The MMO world is going through a lot of changes, some obvious, like the emergence of more World of Warcraft-type clones, some not so obvious, like the popularity of free-to-play MMOs. While we don’t tend to cover MMOs here on Co-Optimus, it’s hard for us to deny that many of them include co-op elements as a core part of their gameplay experience. When we were at PAX East, we had the opportunity to speak with Sam Houston, a representative from Perfect World Entertainment Inc., about the free-to-play style of MMOs, how China fits into the picture, some of the projects Perfect World Entertainment has lined up for the future, and why they decided to help Runic publish Torchlight.
Co-Optimus: So you work for Perfect World Entertainment that makes a Perfect World?
Sam: Our company is called Perfect World Entertainment and we have a game called Perfect World International, so that’s how that works. We try to make perfect worlds if you want to get really cheesy, I don’t know. [laughs] We make MMOs and we’re a wholly owned subsidiary of a Chinese company that’s called Perfect World and they’re one of the big MMO publishers and developers in China. It’s actually a trend you're going to see a lot more of… that a lot of these Chinese companies are trying to bring the free-to-play business model to the Western market. [Perfect World Entertainment] has been around for about two years now and to-date we’ve just been a publisher, so we take our games from China, that’s been developed by Perfect World in China, and localize them.
Co-Optimus: What does that entail?
Sam: So not only do we take the text out and [translate from Chinese to English], but we also change the way the cash operates, which is really important, as well as some of the gameplay. The way people play these games in China is a method we call “pay-to-win,” which is essentially “You want a sword? Pay me a bunch of money for it!” Players in North America really aren’t cool with that… So the way cash operates in our game is that it’s convenience based. Like say you don’t have a lot of time but you’ve got money, then you could buy something that helps you level up faster. We’re not subscription-based, we’re item-shop based, which includes things like different outfits for your characters or different mounts that you can ride. So that’s how we earn money. What’s neat about that, I think, is that there’s no financial commitment. When you’re playing World of Warcraft, you [feel like you] want to get your $15 every month. For us, you can play whatever you want to play; if you want to play our WoW and our game at the same time, then be our guest, that’s fine. Both sets of players, the free-to-play and those that pay for items, are equally important to us. They both co-exist and we like both in our worlds.
Face off against dragons, convicts, and the Scorpion King (no word if it's The Rock version) in Battle of the Immortals
Co-Optimus: You have a few titles out already, such as Perfect World, Jade Dynasty, and Torchlight (through Steam), and a few that have been teased and shown off at other events. Can you tell us a bit more about these games?
Sam: The first one is Battle of the Immortals, and that is what we call a 2.5D game. It’s more of a point-n-click action game, like a Diablo or Torchlight kind of deal, but an MMO. We’re excited about that game because it’s a bit different than other MMOs that you see out there. The way it works is that you can travel all around the world and go to different locations, like Easter Island, Atlantis, or Egypt, and you fight all these different creatures, like the Scorpion King in Egypt or convicts escaping from a jail in Atlantis. So there’s all these different zones where you can group up with people, but what’s really cool about Battle of the Immortals is this gear called “Soul Gear,” which has unique animations based on the class you pick. [In Battle of the Immortals] everyone plays as the same race, so there aren’t elves and dwarves, but there are five unique classes in the game and each class has its own unique look with their Soul Gear. So maybe the helmet opens and closes, or the shoulders have spikes that raise and lower. By the end of the game, the Soul Gear is probably what people will be focusing on; getting that really cool gear and collecting gems that they can add to the armor to increase their stats. The gems are actually an instance of a change we made in the localization process.
Co-Optimus: How so?
Sam: Well, there are five tiers of gems and a tier three gem might give you, say, 10,000 HP. So it makes a huge impact. So we had to change that cash operation because in China you buy all the gems, you couldn’t earn them. So if I’m 2,500 HP and you’re at 10,000 just because you have all the money? That kind of sucks! So we had to change that and now all of those gems are drops. So the way we make money in that game is that – in the game you can combine gems to make them even better – so we offer items that you can buy that help the combine rate, the success rate, be higher; in addition to the fashions and all that. The game is a prime example of where we’ve really focused on the localization, and [focused on] making it not a “pay-to-win” model and not just changing up the text and calling it a day. It’s where we really try to differentiate ourselves from other free-to-play companies, you know; we really spend the time and resources on that localization process.
Horses... spears... all that good stuff in Heroes of Three Kingdoms
Co-Optimus: What are the other games you’re working on?
Sam: There’s a historical game we’re working on called Heroes of Three Kingdoms, which is based on Chinese culture and history, and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms story. It’s the same story that Dynasty Warriors is based on. So, because it’s an historical game, you can go in and re-enact historical battles through instances you can join in. You, as a player, join one of the three factions and you battle it out. There are going to be forts that you siege, catapults that you build-
Co-Optimus: So it’s like an RTS?
Sam: No, it plays more like a traditional fantasy MMO, but it does have that kind of Realm vs Realm mechanic that was popularized by Warhammer Online and Dark Age of Camelot. It’s very similar to that kind of PvP where you’re fighting against other factions… [What’s different about it] is that the game isn’t race or class based; it’s all about weapons. There are 18 different weapons and it brings a new tactical/strategy to the way you play because all of the weapons have cooldowns on them. So you couldn’t just be an archer and shoot at guys all day. I could use my bow, but then I’d need to switch to a halberd or a grand staff throughout combat; I’ve got to be tactical about the way I use my equipment and how I cycle through it. Also, all of the animations for the game have been motion capped by martial artists that worked on movies like The Matrix, so we hope that will appeal to players as well. So I’m excited about that and excited to see how players will use that mechanic. I should also mention that both of these games will go into a closed beta starting next month..
Not a lot has been revealed about Forsaken World just yet, but based on this screenshot, we can assume there are castles
Co-Optimus: What’s the last game you’re working on?
Sam: The last game we’re a bit scant on details right now, we’ll be talking more about it at this year’s E3, but it’s called Forsaken World. This game is actually a huge undertaking for us because we have developers all over the world working on it, and it’s the one of game that we’ve probably spent the most time and resources on in order to make it acceptable not just to Eastern players, but to Western players as well. We’re really trying to blend the gameplay so that it appeals to a wider audience of people. I can tell you that it will be a fantasy-based game with five different races and eight different classes, with some classes that are only available to certain races. There are a ton of different occupations and crafting-based stuff, but we’ll have more about that at E3.
Co-Optimus: Our final question for you is about a game you published that stands out as a "one of these things is not like the other." Most of the games you do are MMO-based, so why did you decide to publish Torchlight?
Sam: This year is a big year for Perfect World Entertainment. We’re expanding quite a bit and we’re looking into different areas, and I think you can see that with what we did with Runic on Torchlight. We don’t do single-player games, we’re an MMO company, but we partnered with them because we were excited about a great team, you know they’re former Blizzard guys, former Diablo guys, and they’re going to make a great game. They’re working on Torchlight the MMO and that’s what we’ll be putting out for them, and we published the single-player game as well. To answer your question, I think that’s a reflection of who we are as a company these days. We’re looking at new opportunities and if there’s something exciting, we’re going to go after that. I’m excited for this year for Perfect World Entertainment, we’re gonna break outside of our shell of just doing – I mean we’ve had the same three games out for like a year and a half now, and I just told you about three more that are coming out in the next six or seven months. So it’s going to be a big year for us.
We'd like to thank Sam again for taking the time to speak with us about Perfect World, both the company and the game, and look forward to hearing more about what they've got planned at this year's E3.