SOE Seattle Interview

MMORPG.com had the opportunity to fire a batch of questions over to SOE Seattle’s Matt Wilson to learn more about the massively multiplayer title the studio is currently working on, as well as his personal opinion about the current state of the MMORPG industry. Here’s a taste:

Q: For a very long time, the general war cry in the MMO community had seemed to call for something new. Then, along came WoW and EQII, which while both very solid games, are both continuations of pre-established themes in the genre. Why do you think this was, and do you think that was, and how has this influenced what you are working on

A: EQII and WoW arguably represent the best in the MMO space, but do perpetuate the standard fantasy theme. The primary reason for EQII is it continuation of the EQ franchise. It’s roots are deeply established and the types of gameplay and setting are essential elements to it’s core identity. WoW’s theme was based on the WarCraft series. For them to take an established theme and combine it with a simplified version of established gameplay represented the minimal risk towards making a strong franchise. For us, these games are great models of top tier MMO’s of today, but what will be the EQ’s and WoW of the next generation? That’s what we are working on.