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!
