One of the longest-running fantasy MMORPGs, the Echo of Soul, has returned. Recently, Papaya Play, a gaming portal, launched the global service for the title. The news came a few months after Aeria Games of Gamigo discontinued hosting the Korean free-to-play game.
Based on earlier reports, Aeria Games' publishing license for Echo of Soul expired, prompting them to remove the massively multiplayer title from their platform last July.
Meanwhile, Papaya Play, in a press release, said players can still make character transfers from Aeria Games to their service. They will also provide incentives to gamers as a support for their transition. These included launching multiple events and free in-game perks.
"Echo of Soul players who log in regularly during the first month are eligible to receive $5 in game currency each week," added Papaya Play. Papaya Play is the gaming service and distributing arm of Vertigo Games America. According to their website, they currently have over 13 million users.
Echo of Soul was first released to gamers in South Korea in 2013. Like other MMORPGs, the game has "highly competitive PVP modes," party and solo dungeons, and more than 1,600 quests. It was so successful that in 2014 it was introduced in China.
As the game's popularity grew, Aeria Games decided to offer it to players in North America and Europe in 2015. In 2015, the same year it launched its servers in North America and Europe, it was temporarily shut down in South Korea. In 2016, the title was relaunched by another Korean publisher, Kakao Games.
In Echo of Soul, Players take control of the gameplay as Soulkeepers. Their task is to combat evil in the world. Echo of Soul received critical praise from the gaming community. It even bagged the title as the Best MMORPG in 2014 at the Thailand Game Show Festival.