Atlantica Online: One Year Q&A

Atlantica Online has been out for one year now. How has the game grown?

Similar to many other living beings, Atlantica has changed significantly during its first year. Content-wise, we've added three new mercenaries (with many more on the way), several new instanced dungeons (designed for parties, guilds, or nations), countless new quests and NPCs, tons of new items and features, swarms of enemies/mobs, and 50 more levels to the level cap. While a lot of the core gameplay remains the same, the overall game experience has expanded to embody a lot more game. In addition to content, Atlantica has launched hundreds of contests and events giving away prizes ranging from in-game items to a brand new Scion tC! What's important to note is that throughout Atlantica's evolution and growth, our users have been at the forefront of driving factors for growing the game.

What do you have planned as an event for your one year anniversary?

Our one year anniversary is a very special occasion and we wanted to do things that both new and existing players would enjoy. For our existing players, we have our tournaments with greater cash prizes, and for our newer players, we wanted to target the initiatives of social growth with events circling community building. Given the understanding of gameplay and our player base's interests, we also wanted to give players, both new and existing, an opportunity to drive the expansion of Atlantica Online through the development of a new mercenary. As part of our one year celebration, we will be hosting a mercenary design contest where players can bring their own concepts to life in the world of Atlantica. So if you think you have a cool idea for a mercenary, start drafting away! But that's not all - we have several other events that will be announced very soon.

Looking back are there any changes you wish you could have made to the game before launch?

We wanted to ultimately have a game with great content and the good thing about online games is that they can constantly be improved and added to. Looking back at launch, anything that we might have wanted to add has been added over this past year and we hope to continue doing just that - constantly improve the game and add new features that players will enjoy, resulting in more player engagement and mindshare outside of the game.

Have you been able to work with players over the first year of development to meet their expectations?

A large amount of Atlantica Online's evolution has been driven by feedback and suggestions from our players. We also wanted to include brand new, additional content that we knew the players would enjoy. Basically, the goal is to create a better environment for the players and a huge part of that is considering what the players want.

How has Atlantica's monetization worked over the first year? With micro-transactions and subscription models being debated, are you happy with your choice?

Atlantica's monetization over the first year has primarily revolved around providing players choice within an engaging world that's free-to-play. Our intention from the very beginning has been to offer a compelling experience to the consumer to get in and play. Our microtransaction model offers choices of convenience and customization to players so that they can pay according to their level of engagement.

Players have commented that character customization is something they would like to see more of, what are your plans for customization?

We don't want to spoil anything, but there are some additional character customization features in the pipeline. We encourage players to stay tuned to see what's next! With several holiday events in the near horizon, players won't have to wait very long.

What goals have you set for the game in year two?

One of our goals is to offer more flexibility and choice, and whether it's through playing the game or using the Item Mall, we feel that it will ultimately help us do a better job of engaging our players.

How have players responded to the goals you set within year one?

We've generated a lot of excitement in sharing our goals throughout the year. Atlantica Online still has a lot of potential and there is so much more we want to accomplish. So, to our players, please cheer us on while we strive to reach our goals in the future!

Are there new content updates planned for the game?

We are constantly improving and adding to the game in order to increase player enjoyment and regularly release content patches for new content and features.

What has been the best part about seeing Atlantica Online reach its one year anniversary?

The best part about seeing Atlantica Online reach its one year anniversary is seeing how many of our players have supported us during this growing and momentous time. We've had an opportunity to watch our game evolve and watch our player base grow and become such an enthusiastic and supportive group. Some of our continuing goals are focused around garnering excitement and passion from our players and we hope to continue providing our users with a quality experience.