Gravity Interactive recently released a statement on the results of the US Ragnarok World Championships.  Apparently the underdog US players placed in the top 5!  Here is the official release:

MARINA DEL REY, Calif. - August 10, 2004 - Team Denuo Convena, second place winner of the U.S. Ragnarok Championships, handed stunning defeats to some of the world's top teams at the Ragnarok World Championships (RWC), ultimately placing fifth. Several of the Asian guilds have been playing together for the past three years, while the U.S. teams had less than six months to prepare. With relatively green teams, both U.S. guilds were expected to be eliminated in the first round. The final results of the competition proved the predictions about the U.S. teams to be wrong. During the course of the tournament, Denuo Convena defeated several teams favored to win including UF Power from Indonesia and 321Colors from Japan. Denuo Convena was eventually eliminated by Unforseeable from Taiwan-Hong Kong, which finished first. "I've never thought about playing in a professional eSports tournament like this," Teresa Koler, Denuo Convena guild member, said. "It has been a great experience and I will absolutely do it again in future. I love how playing Ragnarok has allowed me to meet people from all over the world and compete with them." Eighteen countries participated in the RWC in Seoul, Korea from July 17-18, including competitors from the U.S., Taiwan, China, Thailand, Japan and South Korea. The winning team was given a prize of $10,000, while an additional total of $64,000 was awarded to other teams during the competition. RWC, organized and sponsored by Gravity Corporation, is one of the only eSports competitions available for MMORPG style competitions. About 100,000 fans showed up at the two-day RAGFEST event. The goal of the competition was to strengthen friendships and build a global community for Ragnarok fans, allowing them to join and enjoy unlimited challenge and adventure through competition. "While Ragnarok has started to gain in popularity in the United States, it took traveling to Korea to understand the amazing impact this game has had on millions of people around the world," added John Benyamine, editor-in-chief, GameDAILY. "The event itself was great because it really showed off the community that has made Ragnarok what it is today. The game has created a solid and dedicated community - from the amateur films to the fan arts and homemade crafts. It has left us with the lasting impression that the game is here to stay, building a larger and more dedicated community we'll be able to enjoy in the coming years." "RWC was the first global entertainment event hosted by Gravity and it has been a great success," Peter Kang, executive director, Gravity Interactive, said. "We are thrilled to see the outcome. In fact, we plan to make RWC an annual event with each competition held in a different country each year. This will enable Ragnarok users all around the world to establish true friendships, not only in the field of online gaming, but also in an international community." During the third annual RAGFEST, Gravity screened exclusive Ragnarok animation footage and allowed fans to experience Ragnarok in a new way at the mobile games pavilion. Gravity also previewed R.O.S.E Online to their fans - a new MMORPG game that the company has planned to launch early next year.