Star Trek Online Interview

Now the press floodgates are open, and GameSpot offers an interview with Cryptic executive producer Craig Zinkievich, talking Star Trek Online.

GameSpot: To start off, please clear something up for us. What connection will Cryptic’s Star Trek Online have to the game that was previously in development at Perpetual Entertainment?

Craig Zinkievich: We took some of the concept art–but the game design, assets and engine are 100% Cryptic. If given the rights to use the Star Trek universe, who could resist the opportunity to design the game from scratch!? We’ve been developing and refining our MMO engine and pipelines here for years and have shipped multiple games on it. Our Cryptic engine technology is so mature now that it’s allowed us to take our ideas and vision, and quickly get them up and running as a fully functional MMO.

GS: Next, give us some background on Star Trek Online. First off, in which era of Star Trek will the game take place? The original series? The Next Generation? Some other era?

CZ: The game takes place in the year 2409, roughly thirty years after the events of [the most recent motion picture] Star Trek: Nemesis. The galaxy has changed somewhat since then and faces additional challenges.

GS: Which characters and ships from the television series and movies will make special appearances in the game?

CZ: We’ll doubtlessly include references to well known and loved storylines, locations, and famous ships throughout the content within the game, but most of the characters have either retired or passed on. Star Trek Online is about letting players experience being a new member of the Star Trek universe–not re-living specific TV episodes or playing as specific captains.