primarily an online game publisher in the Philippines. However, they have also collaborated with various artists in the music industry to produce and publish 3 music albums based on their games: "Rok On", "Level Up!: The Album" and "Live! The Album".
They have also published the English version of Ragnarok Battle Offline.
Published Games
| Game | Genre | Publication | Other Notes | Website |
| Crazy Kart | Racing | 2008 - present | http://crazykart.levelupgames.ph/ | |
| FlyFF | MMORPG | 2006 - present | Acquired from netGames | http://flyff.levelupgames.ph/ |
| Freestyle | Casual Basketball | 2006 - present | http://freestyle.levelupgames.ph/ | |
| Grand Chase | Sidescroller Adventure | 2008 - present | http://grandchase.levelupgames.ph/ | |
| Hello Kitty Online | MMORPG | 2009 - present | http://www.levelupgames.ph/hko/ | |
| Hyper Relay | Mini-games / SNS | 2005 - 2006 |
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| Khan Online | MMORPG | 2004 - 2008 | Acquired from netGames |
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| K.O.S. Secret Operations | FPS | 2009 (coming soon) | First FPS of Level Up! | http://kos.levelupgames.ph/ |
| OZ World | 3D Chat | 2003 (Retired) | First MMO in the Philippines | http://levelupgames.ph/ozworld/ |
| PangYa | Casual Golf | 2006 - 2008 | Acquired from netGames |
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| Perfect World | MMORPG | 2007 - present | http://perfectworld.levelupgames.ph/ | |
| Ragnarok Online | MMORPG | 2003 - present | First MMORPG in the Philippines | http://ragnarok.levelupgames.ph/ |
| Ragnarok Battle Offline | Single Player Beat-em-up | English version |
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| RF Online | MMORPG | 2006 - present | http://risingforce.levelupgames.ph/ | |
| Rohan | MMORPG | 2009 - present | http://rohan.levelupgames.ph/ | |
| ROSE Online | MMORPG | 2005 - 2007 |
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| Silkroad Online | MMORPG | 2007 - present | Distributor only | http://levelupgames.ph/silkroad/ |
Awards
- 10th Philippine Web Awards Best Website - Lifestyle and Leisure (Level Up! Website)
- 10th Philippine Web Awards People's Choice - Lifestyle and Leisure (Level Up! Website)
- 11th Philippine Web Awards People's Choice - Lifestyle and Leisure (LU! Game Heroes Website)
References
External Links
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