Myths (Ragnarok Online)

This page outlines the various myths that exist around Ragnarok Online, and provides well-referenced answers as to why they're myths. This page was created as a means of combatting misinformation.

Did Samsung buy Gravity and do evil corporate stuff?

Read more detail on ROPP's page on Gravity

Short answer

No. They were an investor, and helped Gravity from more or less day one, but they did not own Gravity.

Key facts

• RO's company was run by Jeong Ryul Kim as Chairman, nothing to do with Samsung.
• SEC Filings don't mention any ownership by Gravity -- this is legally mandatory information to disclose.
• Hakkyu Kim was replaced as CEO before he left, not after.
• Hakkyu Kim left and was replaced by someone inside Gravity, not related to Samsung.
• Gravity themselves refer to the arrangement between them and Samsung as a "marketing agreement", and investment.

Long answer

In 2002, Gravity was receiving offers for investment as once RO development was complete, investors noticed operating costs were low. Before RO, Samsung had already invested in two MMORPGs: Cheongsabi and Muhon. They provided Gravity funding so they could turn 30,000 alpha/beta players into paying customers. Samsung had the expertise to do this, and at that time, payments were not as standardised as they are now. Samsung invested in Gravity but, despite an article on GameMeca, they did not own them -- Gravity themselves called their involvement with Samsung a "marketing agreement."

Gravity is also a listed company, meaning the public can buy its shares. When a company "goes public", they need to advise potential investors who owns what. In the USA, this is called an "SEC Filing" (the SEC being the Securities and Exchange Commission, a US state-run regulator of the securities industry) -- and companies need to disclose who owns what amount of shares. Samsung is not listed in this filing.

It is true, during and after Hakkyu Kim's tenure at Gravity, that Jung Byung Gong who previously worked at Samsung became the CEO of Gravity, but not the Chairman. It may well be that Samsung indeed orchestrated this -- they probably did have a lot of sway with someone they had previously invested in for years. However, this wasn't something Samsung forced on them -- it's something Kim seemingly welcomed. Lots of developers don't like dealing with business-centric stuff, so it's pretty normal that when they can get out of having to deal with sales, marketing, and all the other stuff they don't wanna -- and aren't well suited to -- work with, they welcome it.

When Hakkyu Kim was replaced as CEO, he remained in the company, he wasn't kicked out. Later he left for a variety of reasons, but he was not replaced by someone who was a Samsung executive, he was replaced by a manager and the company was run by Jeong Ryul Kim, who was later accused of embezzlement of funds, and then left as Chairman. Development continued with another employee from Gravity, not Samsung, replacing Kim as development lead. Jeong Ryul Kim started the company that Ragnarok Online was created from, and into which Samsung had invested.

Following Ryul's premiership, other CEOs were accused of misdeeds and eventually Gravity was sold to Japanese company Softbank, and later GungHo, its current owners.