Exclusive Interview with the Creators of Lingxi: Once the Peak of MMOs with a Million Concurrent Players, It Has Made a Spectacular "Comeback" This Year

In 2025, how can a niche IP product break through the market?

Just recently, pre-registration opened for the new game *Ragnarok Online: Reborn*, published by Lingxi Interactive and licensed under the official IP from South Korea’s Gravity. The game had previously launched overseas and made it into the Top 10 best-seller charts in multiple regions. This achievement was hard-won.

The *Ragnarok Online* (hereinafter referred to as RO) IP has a unique character all its own. Some have dubbed RO the “Legend of the Anime World,” a playful yet affectionate nod to its enduring vitality—its player community has carved out its own distinct identity, yet the game remains as popular as ever.In 2003, RO reached a peak of one million concurrent online players in China, but after several setbacks, its popularity quickly declined. Unlike most IPs that have been buried in the dust of history, a group of players who experienced that wave of popularity back then remain loyal to RO, and various licensed RO spin-off products continue to emerge.

To win over this core audience of IP fans, the team must demonstrate the utmost sincerity.A while back, I met with Veno, the producer of *Ragnarok Online: Reborn*, along with Lizi, the head of publishing, and Zhuangzhuang, the game designer, at Lingxi Interactive’s Shanghai office. We had an in-depth discussion about the creative process behind this new title. Lizi told me that over the years, they’ve consistently seen longtime RO fans expressing their nostalgia for the game across various platforms—and this was one of the main reasons that drove them to commit to developing this product.

The vast majority of the team members are not only long-time Ragnarok Online players but have also worked on other popular Ragnarok Online titles. The team’s goal this time is crystal clear: as veteran players, they aim to serve fellow veterans; through a “Pure Edition of Ragnarok Online,” they want to help players rediscover the emotions they felt when exploring the continent of Midgard back in the day.

While the industry is all about "breaking out of the mold," *Ragnarok Online: Reborn* has chosen to look inward, carving out a path that is just as remarkable.

01

Two keywords

So, what exactly is the "Pure Enjoyment Edition RO"? *Ragnarok Online: Reborn* has distilled two core concepts: effortless and just right.

Teahouse Jun finds this assessment quite accurate. Take the concept of “authenticity,” for example: I’ve heard more than one veteran Ragnarok Online player express their views on the new Ragnarok Online title to me, saying things like, “It should be exactly the same as the PC version, without a single change,” or “If they don’t stay true to the original, I’d rather play on a private server.” This reflects the fact that, compared to sweeping innovations, the Ragnarok Online player community generally places greater value on the classic experience of the past.

At the same time, the decision to “streamline” the game was based on the team’s assessment of changing times and circumstances. After all, over two decades have passed, and RO players have changed as well. Many of them have now started families and built careers; while they are spiritually fulfilled, they are short on time. Many of the original game’s designs—especially those that drew widespread criticism from players back then—are, in fact, not suitable for direct, one-to-one implementation.

Zhuangzhuang, the game designer, gave an example: “Right off the bat, you’re given a quest to farm 50 sea anemones. But the spawn area is huge, you have to fight other players for the mobs, and there’s aggro to deal with—one wrong move and you’re dead… It’s so damn frustrating; they clearly don’t treat players like human beings.” Back then, many players might have been happy to spend a month farming a single card, but conditions like that are hard to come by these days.

Therefore, when it comes to "saving effort," the core concept behind *Ragnarok Online: Reborn* is to "trim the fat" from RO—removing unnecessary burdens such as repetitive tasks and mandatory online time requirements.For example, the game has eliminated tedious, end-to-end daily quests and time-sensitive tasks that required players to set alarms to log in. In addition, the developers have equipped players with numerous automated “advanced in-game tools,” such as auto-exploration to boost experience, one-click resource gathering, and a “sweep” function for dungeons.

Veno told me that, based on the current content volume, casual players can complete all daily quests in about an hour, while moderate players who engage in activities like fighting MVP/Mini bosses and running basic dungeons spend around two hours a day.

In addition to reducing the overall workload, they also returned to the essence of the gaming experience and gave it a great deal of thought. For example, to make it easier for players to enjoy the game during commutes, lunch breaks, and other short pockets of free time, the development team added a landscape-to-portrait screen rotation feature, allowing players to play comfortably with just one hand.Their attention to detail extends even further: they meticulously optimized the visual presentation of MVP skills, allowing players to intuitively grasp boss mechanics during combat. This eliminates the confusion players once faced upon entering dungeons—when they had to consult strategy guides just to figure things out—making this a truly meaningful "time-saver."

It is worth noting that, when it comes to the concept of "Pure Enjoyment Edition RO," the two key principles—effortless gameplay and authentic experience—are mutually reinforcing.By removing elements that limited the original PC game’s experience, the core objective is not merely to cater to the trend of “reducing grind and workload,” but to allow players to invest their limited gaming time into more enjoyable and classic gameplay, delivering a more concentrated gaming experience. Several key creators also told me that, in addition to streamlining the game, they are constantly rethinking how to restore the core fun of RO.

