Short E3 Round-Up
XLGAMES representatives attended E3 this month and spoke with the press about ArcheAge. So far only two articles have surfaced that are newsworthy, one from Massively.com and one from GoHa.ru.
Massively.com: E3 2012: XL COO on ArcheAge, CBT4, and America
This is one of those good news/bad news ArcheAge articles. The good news is that XLGAMES’ sandpark title is absolutely coming to the West. The bad news, though, is that we still don’t know exactly when.
XL didn’t have an official presence at this year’s E3, but the firm was kind enough to set up a private interview with COO Suk Woo Choi away from the hustle and bustle of convention ground zero. We talked at length about CBT4, game systems, and the challenges inherent in localizing ArcheAge for Europe and America.
GoHa.Ru: E3 2012 Archeage Interview
GoHa.Ru: So, the first question is… Will the game be localized? Will its Collector’s Edition, be similar to those in Korea and China? And… what thoughts whatsoever do you have on publishing the game in our country?
Suk Woo Choi: Of course, ArcheAge is going to be localized in Russian, for the Russian players. And about the Collector’s Edition – we don’t have any specific plans yet, but when we decide on Russian publisher then we will decide if it is going to work or not.
GoHa.Ru: So, the second question is about the division of European servers into specific regions or… will it be like localized client for all on one and the same ground?
Suk Woo Choi: Our servers will not be separated into “Eastern” or “Western” – they will be separated for each country. So, this way Russia will have its own server.
GoHa.Ru: Can you give us a comment on the rumors, that ArcheAge.eu domain name is registered for NCSoft European branch? There’re rumors about your cooperation with them… so, can you tell us anything about it?
Suk Woo Choi: We actually don’t know why the domain address got mixed up for ArcheAge.eu to the NCSoft Europe branch, but… The fact is that the publisher for the European countries has not been decided on yet, but we’ll let you know when this is going to be announced.
GoHa.Ru: Can you please tell us, what market do you consider the most preferred for your game – European or Russian? And don’t you think, that ArcheAge might just be a bit too hard for casual European players?
Suk Woo Choi: Traditionally, Russian players are very interested in MMORPGs and recently MMORPG market in Russia has been developing very fast, I understand that compared to other regions Russian gamers are very passionate for MMORPGs and they have very deep knowledge for MMOs. And because of these reasons we think that ArcheAge will be a big hit in Russia, and we’re looking forward to being loved by Russian gamers.
GoHa.Ru: So… probably the last question: will CBT5 be the last one, or shall we wait for new tests later?
Suk Woo Choi: The date of 5th CBT for ArcheAge is not fixed yet, but it should be somewhere around summer this year, and OBT is probably going to take place in the end of this year, in 2012. For the Russian servers… as soon as we pick the right publisher, who is going to work with us, we’ll try to deliver ArcheAge as quick as possible. And we have already met some of the Russian publishers…
If more E3 coverage appears, please don’t hesitate to notify us using our contact us form. Thank you!
Another Interview with Jake Song on Massively
ArcheAge news has been slow recently, for good reason: XLGAMES is focused on developing the game and getting it back into beta testers’ hands. They haven’t really had the free time to chat with the press, especially Western press, until now. Massively lined up a rather interesting, exclusive interview with the big man himself, Jake Song, and now you get to read the results. Here’s a preview:
Is localization mostly an issue of translating the text and UI, or will actual game mechanics change as well?
Jake Song: ArcheAge is still under development, and the publisher for the Western market is not decided for now, so maybe it is a bit early to answer the question. But I do understand the importance of localization. We have to figure out data such as each country’s features, its IT environment and so on, as well as find out the best way to service ArcheAge.
But above all that, we should finish development and find a publisher who will partner with us to introduce [and distribute] ArcheAge to Western players.
Massively’s ArcheAge CBT3 Review
Forgive me for getting this out of the way up front: I frickin’ hate betas. Loathe them. Avoid them like the plague, usually. Why then, did I find myself foregoing sleep for the better part of last week to log into XL Games‘ third closed beta test for ArcheAge?
Curiosity, for sure, and maybe just a hint of desperation. As the MMORPG genre moves farther and farther away from the types of games worlds that drew me in a decade ago, the chance to get a preview of what some fans are hoping is the next great AAA sandbox was enough to overwhelm my betaphobia.
It’s been quite some time since I’ve glanced out my window to see the sun rise while playing an MMORPG through the night, and ArcheAge definitely has its claws in me at this point. Is it the next great sandbox, though? Is it even a sandbox at all? Can XL successfully meld two design philosophies (sandbox and themepark) that are, in many ways, polar opposites? Those questions are difficult to answer, but join me after the cut and I’ll give it a shot.
Interview with Jake Song on Massively!
Link: Interview with Jake Song on Massively!
Updated and new information; a great jumping-off point for new fans of ArcheAge!