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DEVELOPER SPOTLIGHT: AARON RIGBY
Meet Soul of the Ultimate Nation's Senior Producer
LQGaming Services:: How will games that feature your signature stamp, e.g. SUN, differentiate themselves from the selection of titles that are already on the market?
Rigby: I really don't like talking about features this far from release, but all of our upcoming titles have unique features that haven't really made it into the MMO genre yet. For example, SUN will allow players to customize their hunting maps once they've opened them through quests.
Then take Huxley and APB. Huxley is a twitch-based MMO first-person shooter that really takes the online shooter to a whole new level. I was truly impressed with how fast this game is. APB is what the marketing guys are calling an "Urban Action MMOG." Live in a city. be a cop or a bad guy. beat the shit out of each other and customize your character in some really cool ways to make it the ultimate "modern-day" role-playing game.
LQGaming Services:: The coolest part of working on the SUN team is?
Rigby: Right now, the most exciting aspect is the energy that builds up before launch. The team in Korea is only about 90 days from their launch, so crunch time has officially started. We'll follow them a few months later with the North American launch, so the adrenaline is flowing.
LQGaming Services:: What's the corporate culture like at Webzen, and how much pressure is there working on the company's American debut?
Rigby: The pressure here is about as high as at any other company I've worked with, whether the publisher was new or established. It all comes down to having quality games that people want to play. That's the real pressure.
LQGaming Services:: Any interesting stories from your time behind the scenes in the MMO sector you'd care to relate?
Rigby: I'm in a sentimental mood, so let's go for a story that's "touching" (read into that as deeply as you must.). I was playing Star Wars: Galaxies, and was hanging out in a cantina getting healed up by what I thought was a low-level dancer. After I got my health back, I tipped her/it/him - you never know with online games - 50 credits.
As I walked away, the "newb dancer" tipped me back 50 THOUSAND credits. Turned out they were really a high level Master Craftsman who was experimenting with dancing. They were so thankful that I took the time to watch the dance and use them to heal up that they tipped me in kind. Just remembering that day brings a tear to my eye.
By the way, I immediately traveled two planets away and bought a Speeder with the newly acquired cash.
LQGaming Services:: Based on your experience, what could the MMO market stand to learn from past mistakes?
Rigby: Publishers need to learn that MMOG does not stand for "medieval multiplayer online game." Games like City of Heroes prove that you can have success without a single elf.
LQGaming Services:: Good point. On the same note, what do you find most disappointing about the business?
Rigby: In most games, there is a rich and detailed background story and environment that isn't really encountered by a majority of players. I don't think we've quite hit the desired suspension of disbelief that single-player games have.
LQGaming Services:: What makes you convinced such titles have a future then?
Rigby: There's nothing that can top the unpredictability of player-to-player interaction for entertainment. Even the best scripted NPC doesn't come close.
LQGaming Services:: For the record, are there any misconceptions about game developers/publishers in particular that you'd like to take this last chance to clear up?
Rigby: Hmm, there's a good bit of those. I guess the one I hear the most is "Wow, you work in games? It must be great to play games all day!"
Well, folks, I'm here to tell you that the sad truth is this. Outside of the QA department, we really don't get much of a chance to play games at work at all. We're stuck playing them at home like everyone else.
- Scott Steinberg
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