On September 14, Gravity carried a beloved creature from the world of Ragnarok Online into the quieter, more intimate space of everyday messaging, releasing 35 Poring-themed emoticons on Kakao's platform. The move reflects a growing understanding among game studios that a character's life does not end at the edge of a game client — it continues wherever people talk, react, and recognize one another. Shaped by player surveys and tied to in-game rewards, the launch is less a product release than a gentle expansion of belonging, asking whether a small pink blob might follow its fans into the conv
Gravity Launches Cute Mini Poring Emoticon Set on Kakao Platform
Weaving Ragnarok deeper into the everyday digital lives of players
Mark
So Gravity released emoticons on Kakao. Why does that matter enough to report on?
Mimi
Because it's how IP companies stay relevant in players' daily lives now. Games are one place; messaging apps are everywhere. If Gravity can make Poring emoticons something people actually use in chat, that's brand presence without asking for playtime.
Luke
But how many people actually buy emoticons? The article doesn't say how many sets sold, or what the uptake was. We know there's a raffle, but that's a promotional hook, not evidence of demand.
Mimi
Fair. But the fact that they surveyed users first and chose the design that won the vote—that suggests they're being deliberate, not just throwing something at the wall.
Mark
They surveyed Ragnarok players specifically, right? Not general Kakao users?
Mimi
Yes. They asked people who already care about the IP which direction they preferred. That's a narrower but more reliable signal than guessing what strangers want.
Luke
And this is their first mini emoticon set on Kakao. So we don't have a track record to compare against. We're watching an experiment, not reporting on an established success.
Mark
What's the business model here? Do they keep the revenue, or does Kakao take a cut?
Mimi
The article doesn't specify. But emoticon shops typically split revenue between the platform and the creator. For Gravity, it's probably a small revenue stream compared to the games themselves.
Luke
Exactly. This is marketing spend disguised as a product launch. The real value is keeping Ragnarok in front of players' eyes. The emoticon sales are secondary.
Mark
So the raffle—that's the real incentive?
Mimi
It's one of them. The raffle gives players a reason to buy the set beyond just liking the designs. In-game items are valuable to active players, so it creates a bridge between the two platforms.
Luke
But again, we don't know how many people actually participated, or whether the raffle moved the needle on sales. The article is announcing the event, not measuring its impact.
Mark
What does Park's quote actually tell us?
Mimi
That Gravity sees emoticons as part of a larger strategy to make Ragnarok IP feel omnipresent. He's not talking about this one set; he's talking about the direction the company is moving—expanding where and how people encounter the IP.
O Pulso
- Gravity is pushing the Ragnarok IP beyond game screens and into the messaging apps where players actually spend most of their time.
- Thirty-five emoticon designs — chosen through user surveys — now let Poring fans express moods, reactions, and Ragnarok nostalgia inside everyday Kakao chats.
- A raffle promotion running through September 30 creates a direct bridge between the Kakao purchase and in-game rewards, pulling both ecosystems into a single loop.
- For Gravity, each emoticon sold is simultaneously a revenue stream, a branding foothold, and a quiet signal of fan identity carried into every conversation.
On September 14, Gravity carried a beloved creature from the world of Ragnarok Online into the quieter, more intimate space of everyday messaging, releasing 35 Poring-themed emoticons on Kakao's platform. The move reflects a growing understanding among game studios that a character's life does not end at the edge of a game client — it continues wherever people talk, react, and recognize one another. Shaped by player surveys and tied to in-game rewards, the launch is less a product release than a gentle expansion of belonging, asking whether a small pink blob might follow its fans into the conversations that fill their days.
On September 14, Gravity entered Kakao's emoticon marketplace for the first time, launching a 35-piece mini set built around Poring — the round, wide-eyed creature that has become one of Ragnarok Online's most enduring symbols. The set, titled 'Cute Mini Poring: Save the Rag World!', was shaped by preference surveys conducted across Gravity's Ragnarok IP player base, with the cute, casual aesthetic ultimately winning out over competing concepts.
The designs are built for the rhythms of real conversation. Each emoticon captures either a recognizable emotion, an everyday situation, or a nod to Ragnarok Online itself. Players can attach them to messages or use them as standalone reactions — small, versatile expressions meant to cover the full range of moods that drift through a casual chat.
To mark the launch, Gravity is running a promotional raffle through September 30. Buyers of the emoticon set are entered into a drawing, with fifty winners selected from Ragnarok Online players and another fifty from Ragnarok Zero players, each receiving in-game items. The mechanic ties the Kakao purchase back to the games, giving players a reason to move between both worlds.
Jin-on Park, who leads Gravity's IP Business Team, described the release as a deliberate effort to give players more expressive range in their daily conversations — and as part of a broader ambition to embed Ragnarok IP into the digital spaces where people actually communicate. A player who buys the set now carries Poring into every Kakao exchange: a small, persistent presence that signals taste, affiliation, and a shared history with a universe that began inside a game.
On September 14, Gravity made its first move into Kakao's emoticon marketplace, launching a set of 35 mini designs built around the Poring character—a signature creature from the Ragnarok Online universe. The set, titled 'Cute Mini Poring: Save the Rag World!', arrived after the company surveyed players across its Ragnarok IP titles to determine which visual direction would resonate most. The cute, casual aesthetic won out over other concepts tested with the user base.
The emoticon set functions as a practical tool for daily messaging. Each of the 35 designs captures either a specific emotion or everyday situation, or references recognizable elements from Ragnarok Online itself. Users can layer these expressions with text when composing messages, or deploy them as reaction emojis to show agreement or empathy in conversations. The designs are built for versatility—meant to cover the range of moods and moments that actually occur in casual chat.
Gravity paired the launch with a promotional event running through September 30. Players who purchase the emoticon set enter a raffle drawing. Fifty winners will be selected from Ragnarok Online players, and another fifty from Ragnarok Zero players, each receiving in-game items as a thank-you for their participation. The mechanics tie the Kakao platform directly back to Gravity's games, creating a reason for players to engage across both ecosystems.
Jin-on Park, who leads Gravity's IP Business Team, framed the release as a response to earlier Poring emoticon sets that had already found an audience. He described the new mini set as deliberately designed for broad utility—something that would let players express themselves in more varied and entertaining ways during conversations. Park also signaled the company's larger ambition: to weave Ragnarok IP deeper into the everyday digital lives of users, moving beyond the games themselves into the platforms where people actually spend their time communicating.
The launch represents a straightforward expansion strategy. Rather than confine the Ragnarok universe to game clients, Gravity is distributing its characters and visual identity across messaging and social platforms where they become functional tools. A player who buys the emoticon set now carries Poring with them into every Kakao conversation—a small but persistent reminder of the IP, and a way to signal affiliation or taste to friends. For Gravity, each emoticon sold is both a revenue stream and a foothold in a space where players spend far more time than they do in any single game.
Citações Notáveis
We designed a highly versatile mini emoticon set so users can enjoy chatting in a more fun and varied way, and we will continue to expand user experiences so that people can become familiar with the Ragnarok IP in their daily lives.— Jin-on Park, IP Business Team Lead at Gravity
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