Sunday, May 15, 2011

IP Ban Rebel Alliance ?

It had passed 9 months since I had made a post. These years I no longer play n follow the issue of Level-R, I got to know new statement in April by Invictus.
-----quote :http://www.invictus.hu/news/ip-ban-rebel-alliance-----
IP Ban Rebel Alliance
Issued: 14 April 2011
Invictus Ltd. has decided to free Level-R and its look-alike variants from the chains of the IP Ban.

"When we started Level-R with Gamepot Inc. in Japan back in 2005 we had no idea where it will grow. All our contracts were IP-limited and it worked well until one of the operators broke the rules. After a long fight players were the ones who suffered the most. And it was our company to drive the nails into them according to legal regulation. Now rights are back in our hands and we would like to ask our players forgiveness with a present they have always desired: free access to their game." said Ákos Diviánszky, the producer of Level-R at Invictus-Games Ltd.

It is a hard job as the current exclusive licenses are still in effect. - some of them for years!

So Invictus-Games is calling this Rebel Alliance into being - Invictus-Games offer all joining operators free access to the so far unlicensed territories. In addition members of the alliance grant free access to each others exclusive territories.
The first operator joining the Rebel Alliance is Innologin Ltd. with Heat Online. Shared territories will certainly introduce race between operators - to protect them Invictus-Games will limit server location and if requested, language selection.

-----quote end-----


There are too many question in their annoucements.
Im not sure which company they refer to ? All our contracts were IP-limited and it worked well until one of the operators broke the rules. Maybe, A*** game e******* in the United States or not ?

Now rights are back in our hands;
It can assumed that So-net/Gamepot withdraw from Level-R and they would finished the contract with Invictus, judging from the So-net IR releases I will show as follows . I dont have any primary sources which the contract between Gamepot (the rightholder except north America, (2005-2010?)) and Invictus(developper2005-) had finished or not.

・2010.06.26 so-net IR release of 2009.
http://www.so-net.ne.jp/corporation/IR/individual/presentation/pdf/20100626.pdf
P30 Level-R description http://levelrs-projecttorque.blogspot.com/2010/07/so-net-ir-press-release-and-level-r.html

・2010.07.31 So-net commentary IR release
http://www.so-net.ne.jp/corporation/IR/event/individual/pdf/20100731.pdf
Page 30. they still introduce about Level-R

・2010.10.27 Secondary/midium IR release
http://www.so-net.ne.jp/corporation/IR/library/presentation/pdf/10_2q_handout.pdf
P17”不採算タイトルからの撤退”(Withdrawal from a games which have no profit)
P18-20 Level-R no longer in their line up in the page

・2011.05.09. IR release report on March 2011
http://www.so-net.ne.jp/corporation/IR/library/presentation/pdf/10_4q_handout.pdf
P24 ”不採算タイトルからの撤退”(Withdrawal from a games which have no profit)
P25-29 Level-R no longer in their line up in the page

There are still question about the gampot and level R. The other publishers which they had contracted and published level-R in their local servers, they still use Gamepot logomark. As far as I know the last cooperate/distribute contract procedure between Gamepot and Unalis. (Taipei/Taiwan company) http://lvr.unalis.com.tw/ and Gamepot commits the contract. Also, those Level-R's website, they still use Gamepot logomark, except North America server of Heat-online.

Checking each Level-R official sites, they still use Gamepot logomark too.
・European Championship Level-R http://levelr.gamigo.com/
http://levelr.gamigo.com/images/gamepot_logo.jpg



・Taiwan Level-R called "R進化”(Level-R Evolution) they use Gamepot logomark too.
http://lvr.unalis.com.tw/
http://lvr.unalis.com.tw/images/index/cop.jpg






・Russian Level-R called Speed Online (Скорость Онлайн) use Gamepot logomark too.
http://www.zzima.com/so/
http://www.zzima.com/files/upload/12069.png




・Indonesian Level-R called "fast black, they use Gamepot logomark too.
http://www.onelife.web.id/fastblack/front.php
http://www.onelife.web.id/fastblack/images/companies.png




・Level-R Thailand , which is already closed, still use Gamepot logomark.
http://levelx.winner.co.th/guide/ShowGuide.asp?id=15

IP Ban Rebel Alliance
It would Invictus's ambitious to deprive customer from local exclusive license holder present days. To joining IP ban Rabel Allience it promotes small local market player join to the big market servers. I think no one want to play small local server unless they have no ip-ban restrictions. For local publishers, the allience is bad for their profit. It seems that Invictus name being mad unless Invictus should buy up or pay back money which local publisher invested so far, if they claim IP Ban Rebel Alliance. The Rebel alliance seems the sneak trap by Invictus for the invictus of the Invictus for their profit.


Finally, I no longer plays and follows the issue of Level-R. My loving STi Impreza on Project Torque wasn't transfered to EU Server when Gamigo level-R lifted the ip-block for Japanese. The game is no longer worth playing because it becomes too childish and arcade like and no fun, no exciting to race. . So It may last post about this Level-R blog

Original Opening Movie of Level-R.

 It was sure that Level-R was the one of great game till Creo version so far. The game got super-high reputation with cool opening movie. If they still have Creo version phisics with many real cars it would be great game and It still attracts many racers. But...Finally matured Japanese player and the game market answered NO to level-R. Thank you for Gampepot and Invictus giving us the wonderful opportunities. Also Thank you all who following my blog so far.