02

It feels like we’re meeting for the first time all over again

This brings us back to the core question that concerns Ragnarok Online players the most: What exactly is the authentic, core appeal of Ragnarok Online?

For many players, one of the greatest joys of RO lies in its stat-based allocation system, which, when combined with card combinations, allows for the creation of diverse playstyles. Depending on how stats are allocated, the gameplay experience for the same class can vary drastically. It’s an excellent system. However, even after twenty years, the developers and designers still believe there is room for improvement.

First, the original skill point system tends to lead to specific “optimal builds,” and given the widespread availability of information among modern players, these optimal builds are easily identified, which in turn limits the diversity of playstyles. Second, the lengthy card farming cycle in the original game means it takes too long to finalize a build, and players are unable to fully test its effectiveness before it is complete.

Zhuangzhuang explained that the solution in *Ragnarok Online: Reborn* is to retain systems like attribute points while introducing three talent trees for each class, each with further sub-branches.Veteran players can allocate points based on their familiar playstyles, and the synergy between talents, attribute points, and equipment stats unlocks even more transformative potential. At the same time, *Ragnarok Online: Reborn* allows players to “reset” their points for free before reaching level 50. Combined with more automated material farming, this further reduces the trial-and-error costs of building exploration, expands playability and depth, and creates a new system that encourages players to experiment with diverse approaches.

Another major core feature of RO is undoubtedly its social aspect. At a time when most players were still using dial-up internet and most modern social media platforms hadn’t yet emerged, RO already featured an extremely forward-thinking social experience.

Original PC Version of RO

Veno’s first impression of RO back then was “warmth”—not just because of the game’s idyllic art and music, but also because of the bustling scene outside Prontera’s South Gate, where hundreds of players set up stalls on the same screen; strangers meeting in the wild would cast buffs on each other and help one another through dungeons;even even when scrounging for items to sell, players would create a separate merchant alt just to buy low and sell high—yet if they struck up a conversation on the street and hit it off, they’d insist on stuffing your bag with hundreds of bottles of White Potions… These glimmers of goodwill and mutual aid among strangers were so precious in the MMO jungle of that era, where PK looting, open-world PvP, and a dark fantasy aesthetic reigned supreme.

The developers told me that social features—such as emotes and the ability to cast buffs on each other—which bring a smile to Ragnarok Online players’ faces, have all been preserved in *Ragnarok Online: Reborn*. This is a major advantage of *Ragnarok Online: Reborn*, which has chosen to retain the MMO framework, compared to other titles.This includes Ragnarok Online’s classic Auction House system. In *Ragnarok Online: Reborn*, they’ve established a server-wide Auction House where all items can be traded and prices are completely transparent, recreating the vibrant atmosphere of the original game.

Building on this, Li Zi, the head of publishing for *Ragnarok Online: Reborn*, told me that as part of their launch strategy, they will be reviving the classic "star servers" and "regional servers" from the PC version. Compared to the model of merging players from smaller servers, this approach naturally attracts a larger player base.

To foster a closer-knit and more harmonious community atmosphere, the developers have implemented a feature that displays server-specific information upfront, allowing players to check metrics such as Auction House transaction volumes and drop rates before creating a character. This helps them choose a server that suits their preferences and encourages longer-term play. To help new players integrate into the community more quickly, they’ve introduced systems like mentoring and guilds to facilitate veteran-to-newbie support.They have also developed a dedicated mini-program where players can share their build setups with one another… It is clear that *Ragnarok Online: Reborn* is actively exploring how to use modern operational strategies to further expand RO’s signature social features.

Conclusion

After nearly two hours of discussion with the team behind *Ragnarok Online: Reborn*, I’ve gained some insights. It’s not hard to see the stark difference in approach between a niche title and a game with a massive daily active user base. The latter places greater emphasis on breaking into new markets, while the former focuses on service—dedicating itself to taking excellent care of its existing player base before seeking opportunities for further growth.

Zhuangzhuang told me that, although he is a developer, during the game’s development process he often approached it with the mindset of a player seeking to “make amends”—using his insights as a longtime player, combined with feedback from other users, to address the shortcomings he had experienced when playing the game back in the day. Li Zi added that the entire team has even created an internal Ragnarok Online encyclopedia, all in an effort to become the team that “understands Ragnarok Online best.”

Only a team like this can truly refine a classic title by making the right cuts in the right places. It’s easy to imagine that when “effortless gameplay” meets “authentic charm,” Lingxi’s *Ragnarok Online: Reborn* will draw RO players together organically through a truly immersive experience, becoming a new haven for the entire Ragnarok IP in this new era.