[Game website] 1 of the most anticipated MMORPGs in the western market since its Korean announcement a couple of years back, ArcheAge’s all-round content has kept gamers glued ever since.
Over a hundred of possible classes, player housing, farming, trading, city building, ship constructing, naval battles, aerial assaults, marriage, jail system… The list is not even finished!
In this interview, I will be looking to ask Trion Worlds some brief questions, such as why choose ArcheAge, the possible challenges and how the company is going to ramp up its services for this MMORPG epic.
Q: Hello there, can you please introduce yourself to the readers?
A: Hi, I am Victoria Voss, Senior Producer for ArcheAge at Trion Worlds. I started out in the industry as a volunteer Guide for Everquest and I’ve been involved in games ever since!
I joined Trion shortly before RIFT went into beta and was very excited to manage the beta and launch of that game. It really reinforced what an awesome team Trion is! I’m a fan of online RPG style games, from Everquest to LotR, SW:G, EQII, WoW, RIFT, TOR, and ArcheAge.
Q: From my observations, a large majority of the western gamers is positive about Trion Worlds publishing ArcheAge. Why do you think this is so?
A: I think that Trion has a well-deserved reputation for quality games and quality service. We launched RIFT two years ago and continue to have great customer service and a reputation for listening to our players! I think Trion has what it takes and gamers recognize that.
Q: What was the initial impression of the game for Trion Worlds’ staff?
A: I think I’ll go for… enraptured. We’re all really excited to be working on ArcheAge. It’s rare to walk around and not hear someone talk about the game! Personally, I love the fact that the game lets us play however we would like. We have a few folks who are pretty high level on the Korean servers and they continue to find new and exciting things to do, from crafting amazing armor to sailing the high seas as pirates!
Q: Which major factors finally led to Trion Worlds pursuing to acquire ArcheAge for the western market?
A: ArcheAge is a great game, created by a really great developer, and it offers us something that we don’t currently have in our portfolio … a AAA MMO that provides expansive open world gameplay. Everyone who tested it was super excited about the game, so it was a great opportunity for us.
Q: When did game localization started? Roughly how much of the game has been localized thus far?
A: No details, but localization has already started and is proceeding nicely.
Q: Are there plans to “change” any part of ArcheAge’s content during localization? Or is “westernization” a more appropriate word to use?
A: There’s a lot of conversation going on between Trion and XLGAMES on what makes sense to change. We don’t want to change the essence of the game, but we definitely want to give the Western audiences a game that is more … well .. Western 🙂
We’ve found out that XLGAMES had many of the same thoughts as us, so many of the changes will be game wide, not just for the West. We are also working with XLGAMES on some Western-specific changes, such as character creation options, which our players are expecting.
Q: Are there any fears of ArcheAge gradually cannibalizing RIFT’s user base?
A: While RIFT and ArcheAge are both fantasy worlds the two games have a different feel and gameplay with their own unique features. There are plenty of reasons for you to play both!
Q: Support wise, does each product has its own team, or will ArcheAge be sharing a central support team with Trion Worlds’ other products?
A: Trion always focuses on giving players the best support we can. In some areas that means that the teams support multiple games to enable synergies, in other areas the teams are dedicated. So …. It depends 🙂
The focus is always on giving the customer the best experience possible. Our service teams are some of the best in the industry, they’re continuing to be awesome!
Q: I know this has been asked thousands of time, but… Is there an ETA for the Closed Beta phase? Or how close are we in terms of development towards the Closed Beta client?
A: Is there an ETA for the Closed Beta phase …. Yes, but we’re not quite ready to announce it :). Sign up on our website (www.archeagegame.com) and keep an eye on our Facebook page, Twitter and website for more info!
Thank you for this insightful interview!
