Love triangle: Cinta Abadi stars Brandon Salim as Andi (left), Amanda Rawles as Renata (center) and Shandy William as Egi.

Game developer Gravity Game Link sees the potential of romantic drama to attract new gamers into its immensely popular online game Ragnarok.

So when Gravity was about to launch its latest computer-based game, Ragnarok: Forever Love, the South Korea-based game developer joined forces with Indonesian director Billy Christian to create web series Cinta Abadi (Eternal Love).

More than just promoting the latest Ragnarok game, the romantic web series marks game developer Gravity Game Link’s foray into entertainment in Indonesia. 

“This time, Gravity Game will not only focus on games. We’re also focusing on the entertainment,” said Yoshinori Kitamura, the chairman of Gravity Game Link’s board of directors.

Cinta Abadi was launched on Youtube on Sept. 11 in conjuction with the beta version release of Ragnarok: Forever Love. The six-episode series tells a story of the blossoming friendship and love story among characters Andi (Brandon Salim), Renata (Amanda Rawles) and Egi (Shandy William), which started from their common interest in the game Ragnarok: Forever Love.

“You can say this is a semi live-action, characters in the web-series are inspired by characters in the game Ragnarok” said Brandon, who portrays Andi in the series, inspired by the character Knight in the game, a confident selfless leader who loves his family.

New adventure: Computer-based game Ragnarok: Forever Love was released on Sept. 11, 2018.

Renata is inspired by the Priest, who is described in the game as a healer. Egi, meanwhile, embodies Assassin, who protects his friends with his sixth-sense ability. 

The web series also features professional gamer and influencer Dea Marella, who plays Renata’s best friend.

The romantic web series presented an exciting challenge for Billy, who is best known for his horror movies like Kampung Zombie (Zombie’s Village) and Tuyul: Part 1.

“What’s challenging is to tone down the horror a bit. But because I play the game and know the characters well, I did not face any difficulties” said Billy.

Through the web series, Billy wanted to highlight the game’s features and qualities. 

“I want for audiences to see that the game is interesting and fun, and that also you can make online interactions with other players,” he said.

Ragnarok was first released as a computer-based role-playing game in South Korea in 2002. It became a massive hit in several countries, including Indonesia. Since then, the game has been adapted into animated series and mobile games.

Its latest offering, Ragnarok: Forever Love, is aimed at rekindling the interest of computer-based games as it provides better graphics and experience for the players compared to the mobile version.

Virtual romance: The Cinta Abadi (Eternal Love) web series centers on friendship and romance that blooms from the characters’ common interests of the game Ragnarok: Forever Love.

— The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post 

— Photos courtesy of Gravity Game Link